Traditional Polish Żurek with Ready-Made Zakwas

Warm a heavy soup pot over medium heat.

Add the diced smoked bacon or slab pork belly and fry until it is golden and the fat has melted.

Scoop out half of the crispy bacon bits and set them aside for garnish. Leave the rendered fat in the pot.

Add the diced onion and carrot to the bacon fat in the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.

Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Pour in the stock. Add the bay leaves and allspice berries to the pot.

Gently add the whole Sausage into the pot.

Bring the soup to a gentle simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes.

Carefully lift the cooked sausages out of the pot and onto a cutting board. Slice them into 1 cm (about 0.4 inch) coins and set aside.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, fish out and discard the bay leaves and allspice berries from the soup.

Before adding, shake or stir your zakwas thoroughly to ensure any settled flour is fully incorporated.

With the soup just below a boil, whisk in 300 ml of zakwas.

Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste the soup and, if you prefer a sharper, more rustic tang, add more zakwas 50 ml at a time, up to a total of 500 ml, until the sourness is just right for you.

Return the sliced sausage to the pot.

Add the dried marjoram and a generous grind of ground black pepper.

To temper the sour cream, scoop a ladleful of hot soup into a small bowl with the sour cream and whisk until smooth. This prevents the cream from curdling. Then, stir the tempered sour cream into the pot.

Warm the soup gently for 2 minutes. Avoid bringing it to a rolling boil once the cream has been added.

Ladle the hot Żurek into individual bowls.

Top each serving with the reserved bacon crisps, a quartered hard-boiled egg, and a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley.

For those who enjoy an extra kick, place a small dish of prepared horseradish on the table to be stirred in at serving.

Żurek is best accompanied by dense rye bread.