Gaby
Ingredients:
For the sourdough starter for Żurek:
0.5 liters of boiled, cooled water
10 tablespoons of rye flour
3-4 cloves of garlic
3 bay leaves
3-4 allspice berries
1 piece of rye bread
For the soup:
1.5 – 2 liters of vegetable or meat broth
0.5 liters of Żurek sourdough starter
500 grams of white sausage (smoked chicken sausage)
150 grams of bacon (or a similar cured meat)
2 medium-sized onions
1 tablespoon of butter
3-4 cloves of garlic
150 ml of thick sour cream (similar to crème fraîche)
1 tablespoon of dried marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
6 hard-boiled eggs (1 egg per serving)
For the vegetable broth:
1.5 – 2 liters of water
1 onion
2-3 carrots
2-3 parsley roots
3-4 potatoes
1 small piece of celery root or 2-3 stalks of celery with leaves
4-5 allspice berries
2-3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
First, prepare the sourdough starter for Żurek.
In a glass jar, mix all the ingredients for the starter.
You can leave the garlic unpeeled but crush it with a knife, or you can peel it and cut each clove in half.
Cover the jar with a kitchen towel and place it in a warm spot in your kitchen for 3-5 days.
Stir the starter every day.
When a pleasant sour smell develops (it took me 4 days), the starter is ready.
Strain it through a fine sieve into another clean container.
Discard what remains in the sieve.
You can cook Żurek immediately or store the starter in the refrigerator for a while (I kept mine for a week).
Next, prepare the broth.
I used vegetable broth.
While the broth is simmering, finely chop the onion and sauté it in a skillet with butter until translucent.
When the onion is nearly done, add the sliced bacon and sauté a bit longer.
Remove all the vegetables and celery greens from the broth, leaving only the allspice berries and bay leaves.
Add the sautéed onion with the bacon (set aside a little, about 1-2 tablespoons), and the sliced sausage, bringing it to a boil.
Shake the sourdough starter well and pour it into the soup.
Stir thoroughly, bring to a boil, and simmer for 3-5 minutes. If needed, adjust the salt and add pepper and crushed garlic to taste, then sprinkle in the marjoram.
In a bowl, mix the sour cream with a few tablespoons of the soup and pour it back into the broth.
Bring to a boil, cover, and let the Żurek steep for about 15-20 minutes.
Serve in bowls with a quartered hard-boiled egg and enjoy.
It can be enjoyed simply with bread or with pre-boiled potatoes cut into sticks and drizzled with the leftover sautéed onion and bacon mixture.
