Żurek sour rye soup with sausage and egg

For a few days, a bottle of what looked like quite a decent fermented rye starter for żurek had been sitting in my fridge. You know, the kind made from rye flour and water. I think I’ll try making it myself one day. But I had a shop-bought one, and it looked perfectly respectable, so it was finally time for some żurek.

Oh, ah, ooh and all that. Because I can’t otherwise convey how much pleasure it gave my taste buds. The one in the recipe below, that is. I improvised a little, actually, but I think it turned out brilliant. For anyone who likes it perfectly tangy, with a hint of horseradish, but not hot. Rich in meat: fatty (from the smoked pork belly), yet delicate at the same time (from good-quality white sausage). I needed a sour rye soup like that.

Besides, I’ve been drawn to sour things lately. Pickled gherkins, sauerkraut, and now żurek. Perhaps my body is longing for winter. A proper one, with frost that bites your cheeks. But back to the soup…

my grandad makes the best żurek in the world… I mean my dad, that is. Yes, yes… Nina’s grandad. And today is Grandfather’s Day, so I can quite happily dedicate this żurek (pointless, I know, I’ve scoffed it myself, so it’s easy to dedicate it now) to all the Grandads and Grandmas. Somehow, since they became grandparents, I often find myself calling them Grandad and Grandma too. So all the best to you. Those lessons weren’t wasted, because I can wholeheartedly recommend this żurek.

At a glance:

Preparation time: an hour

Serves: 6 – 8 people (depending on portion size)

How many calories: a fair few old-Polish-style calories

Ingredients for Polish żurek:

• 2 Polish white sausages (raw)
• 15 dag of smoked pork belly
• 4 large button mushrooms
• 2 stock cubes (chicken and vegetable ones in my case)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 large onion
• 1 small carrot
• 2 heaped tablespoons of horseradish (the grated kind from a jar)
• 1 bottle of fermented rye starter for żurek (you can make your own; I used a 500 ml bottle)
• 2 handfuls of rubbed dried marjoram
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of ground black pepper
• hen’s eggs (as many as there are portions, 1 egg per portion)

Recipe for a perfect żurek that would do any grandma or grandad proud:

It’s a good idea to divide the making of this wonderful, tangy, perfect żurek into stages. I suggest doing it my way 🙂

1. I brought about 1.8 litres of water to the boil in a large pot. I dissolved two stock cubes in the boiling water and added two washed white sausages (whole). I turned down the heat and let it simmer.

2. While the sausages were simmering in the stock, I cut the smoked pork belly into fairly large cubes and fried it in a pan (without added fat: the fat in the pork belly is meant to melt). Once the fat had rendered out, I added the finely chopped onion and fried it until translucent. Stirring occasionally, of course.

3. While the onion and pork belly were frying, I peeled each garlic clove and cut it into several pieces. I also peeled the carrot and sliced it into rounds. I put the garlic and carrot into the pot with the stock and sausages. I also added the fried onion (once it was translucent) and pork belly. I stirred everything together.

4. I simmered everything for about 20 minutes over a low „flame” (setting 4 on a scale of 1 – 10 on my hob), then added the finely diced mushrooms (just the caps, peeled, of course :)).

5. I cooked it for another 2 – 3 minutes and poured in the thoroughly stirred rye starter. I stirred everything in the pot thoroughly again and added 2 heaped tablespoons of grated horseradish. I stirred to distribute it evenly.

6. Finally, I added the seasonings: a pinch of salt, a pinch of ground black pepper and two generous handfuls of marjoram. I stirred again.

7. I simmered it over a low heat for about another 25 minutes.

8. I hard-boiled the eggs (but not rock-hard; ideally the yolks should be about 4/5 set) and cut them in half. I took the sausages out of the still-simmering soup and cut them into slices. I returned them to the pot and cooked for another 2 – 3 minutes.

9. The perfect żurek with mushrooms is ready. I definitely suggest serving it with a thick slice of fresh, moist rye bread. Enjoy!