Ciorbă de hribi
Porcini soup
Ciorbă de hribi: Maramureș porcini soup soured with vinegar, finished with sour cream and dill
Late summer in the beech and spruce forests of Maramureș sends whole families out with baskets, and the first pot of the season is usually this sour porcini soup. Fresh hribi give it a meaty bite, a handful of dried ones deepen the broth, and a spoon of vinegar plus sour cream turns it into a proper ciorbă: tangy, creamy and smelling of the woods. It is eaten as a first course with a slice of rye bread and a fresh hot pepper on the side, often during the Orthodox fasting weeks in its cream-free form. The usual slip is stirring cold sour cream straight into the pot, where it splits into white flecks; warm it with a ladle of broth first. Chef's tip: keep the soaking water from the dried porcini and pour it in slowly, leaving the last spoonful and its grit behind in the bowl.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- ½ oz dried porcinisoaked in 250 ml hot water for 15 minutes
- 1 ⅛ lb fresh porcini or chestnut mushroomscleaned and sliced
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 carrotdiced
- 1 parsley root or parsnipdiced
- 1 red pepperdiced
- 1 potatopeeled and diced
- 6 ¼ cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
To finish
- 5 ½ oz sour cream (20% fat)
- ½ oz fresh dillchopped
- ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsleychopped
- 4 fresh hot pepper (optional)to bite alongside
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Lift the ½ oz dried porcini out of their soaking water, squeeze them over the bowl and chop them. Keep the dark soaking liquid.
2 minStep 2: Heat the 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pot over a medium heat and soften the 1 onion for 5 minutes, until translucent and just starting to colour.
5 minStep 3: Add the sliced 1 ⅛ lb fresh porcini or chestnut mushrooms and the chopped dried porcini, raise the heat to medium-high and fry for 6–7 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their water and it has mostly evaporated.
7 minStep 4: Stir in the 1 carrot, 1 parsley root or parsnip, 1 red pepper and 1 potato and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, so they are coated in the mushroom juices.
2 minStep 5: Pour in the 6 ¼ cups vegetable stock or water and the strained soaking liquid, leaving any grit in the bowl. Add the 2 bay leaves, bring to the boil, then lower to a gentle simmer for 18 minutes, until the potato cubes crush easily against the side of the pot.
20 minStep 6: Season with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper, then stir in the 2 tbsp white wine vinegar. Taste: it should be pleasantly sharp; add a few more drops of vinegar if it seems flat. Remove the bay leaves.
2 minStep 7: Put the 5 ½ oz sour cream (20% fat) in a bowl and whisk in two ladles of hot broth, one at a time, until smooth and warm.
2 minStep 8: Take the pot off the heat, stir in the warmed cream mixture, then scatter in the ½ oz fresh dill and ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley. Do not boil it again or the cream may curdle.
1 minStep 9: Ladle into warm bowls and serve with a 4 fresh hot pepper on the side for anyone who wants heat.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ciorbă de hribi take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of fresh porcini or chestnut mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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