Zurek (aka “white borscht”)

From John Lenart

John brought this soup — complete with his own homemade kielbasa!– to Soup & Bread for our “Alliums and Asparagus” soup night on March 27, and while it might be only marginally on message in terms of ingredients, it could not have been more appropriate for Easter week. “This soup means Easter time to me,” he says. “Growing up in a Polish house this is the traditional soup eaten Easter morning. It’s garnished with all sorts of items from the Easter basket: hard-cooked eggs, kielbasa, even ham! While not a traditional borscht, this sour rye soup packs a lot of flavor using very simple ingredients.”

Ingredients
3/4 cup rye flour
2 cups water boiled and cooled to lukewarm
1/2 pound peeled and chopped root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, celery root, leeks)
6 cups water
1/2 pound kielbasa
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
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
Four or five days before making your soup, make the ryemeal sour: Mix rye flour with lukewarm water. Pour into a nonreactive container that is large enough to allow room for the mixture to expand. Cover with cheesecloth and let stand in a warm place for 4-5 days.

To make the soup: In a large pot simmer kielbasa in 6 cups water. for 10-15 minutes. When done remove the kielbasa. When cool enough to handle cut into thin slices.

Add root vegetables to the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes.

Strain stock, pressing on the vegetables to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the vegetables, skim the fat off the stock, and return stock to pot.

Add potatoes and 2 cups of rye sour to the stock. Season to taste with salt. 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.

Garnish with hard boiled egg and a side of rye bread!