Ryemeal Soup with Sausage Recipe - Polish Zurek

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Ryemeal Soup with Sausage Recipe - Polish Zurek
By Barbara Rolek



This recipe for Polish ryemeal soup with sausage, zurek (ZHOO-rrek), is from chef Marek (Mark) Widomski, founder and director of the Culinary Institute in Cracow, Poland, and is typical of the "sour" soups beloved by Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, Slovakians and Slovenians.

A zur (ZHOOR) or sour, the base for this soup, is created by fermenting rye flour with water in a jar or crock for up to five days. So start the sour ahead of time! This is a hearty soup which, in Poland, is often served before obiad (the main meal of the day).

Makes about 6 servings of Polish Ryemeal Soup or Zurek

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

* Ryemeal Sour:

* 3/4 cup rye flour
* 2 cups water boiled and cooled to lukewarm
* Soup:
* 1/2 pound peeled and chopped soup vegetables (carrots, parsnips, celery root, leeks)
* 6 cups water
* 1/2 pound fresh (white) Polish sausage (kielbasa biala)
* 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 cups ryemeal sour (above)
* 1 heaping tablespoon all-purpose flour mixed with 4 tablespoons water
* 1 garlic clove crushed with 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 large hard-cooked eggs (optional)

Preparation:

1. To make the ryemeal sour: Mix together rye flour with lukewarm water. Pour into a glass jar or ceramic bowl that is large enough for the mixture to expand. Cover with cheesecloth and let stand in a warm place for 4 to 5 days. This should make 2 cups or enough for the soup. If the sour isn't used immediately, it can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

2. To make the soup: In a large soup pot, bring soup vegetables and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add sausage, return to the boil, reduce heat and cook another 30 minutes. Remove sausage from soup, slice when cool enough to handle, and set aside. Strain stock through a sieve, pressing on the vegetables to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the vegetables, skim the fat off the stock, and return the stock to the soup pot.

3. Add the potatoes and ryemeal sour to the stock, adding salt if necessary. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are al dente. Whisking constantly, add flour-water mixture, sliced sausage and garlic-salt paste. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender. Serve in heated bowls with half a hard-cooked egg in each serving (if desired), and rye bread on the side.