Vegane Rahmsuppe mit Türken Sterz (Vegan Cream Soup with Polenta)
On day 5 of our Austrian Vegan Food Week, I am happy to introduce you to the simplicity of my grandmother’s lifetime. She made this soup with so much dedication. Boiled vegetables of the season – mostly root vegetables in winter and some freshly picked forest mushrooms added to them in late summer – and refined it with a mixture of sour cream and flour. Simple, but delicious.
Some of our Austrian ancestors used to serve a so called “Sterz” with these kind of soups. It filled a whole big family’s bellies nicely with only one ingredient: Cornmeal (for a “Türken Sterz”) or Buckwheat flour (for a “Heiden Sterz”).
What is Sterz?
Sterz is a traditional Austrian side dish, primarily associated with the regions of Styria and Carinthia. It is a simple, hearty dish made from basic ingredients, typically including cornmeal or buckwheat flour, water, salt, and some greasy ingredient such as butter or often what is called Grammelschmalz (greaves lard or crackling lard, a traditional Austrian spread made from rendered pork fat (lard) combined with crispy pork cracklings (greaves) – see my Vegan Apfel-Kräuter-Schmalz recipe for a vegan version!). The preparation involves cooking the flour in water until it forms a crumbly, grainy texture. It is often served as a side dish or as a main course, especially in rural areas where it has historical roots as a staple food.
Sterz can be prepared in various ways, with some variations including additions like fried onions, bacon, or even sweet versions with sugar and milk. It reflects the rustic culinary traditions of Austria and remains popular for its comforting and satisfying qualities.
Why Türken? The Turks brought, according to historical documents, the corn to middle Europe. Around 1550, they invaded big parts of Austria. That’s why in Austria corn was called Türkischer Weizen (turkish wheat). The Türken Sterz, nowadays very common in the Southern regions Styria and Carinthia, must have remained in the households as a positive side effect of this time.
Vegane Rahmsuppe mit Türken Sterz (Vegan Cream Soup with Polenta)
Ingredients
For the Sterz
- 2,5 cups water ca 550 ml
- 1 cup cornmeal (polenta semolina) ca. 200 g
- salt
- 4 tbsp homemade vegan Schmalz (recipe link below) or vegan butter or 2-3 tbsp oil
For the soup
- 3-4 green beans
- 2 medium carrots
- 3/4 celery stalk
- 4 champignons or freshly picked mushrooms
- 1 tbsp caraway or cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup homemade cream cheese (recipe link below) or store bought vegan sour cream
- 1,5 tbsp whole flour
- 1/2-3/4 tbsp dried herbs herbes de Provence or marjoram
- pepper and salt
Instructions
Prepare the Sterz
- In a pot, bring the water with 1 tbsp of salt to a boil. Gradually add the semolina, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to minimum and let it cook for 10 minutes, covered with a lid. See that it doesn’t burn, so stir regularly. Let the polenta evaporate (without lid) for another 10 minutes.
Prepare the soup
- Cut the ends off the beans and boil the beans in some salted water. Drain and set aside. Peel and cut the carrots in tiny cubes.Cut the champignons in small cubes.Remove the thin hair from the celery stalk, cut the celery in small cubes.
- In a saucepan, roast the carrots, celery and champignons without oil for a minute. We want to develop some roasting flavor. Deglaze with approximately 1/2 liter of water. Add the cumin and some salt and cook the vegetables on low to medium flame until the vegetables are done, but still al dente.
- Mix the cream or cream cheese, the flour and 3 tbsp of water together. Stir in the cream flour mixture and the herbs. Let the soup simmer for another 5 minutes, keeping the pot slightly uncovered to prevent the flour to rise to and stick on the lid.
- Cut the beans in small pieces. Add them to the soup.Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Serve
- Fluff the polenta with a fork, creating small pieces. Roast the polenta in a few spoonfuls of homemade vegan Schmalz or oil, until nicely crunchy. Serve the soup with the Sterz aside.
