Polish Borscht Soup

This is a traditional recipe from my Polish family passed down from my Pra Babci (great-grandmother) and shared by my Babci (grandmother) Viola Sherowski. Unlike beet borscht this is a white borscht made with the juices from cooking kielbasa and vinegar. We have been eating this soup every year on Easter Sunday since I can remember and Babci at 96 still makes a delicious soup every Easter.

These ingredients are for a small batch of soup that makes 3-4 servings. Traditionally, Babci makes a very large pot that serves around 30 people.

1 polish sausage (kielbasa)

4 cups water

3 Tblsp. vinegar

1 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

2 Tblsp. flour and 2 Tblsp. water (roux to thicken)

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 onion

2 Tblsp. butter

2 boiled eggs

horseradish

Start with well washed Polish sausage (kielbasa). Cut into chunk size pieces.

Boil your kielbasa in 3 cups of water for about 20 mins on medium low. Take the pieces of kielbasa out and reserve the liquid.

Add 1 cup water, 3 tlbsp. vinegar (white or red cider), 1 tsp of salt and dash of pepper to the kielbasa juices. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl stir 2 Tblsp. flour and 2 Tblsp.water to use as a roux to thicken your soup. Add the roux while boiling and stirring constantly. Boil long enough to cook the roux, about 8 minutes.

In another small bowl whisk 1 egg into 1 cup of milk.

Turn your soup on low and using a very thin and slow stream add your milk mixture being very careful to keep your temperature low enough so that your milk doesn't curdle. This is important! Continue to whisk so soup doesn't curdle.

Continually whisk and cook until it thickens lightly - not like pudding

Slice the sausage you cooked in the beginning. Add half of the sliced sausage to soup and reserve the rest of the sausage to serve on the side. Taste and add more salt if needed . Your borscht soup should have a slightly sour taste.

Cook hard boiled eggs for 8-10 minutes and cool in cold water. Peel and slice.

Slice an onion and saute in 2 Tblsp. butter.

Add onion to soup. Add more salt to taste. Keep soup on low to keep warm. Do not let it boil or the milk will curdle.

Serve with sliced hard boiled egg, your extra sliced kielbasa, and a side of horseradish