Zurek
A sour rye soup built on zakwas — rye flour and water left to ferment for several days until sharp. Served with white sausage and half a hard-boiled egg, it is the Polish Easter table in a bowl.
Ingredients
- rye sourdough starter (zakwas) — 400 ml
- smoked bacon — 100 g
- white sausage — 500 g
- onion — 1 pc
- garlic cloves — 3 pcs
- bay leaves — 2 pcs
- marjoram, dried — 2 tsp
- cream — 150 ml
- hard-boiled eggs — 4 pcs
- salt — 1 tsp
Instructions
- Simmer the sausage in 1.5 litres of water with the bay for 25 minutes, then lift it out and slice it; keep the broth.
- Render the diced bacon, soften the chopped onion in the fat and add both to the broth.
- Stir the zakwas well before pouring — the flour settles — then add it to the pot off the boil.
- Bring back to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes; do not let it boil hard or the sourness turns harsh.
- Crush in the garlic, add the marjoram, then temper the cream with a ladle of hot soup before stirring it in.
- Return the sausage to warm through, season, and serve each bowl with half a hard-boiled egg.