Well, it's Holy Saturday, and my Polish wife and her 94-yr-old Polish mother have finished making the cheesecake and are now making the borscht in Polish, barszcz). This, I find, is one of the many advantages of being married to a Polish woman, because her borscht (with a large dollop of hoseradish) and a couple of beers are enough to send a man to heaven.

So, I was wondering what Borscht recipes and customs others might have. Here's Christina's heirloom family recipe:

Borstch (mom's spelling) - makes 8 quarts.
Simmer (in water just to cover) pork bones or ribs about 1-1/2 hours - till tender - strain - use meat for other recips -
Grind - coarse - 8 Cans Beets - use liquid - Beets do not need boiling - they are ready to eat. (but Christina, being an Organic Woman, uses fresh beets)
Bring to Simmer -
add 3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons Vinegar (white preferred or cider vinegar)
Blend 1 cup milk with 5 Tablespoons cornstarch - till smooth-
While Borstch is simmering add Mixt. - Slowly-
So as not to curdle - ass some Broth to Mixt. will help.
Cut Up 12 hard cooked eggs. Add to Borstch - no simmer
"   " 1-1/2 pound Kielbasa - boiled & peeled - add water from kielbasa to borstch
"   " 4-5 oz. white horseradish or to taste. (we now add it at the table, because Grandma doesn't like the hot stuff like she used to)

So, that's it. With the mixture of meat and dairy, it's certainly not Kosher. With the Kielbasa, it's certainly not organic or vegetarian - but Christina claims Kielbasa is a Polish vegetable. Any other recipes?

-Joe, preparing to feast-