White Borscht

Cut the smoked bacon into small cubes and place in a dry, preheated heavy-bottomed pot; fry for 3-4 minutes to render the fat. Add the onion, sliced into half-rings, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until golden.

Pour water into the same pot, add the bay leaf and whole allspice berries, and bring to a boil. Prick the raw white sausage with a fork in several places, gently lower it into the broth and simmer on low heat without boiling hard for 20 minutes, so the casing doesn't split. Remove the sausage, slice into rounds and set aside.

Add the diced potatoes to the same broth and cook for 15 minutes until tender.

Pour in the rye sourdough starter in a thin stream, stirring constantly; simmer for 3-4 minutes on low heat without letting it boil hard, so the soup doesn't separate.

Add the minced garlic, grated horseradish and marjoram; season the soup with salt and black pepper to taste.

Thin the cream with a few spoonfuls of warm broth, pour into the soup and warm through for 2-3 minutes over the lowest heat, without boiling.

Hard-boil the eggs (8-10 minutes from boiling), cool in cold water, peel and cut in half.

Serve the white borscht hot: place sausage rounds and half an egg in each bowl, and sprinkle with fresh herbs if desired.