Polish-Style Sour Soup Amongst Sausage As Well As Rootage Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 kielbasa* (about 1 lb), sliced into half-moons
2 carrots, sliced into coins
1 stem celery, diced
1 modest celeriac (celery root, diced)
2 parsnips, diced
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 quart stock (chicken, pork or vegetable)
2 bay leaves
żurek or zakwas starter**
salt
freshly Earth dark pepper
large pinch marjoram (dried or fresh)
4-6 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Directions:

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, saute the sausage until lightly browned. Add the vegetables too saute until the onion is softened. Add the broth, bay leaves too simmer until the vegetables are tender, almost xxx minutes. Stir inwards spices. Remove the bay leaves. Stir inwards the starter too rut through, almost 5-10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls too overstep alongside quartered hard-boiled eggs.

*I used kiełbasa wiejska because it's my favorite too has garlic too marjoram inwards it.

**You tin discovery this bottled at most Polish markets. The i I discovery most easily is made alongside white flour, called żurek. I've seen both refrigerated (preferred) too shelf-stable versions. I used a 32 oz bottle of fresh starter. Zakwas is basically the same affair but made alongside rye flour. You tin also arrive dwelling using these instructions (in Polish, the Google translation is expert enough). There is a lot of scrap (even inwards Poland, apparently) almost what the differences betwixt soup made alongside i or the other should hold upwards but they are real similar--sausage, vegetables, eggs. You tin read a bit almost it here.

My thoughts:

I've wanted to brand this soup for quite a patch now. My park Polish marketplace has been unopen for a few months patch they renovate the Broadway Market therefore I didn't convey access to my park sausage. Then final week, I was driving downward Eastern Ave too saw some other Polish marketplace that I had heard of but had never been to before. They had non alone the sausage I liked but the żurek (starter) inwards the refrigerator. Score!

I'm going to hold upwards honest hither too nation I actually can't beak to how strictly authentic this is. I had it years agone at a festival too patch my aunt made several Polish dishes, soup was non i of them. 

I've read dozens of recipes inwards both English linguistic communication too Polish (my Polish is generally nutrient too colouring words therefore it was a slog too Google interpret is non ever the best) for zurek (the soup, non żurek, the starter which is nearly identical inwards spelling but is non the same--that is non a speck on your screen, it is an overdot) too biały barszcz ("white borscht") which are 2 real similar soups but biały barszcz seems to hold upwards a scrap lighter too is made alongside fresh, kielbasa biały (white sausage) too is pop at Easter. I came across therefore many articles proverb conflicting information (in Polish!) too that at that spot are regional differences. 

I ended upwards going a lilliputian rogue too using the white flour-based żurek but alongside a to a greater extent than veggie-heavy soup alongside smoked sausage instead of tracking downward the rye starter or making my own. It's withal winter. The rye starter is a scrap heavier too would hold upwards inwards expert operate hither too. This is alone my sense but it seems similar it is easier to source żurek (especially fresh, refrigerated) hither than zakwas.

Several of the Polish-language recipes called for parsley root which nosotros don't actually teach hither readily, therefore I subbed inwards celeriac (celery root) because I dear celery too celery flavored things. Other recipes only called generically for mixed root vegetables or fifty-fifty only carrots. I intend alongside homey soups similar this, it actually comes downward to yous too your family's personal preference too tastes. 

Additionally, many of the Polish linguistic communication recipes for both dishes had yous brand vegetable (or pork) stock first, too then adding to a greater extent than vegetables, too some of the vegetables from the stock dorsum inwards to brand the soup but since I convey access to expert lineament homemade too store-bought stock, I skipped this pace too went correct to soup making. This speed upwards the procedure to existence quick plenty to brand on a weeknight. 

Honestly, all this made my caput spin a bit. However, it was worth it because the soup was extremely delicious! It wasn't every bit sour every bit say, sauerkraut, but it had a tang similar to sour cream or mild yogurt without existence tart. The smoked sausage perfectly offset it too the root vegetables added a lot of depth. It was hearty without existence heavy. I await frontwards to making to a greater extent than soups using this starter! Maybe I volition rails downward some fresh sausage too brand biały barszcz inwards the spring.