Description
A hearty soup with a sour broth often served in elaborate rye bread bowls
Ingredients
Scale
for zakwas (the sour liquid):
- 5 tablespoons rye flour
- Crust from a slice of rye bread (optional)
- 3 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 allspice berries
for the soup:
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 1 pound Polish sausage or bratwurst, sliced
- 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 1 large parsnip, sliced
- 1/2 celery root, peeled and diced
- 6 – 8 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon horseradish (fresh grated or jarred)
- 2 tablespoons cream
- hard-boiled eggs
Instructions
for the zakwas (the sour liquid)
- Add the flour and crust (if you’re using it) to a large jar
- Add the water, garlic, bay leaves, and allspice
- Mix thoroughly, as it sits, it will seperate with the flour sinking to the bottom
- Cover the jar with a paper towel or kitchen towel (I like to secure it with a large rubber band)
- Let sit for five days, giving it a swirl daily to mix
for the soup:
- Brown the bacon and sasage in a Dutch oven
- Add the onion, carrot, parsnip and celery root
- Add water and bay leaf and garlic, simmer for 40 minutes
- Add the potatoes and marjoram, cook until the potatoes are tender
- Add 2 cups of the zakwas (strained or flour mixed in, your choice) if you want the soup more sour, add the remaining zakwas
- Season with salt and pepper
- Add horseradish and cream
- Return to a boil and remove from heat
- Serve by garnishing with hard-boiled egg, halved, quarted, or diced
Notes
Some cooks will make a broth with the soup veg and discard the vegetables before proeeding. I prefer to eat them. Fiber is good for you.
Some cooks will cook the potatoes seperately before adding to the soup. I wanted them to cook in the soup, the starch adding thickness to the broth.