In Podlasie żurek it’s not just an ordinary soup – it’s safe to say that it’s a culinary tradition passed down from generation to generation. My grandmother Wiesia has been cooking it for years using the same, perfectly refined recipe. What counts is the simplicity of the ingredients, patience and that one addition that is not obvious to everyone – this is what makes grandma’s sour soup taste really unique and has that unusual sour taste and aroma.
There is nothing like thick sour rye soup with natural sourdough – it is undoubtedly the best warming soup for winter. Such dishes taste best when it’s frosty outside and the day ends quickly. A well-prepared sour rye soup warms you up gradually but effectively – it is like a real feast from the first spoon to the last bite. The thick decoction spreads pleasantly over the body and fills you up for long hours. In my house, such a soup is simply a tradition, especially in the autumn and winter season, which is more demanding for the body.
My grandmother always prepares it, and her żurek is distinguished by its particularly rich aroma and depth of flavor, unmistakable with any other version of this soup. All the ingredients used create a harmonious whole, one addition also gives the soup a forest note – of course, we are talking about finely chopped dried boletus mushrooms. Just a little bit makes the sour rye soup simply outstanding.
In my house, we always eat such soup with eggs and sausage, which makes the second course unnecessary – the soup itself is so rich that it is enough for several hours.
Recipe for sour rye soup from a grandmother from Podlasie is the best – you can also prepare an outstanding soup from it.
Ingredients list:
- 2 liters of water,
- 500 ml of sourdough starter,
- 2 onions,
- 2 carrots,
- 3 cloves of garlic,
- 50 g dried porcini mushrooms,
- 2 tablespoons of marjoram,
- 1 tablespoon of horseradish,
- half a teaspoon of salt,
- half a teaspoon of pepper.
Additionally:
- 300 g white sausage,
- 200 g of smoked sausage
- 100 g bacon,
- a few hard-boiled eggs.
About half an hour before cooking the soup, pour warm water over the dried mushrooms and set aside to soften.
Prepare a large pot, put the carrots and two cloves of garlic in it, pour water over it, add the white sausage and cook over low heat for about 40-50 minutes.
In the meantime, cut the bacon into small cubes and melt it in a pan. Remove the cracklings, but leave the fat. In the same pan, fry the sliced smoked sausage and finely chopped onion – until golden brown. Set aside.
Place the soaked mushrooms in a small pot, cook for 15 minutes, then drain, cool and cut into thin strips.
Remove the white sausage, carrot and garlic from the cooked broth. Cut the sausage into slices and cut the carrot into cubes. Briefly fry the slices of white sausage in the same pan as the remaining meat.
Add the leaven, fried meat, onion, mushrooms and carrots to the clean broth. Also pour a few tablespoons of water after cooking the mushrooms.
Cook the soup over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Add the third clove of garlic pressed through the press, marjoram and horseradish. Mix thoroughly and season as desired.
Cook the żurek for another 30 minutes, without bringing it to a boil. Serve with a hard-boiled egg cut in half.
Source: guster.pl, Terazgotuje.pl
