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Friday, December 16, 2011

BITTER VEGGIE SOUP – “CIORBA”


BITTER VEGGIE SOUP – “CIORBA”

Here’s an example of a traditional Romanian soup that because of the mixing of the Hungarian and Romanian population in Transylvania became a hit and immediately got incorporated into Transylvanian kitchens all over. It is a bit bitter but refreshing thanks to the original herb called “Leustean” very popular and unique to Romania.  I wish all of you could have it in your condiment cabinet but it’s very hard to come by in the US.  But Eva, the ‘Diva” found a perfect replacement for y’all so you can bring this delicious soup to your kitchen table.  As my husband’s eyes are rolling in delight taking seconds behind my back, here you are!




INGREDIENTS:

  1. 1 large onion – chopped
  2. 2-3 cloves of garlic – chopped
  3. 1 large carrot or 3 smaller ones – cut in small cubes
  4. 1 large parsley root or 3 smaller ones – cut in small cubes
  5. 2 long stalks of celery – cut in small cubes. Don’t throw away the celery leaves, you’ll need them later!
  6. ½ of a bigger size celery root or 1 medium – cut in small cubes
  7. 1 small head of cauliflower – washed and cut in smaller, edible size pieces
  8. ¾ can of green peas or if you have fresh, even better!
  9. A healthy splash of olive oil
  10. 3 tablespoons of leustean herb, if you don’t have any use 3 Tbs. of dried celery leaves
  11. ¼ cup of lemon juice
  12. Vegeta, black pepper to season
  13. 1 handful of fresh celery leaves – chopped
  14. 4 Qts. Of water for cooking
  15. Meatballs for the soup

Do you remember my comment earlier with the kohlrabi soup?  This soup will use up your pre-made meatballs mixture that you can defrost now for the second use in the “Ciorba” soup.  If you weren’t paying attention earlier, here it is:

  MAKING THE MEATBALLS:

I usually prepare the meatballs first and let the mixture rest in the fridge until ready to be used.  I also prepare a larger portion of the meatball mixture so I can freeze half for another soup that requires meatballs, like my spectacular veggie soup on page: ????????

  1. 2 Lbs of ground pork
  2. 1 egg
  3. 3 cloves of garlic –finely chopped
  4. 1 small onion or larger shallot –finely chopped
  5. 1 handful of parsley – chopped
  6. 1 full cup of white rice
  7. Vegeta or Sea Salt, black pepper and paprika – don’t be stingy with the spices, baby J it makes or breaks a meatball.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, dig in with both of your hands and enjoy your creation. Taste it so it’s spicy enough and separate it into 2 halves. You can freeze 1 portion for another occasion.  Label your Ziploc bag with the date and content and place the other half in your fridge covered with plastic wrap until you’re ready to use it in the kohlrabi or my bitter veggie soup.

Take a 6 Qt. soup pot and add all the chopped veggies (onion, garlic, parsley root, celery root, celery stalks, carrot and green peas ONLY IF YOU”RE USING FRESH PEAS!) and your healthy splash of olive oil and sauté the veggies for about 15 minutes.
NOTICE! I didn’t add the cauliflower yet.  The reason is, they get ready very quickly and we’ll be adding them together when we add the meatballs.  So are green peas from a can that are already cooked, so we’ll add them at the end.

Now you can add the water and all the herbs (leustean if you have if not, dried celery leaves) and the lemon juice with some Vegeta and black pepper.  When the soup comes to a boiling point you can add your meatballs and the cauliflowers.  When the cauliflowers are soft but still a bit crunchy you can add the green peas from the can and a handful of chopped fresh celery leaves.  Check for seasoning. The taste should be a bit bitter but not overwhelming.  Cut a meatball in half and see if it’s fully cooked. Cook the soup with all ingredients together for another 5 minutes and you’re done.
Sprinkle it with freshly chopped celery leaves in individual plates and enjoy!

This is another soup that will need some R&R before served and the next day you will have your eyes rolling just like my hubby here.


EGESZSEGEDRE!                                                                  BON APPETITE!


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