This version of borscht (pronounced borsch ... the "t" is silent) has no red beet as an ingredient, nor does it have the typical wide variety of vegetables and beef found in Russian or Ukranian borscht, so it seems to be somewhat odd to call it borscht. Yet it is a long established Polish soup tradition served at Easter, made after the cloth covered basket of raw ingredients is blessed at Easter morning Mass.

This borscht is similar to Hungarian Potato Soup, but it is interestingly different due to the use of freshly made ground/processed horseradish. I like to make/eat freshly ground/processed horseradish so I looked forward to making this version of borscht. After making it one time, I decided to double the amount of horseradish used. Also, one other answer was clear ... eliminate the dill used as a garnish! Dill has no proper place in this soup as it clashes with the other flavors. If anything, use two teaspoons of freshly chopped rosemary leaves, not dill, while cooking, and not as a garnish.

If you haven't tasted freshly made processed horseradish you are missing out on a real treat. It has some serious "Zing" if you make it correctly. It is easy to make and your supermarket will most likely sell the horseradish root in the produce section. See the Food Nirvana recipe for making Processed Horseradish.

I modified the Polish White Borscht recipe I found on the Internet by substituting one quart of chicken broth for half of the water listed. That enhanced the flavor intensity of the borscht. Thickened, puréed soups can at times be too thick, so to be on the safe side I added milk as an optional ingredient in the recipe to be used at the end of the cooking, but only to the extent needed. I eliminated the two sprigs of marjoram and the bay leaf as they added nothing to the flavor. Finally, I added suggestions for beverages and some crackers or rolls or bread to serve with the borscht.

Ingredients: (4 to 6 servings)

2 lbs. of smoked kielbasa

2 tbsp. of butter

1 quart of chicken broth

1 quart of water

4 cloves of garlic, diced

2 leeks, trimmed and cut into 1/4" thick slices

1 small yellow onion, cut in half vertically, peeled and then cut into 1/4" thick slices

2 medium (or one large) russet potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4" thick slices

1 1⁄2 cups of sour cream

1⁄4 cup of all purpose flour

Milk to thin the borscht only if needed (optional and limit it to up to one cup)

1⁄3 cup of freshly made processed horseradish

2 tsp. of freshly chopped rosemary leaves (optional)

2 tbsp. of freshly chopped parsley

4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters lengthwise or thinly sliced crosswise

2 tsp. of Sea salt and 1 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper, and more added later, to taste

Club/saltine crackers, crusty dinner rolls or dark bread like pumpernickel (optional)

Directions:

Put individual serving size wide soup bowls into a 180 degrees F warming oven.

Put the kielbasa and the quart of water and quart of chicken broth into a 6 quart pot.

Cook over high heat until the water boils, then reduce the heat to very low, put a lid on, and simmer to have the meat flavor the broth, about 25 minutes.

Pour the broth into a gallon size bowl. Put the kielbasa on a wooden cutting board. Defat the bowl of broth, if necessary, and set it aside. Set the kielbasa aside.

Return the pot to the stove and heat it on medium heat. Add the butter, garlic, leeks, onion and rosemary (optional), then cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Add the broth that was set aside, plus the sliced potatoes, salt and pepper, then bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and cook at a low boil until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

While waiting for the potatoes to cook, cut the kielbasa into 1⁄4″ thick slices and set them aside on the cutting board.

Allow the soup to cool, uncovered, to 120 degrees F or cooler, then purée the cooled soup in a blender, in two batches depending on the size of your blender. Splitting it into two batches allows things to proceed faster as split batches cool faster. I put batch one into the blender, put the top on loosely, blended the soup, then added batch two and blended them both for about two minutes.

Note: Never attempt to process hot soup mixtures in a covered blender as they will rapidly expand and blow the top off of your blender, and make a mess of your kitchen. You need a pressure free environment for steam to escape.

Return the puréed soup to the pot and heat it to a simmer on medium heat.

Whisk the sour cream and the flour in a one quart bowl, then add 1⁄2 cup of the soup and whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Pour that mixture into the soup and cook on medium heat, stirring, until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to very low and let the soup rest for five minutes to finish thickening.

If and only if the soup is too thick, you can add up to one additional cup of milk and stir, but do not add more liquid.

Stir the pieces of kielbasa into the soup along with the horseradish. You now have White Polish Borscht (modified).

Season the borscht with additional sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Ladle the borscht into the pre-warmed individual serving soup bowls.

Garnish each bowl of borscht with the parsley and egg quarters/slices.

Serve the borscht hot, along with some club/saltine crackers, crusty dinner rolls or a dark bread like pumpernickel.

A chilled semi-dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or a chilled sparkling wine like Prosecco will go well as the beverage, along with a glass of ice water.

Enjoy!