The Secret German Mission and Klecko's Kvass Recipe #1

Throughout this summer, Klecko has shared a theme with a few of his confidants.

Through the course of natural timing it has become apparent that this particular part of my personal and professional life have hit a plateau.

Without vision....people perish.

I love to have goals, or even more than that....I love opportunities.

The one thing I assured the people whose advice I respect the most was......

"Klecko is about to embark on trolling for a whale!"

According to statistics, It's not like my mortal coil is begging to be shed, but let's face it.

Brilliance takes time, and lets not forget a platform.

I got time for one last hurrah!

I really would like to "set the hook" into something that will be the final chapter in my baking legacy.

For a long while I believed that I would one day return to Russia and resume some of the ideals that I have been lucky enough to sew.

But, lately a dream monkey has been following me in my sleep.......

It crashes its symbols "BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG", but before I have a chance to strangle the little furry twerp....the crashing stops, and in a voice of invisible musings, I hear this monkey whispering that just keeps repeating Germany......Germany.

That's all I'm going to say for the moment, but Germany....I think "You Next". I think that you will become my finish line

With that said, I do owe a big thank you to my L.A.B. Blog followers from the Fatherland who have been so supportive.

To date, other than the United States, Germany reads this crazy Pollacks rants more than any other country.

In fact, I have had more German hits than #3 Canada and #4 United Kingdom combined.

In September of 2012 the I.B.E. is having the largest international baking show in the world in Munich, who knows....if the Saints of Warsaw still have me breathing and baking...I just might be there.

But there you go, I said it. I tossed intentions into the Cosmo's, now I just need the vision.......

I'm uniting the rope, casting off, so wave to my shrinking silhouette as I drift out to sea. I am going to find me a whale.

KVASS -

Let's talk Kvass for a second peoples, are you familiar with it?

Kvass is a process where you basically make bootleg alcohol which can be used for drinking or cooking.

If you've ever baked sourdough, Kvass is to soup, what starter or ferment is to sourdough......it adds flavor.

Like many concepts, Kvass has dozens of basic recipes and handling instructions, but tonight.....I am going to give you the "Klecko Family Soup Recipe"

I is simply Christ like.

The first thing you want to do is get a glass jar and fill it with the following...

2 1/2 cups of water
3 ounces of rye flour
1/4 clove of garlic

Make sure you don't place these contents in aluminum, it messes with the ripening of the fermentation process, so glass or plastic work best.

Once the contents are in......stir with a whisk, and then place cheese cloth and place it over the top of your receptacle.

Once this is done, place it in a part of your home/business where the temperature is moderate and leave it there 4 to 5 days.

Throughout this process you should check on your Kvass 3-4-5 times per day, always stirring the contents, scraping residue off the walls and floor of your jar.

I kinda like to pretend I am Jane Goodall's boyfriend and I am tending to a baby chimp.

Typically as this process imitates itself, you will find the rye particles resting on the bottom of the jar, then a cloudy / muddy / milky middle, and finally a clear - pungent clear layer on the top.

I never make soup the day I want to eat it, I cook it a day prior, and then I place the cooled pot into the fridge and let the flavors build over night.

So with that said.....If you want to eat on day 5, Do a 4 day Kvass.

Alright......I'm going to list the ingredients and then tell you how to make this marvel.

1 soup bone
3 1/4 cups beef stock
4 ounces bacon
1 medium white onion
1 container of fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups of finished Kvass
12 ounces sour cream
5 or 6 small red potatoes
6 ounces cubed / cooked ham

Step #1
Toss soup bone into the oven and set broiler to high......
You want the bone flesh to cook and the marrow to ooze through the bone.

Step #2
Boil some water and then take your baby red potatoes, dice them and boil them about 75% of the way through. Don't bake them, your heat distribution will be uneven. Boil-boil-boil.

Step #3
Fry your bacon in a covered frying pan. when it is done, drain the grease into your soup kettle.

Step #4
Add a small chunk of butter into the soup kettle along with the grease and start to saute the diced onion (remember white onions saute best - yellow and red get soggy)and diced mushrooms as well.

Step #5
Take soup bone out of oven/broiler and insert into the soup pot.

Step #6
Now add your 3 1/4 cups of beef stock (making sure you use you water reserved from boiling those potato's and then just add beef cube granules) and your 1 1/2 cup of finished Kvass (by this point you have run it through a sieve or strainer) and then your sour cream.

You want to bring this to a 10 minute boil, while you turn up the heat, toss in your potatoes, ham and bacon.

After the boiling is done, just simmer for another 1/2 hour.

You are going to find that the Potato Water Beef Broth, Kvass, and Sour Cream together are like the Father - son and Polish Ghost.

Good luck with this.

Good night Berlin