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 large onion – chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic – chopped
- 1 large carrot or 3 smaller ones – cut in small cubes
- 1 large parsley root or 3 smaller ones – cut in small cubes
- 2 long stalks of celery – cut in small cubes. Don’t throw away the celery leaves, you’ll need them later!
- ½ of a bigger size celery root or 1 medium – cut in small cubes
- 1 small head of cauliflower – washed and cut in smaller, edible size pieces
- ¾ can of green peas or if you have fresh, even better!
- A healthy splash of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of leustean herb, if you don’t have any use 3 Tbs. of dried celery leaves
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
- Vegeta, black pepper to season
- 1 handful of fresh celery leaves – chopped
- 4 Qts. Of water for cooking
- 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: ????????
- 2 Lbs of ground pork
- 1 egg
- 3 cloves of garlic –finely chopped
- 1 small onion or larger shallot –finely chopped
- 1 handful of parsley – chopped
- 1 full cup of white rice
- 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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