Ren's Kitchen Chaos: April 2012

I could hardly write a culinary blog without including a few of Poland's best kept secrets. We all know about French or Chinese cuisine and could probably name half a dozen dishes from each without even thinking, but how many Polish dishes do you know? Surprisingly to me, Poland's food culture is really extensive. Heavily influenced by German styles as well as Russian tastes, it also includes a subtle French finesse in everything they present (if you want to see the culmination of this I urge to go and eat at the Belvedere in Warsaw http://www.belvedere.com.pl/?lang=en , avoid at all cost the self inflated Gessler eateries, atrocious places run by a self proclaimed food guru whose only claim to fame was to have once been a "cook" for the Spanish royalty (I'd hazard a guess that she was a kitchen porter)...).
My father-in-law, Mariusz, isn't a chef, he's a doctor in anesthesiology specializing in severely handicapped children. Now if that wasn't sublime enough, he also happens to be one of the best self taught cooks I have ever had the pleasure of eating with.
Today is Easter Sunday and for this occasion in Poland it is tradition to eat Zurek soup and what a wonderful soup it is. And because he is the generous person that he is, Mariusz has agreed to show me how to make his version of it, which to my palate is probably the best one out there and certainly the easiest to make.
This is how it goes:

Start by chopping up some smoked sausage (Kielbasa in Poland) and placing them in a large pan full of water.

Add some smoked bacon...

Turn on the gas and bring to a boil...

Add All Spice to the pot...

A couple of bay leaves...

A pinch of crushed black pepper and a pinch of coarse salt...

A large helping of dried Marjoram...

Whip together some double cream with a pinch of fine salt, a few spoons of flour and a splash of cold water...

"Burn" an onion and add it to the pot...

When everything is frothing, stir in a few ladles of the hot stock to the cream and then add the cream and flour mix to the pot...it will separate at first but very quickly dissolve.