Creamy Zalewajka with Smoked Meat, Roasted Potatoes, and Horseradish Dollop - photo 1
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Creamy Zalewajka with Smoked Meat, Roasted Potatoes, and Horseradish Dollop

Pikantne Soups Main Dishes European cuisine 90 min Medium 12 wyświetleń ~29.59 PLN - (0)
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Description

This is not an ordinary soup; it is a culinary story about the heart of Polish cuisine in a modern edition. Inspired by traditional zalewajka, kapuśniak, and white borscht, it combines the best of them: the deep sourness of rye sourdough, the smoky, enveloping aroma of bacon, and the velvety smoothness of cream. This dish is a tribute to simple, peasant foods that, through careful preparation, gain the status of an exquisite dish. Instead of traditionally cooked potatoes in the soup, we serve them as separately roasted, crunchy cubes that add surprising texture. The whole is crowned with a bold, spicy dollop of horseradish cream, breaking the richness of the soup and adding character to it. Visually, the soup looks incredibly appetizing – a thick, creamy liquid in a shade of off-white contrasts with the golden potatoes and the fresh green of marjoram. Perfect for cold days, as a hearty lunch or an elegant soup for special occasions.

Ingredients (18)

Servings:
4
  • Rye sourdough for żurek 300 ml
  • Boczek wędzony parzony 200 g
  • Potatoes 5.3 szt.
  • Vegetable broth 1200 ml
  • Onion 1 szt.
  • Garlic 3 ząbki
  • 30% cream 150 ml
  • Thick sour cream 18% 4 łyżki
  • Grated horseradish 30 g
  • Dried boletus mushrooms 20 g
  • Rapeseed oil 45 g
  • sugar 2 g
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Dried marjoram 2 łyżeczki
  • Bay leaf 6.7 szt.
  • Allspice 4 g
  • Salt 0.2 szczypt
  • Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony 3 szczypty
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Fresh marjoram 5 g
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~29.59 PLN (7.40 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Preparation of ingredients

1

Start by preparing the mushrooms. Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and pour about 150 ml of boiling water over them. Cover with a plate and set aside for at least 20-30 minutes to soften and release their aroma. In the meantime, prepare the other vegetables: peel the onion and chop it into small cubes (about 0.5 cm). Peel the garlic cloves and finely chop them or press them through a garlic press.

Ingredients: Dried boletus mushrooms, Onion, Garlic
Use a sharp chef's knife to chop the onion – this will prevent crushing the cells and reduce eye watering. Do not pour out the water from soaking the mushrooms! It is full of flavor and we will add it later to the soup.

Roasted Potatoes

2

Preheat the oven to 200°C (conventional mode with fan). Wash the potatoes thoroughly, peel them, and cut them into even cubes about 1.5-2 cm on each side. Transfer the chopped potatoes to a large bowl, drizzle with rapeseed oil, add a generous pinch of salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of dried marjoram. Mix thoroughly by hand to ensure each cube is evenly coated with oil and spices.

Ingredients: Potatoes, Rapeseed oil, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony, Dried marjoram
Evenly cutting the potatoes is key to ensuring they bake at the same time. Use a large baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread the potatoes in a single layer, without overlapping them – this will ensure crispiness.
3

Spread the seasoned potatoes on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Halfway through baking (after about 15-20 minutes), stir the potatoes with a spatula to ensure they brown evenly. The finished potatoes should be golden brown and crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.

Every oven is different, so check the degree of doneness after 25 minutes. If you like them very crispy, you can turn on the grill function for the last 2-3 minutes, but be careful not to burn them.

Cooking the soup

4

While the potatoes are baking, prepare the soup base. Cut the smoked bacon into small cubes (about 0.5 cm). In a large pot with a thick bottom (preferably cast iron or stainless steel), place the chopped bacon. Set the pot on a medium heat burner and slowly render the fat for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The bacon should become golden and crispy.

Ingredients: Boczek wędzony parzony
Don't rush the process of rendering the bacon. A slow process over medium heat will allow more fat to render and make the cracklings perfectly crispy, not burnt. Do not add any additional fat at this stage.
5

Add the diced onion to the pot with the rendered bacon. Sauté it in the bacon fat for about 5-6 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent. Then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly, until the garlic releases its aroma. Be careful not to burn it, as it will become bitter.

Ingredients: Onion, Garlic
A common mistake is adding garlic too quickly. It needs much less time to fry than onion, which is why we add it at the very end of frying.
6

Pour the entire vegetable broth into a pot. Add the soaked mushrooms along with the water they were soaking in. Toss in the bay leaves and allspice. Increase the heat and bring everything to a boil. Then reduce the heat to the minimum, cover the pot, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Ingredients: Vegetable broth, Dried boletus mushrooms, Bay leaf, Allspice
Use a fine mesh strainer when pouring the mushroom water into the soup to remove any sand or debris from the bottom of the bowl.

Finishing the soup

7

Before adding the sourdough, shake the bottle vigorously to mix the sediment from the bottom. In a small bowl, mix the rye sourdough with one tablespoon of wheat flour (optional, for thickening) and a few tablespoons of cold water, using a whisk until you achieve a smooth mixture without lumps. Slowly, in a thin stream, pour the sourdough mixture into the boiling soup while vigorously stirring the soup in the pot with your other hand.

Ingredients: Rye sourdough for żurek
Mixing the sourdough with a bit of flour or water and continuously stirring the soup while pouring it in is a key step that prevents curdling and the formation of unsightly lumps. Use a whisk for this.
8

Cook the soup over low heat for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the cream. Pour 30% cream into a cup. Using a ladle, take about 100 ml of hot soup from the pot and slowly pour it into the cream, stirring constantly. This process is called tempering. Then, pour the tempered cream into the pot with the soup and mix thoroughly. Add crushed dried marjoram and season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of sugar to taste.

Ingredients: 30% cream, Dried marjoram, Salt, Pieprz czarny świeżo mielony, sugar
Never pour cold cream directly into hot soup – it will almost certainly curdle. Tempering, which is the gradual equalization of temperatures, is absolutely necessary to achieve a smooth, creamy consistency.

Serving

9

Heat the soup for another 2-3 minutes, but do not let it boil so that the cream does not curdle. In a small bowl, prepare the horseradish dollop: mix the thick 18% cream with grated horseradish. Season with a pinch of salt and sugar to taste. Remove the bay leaves and allspice berries from the soup.

Ingredients: Thick sour cream 18%, Grated horseradish, Salt, sugar
The strength of the horseradish can vary. Add it to the cream gradually, one teaspoon at a time, and taste until you achieve the desired spiciness.
10

Pour the hot soup into deep plates or bowls. In the center of each serving, place a generous handful of roasted, crispy potatoes. On top of the potatoes, add a hearty spoonful of horseradish cream (a dollop). If using, garnish with fresh marjoram leaves. Serve immediately while the potatoes are crispy.

Ingredients: Fresh marjoram
To make the dish look like it came from a restaurant, pour the soup carefully, avoiding any spills on the edge of the plate. Place the potatoes and the dollop in the center, creating an appetizing 'island'.

Fun Fact

💡

Zalewajka is one of the oldest Polish soups, with roots in the Łódź and Kielce regions. Its name comes from the method of preparation – originally, sliced potatoes were 'drowned' in hot water and then soured with rye sourdough. It was a simple, hearty dish for the poor, which today is experiencing a renaissance in modern interpretations.

Best for

Sycący obiad w chłodny dzień Elegancka przystawka na przyjęciu Nowoczesna polska kolacja Danie rozgrzewające po jesiennym spacerze

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the soup in deep bowls, preferably ceramic or stoneware, which retain heat well. Add the potatoes just before serving to keep them crispy. You can place a small bowl with extra cracklings on the side for those who enjoy bolder flavors. A slice of sourdough bread pairs perfectly with the soup.

🥡 Storage

Store the soup and potatoes separately in the refrigerator in tightly sealed containers. The soup can be stored for up to 3 days. Reheat it over low heat, avoiding boiling. Potatoes are best reheated in an oven preheated to 180°C for 5-7 minutes to regain their crispness. Freezing soup with cream is not recommended, as it may separate upon thawing.

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