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Ciorbă de legume
Soured vegetable soup
Romanian soured vegetable soup with lovage
Ciorbă is the sour soup that opens a Romanian lunch, from canteens in Cluj to Sunday tables in Moldavia, and the vegetable version is cooked all through the fasting weeks before Easter and Christmas. Root vegetables, beans and peppers simmer in a light broth that is soured at the end with borș, the fermented wheat-bran liquid sold in bottles at Romanian shops, or with lemon juice. Fresh lovage (leuștean) gives its unmistakable celery-like perfume. It is eaten piping hot with bread and a fresh green chilli on the side. Chef's tip: add the borș only at the end and let it come back just to a simmer; boiling it hard dulls the sour tang.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 carrotsdiced
- 1 parsley root or parsnipdiced
- 3 ½ oz celeriacdiced
- 1 red pepperdiced
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 3 potatoesdiced, about 400 g
- 5 ½ oz green beanscut in 2 cm lengths
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes1 tin
- 3 ½ oz frozen peas
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 cups borș (fermented bran liquid)or the juice of 1½ lemons
- 3 tbsp fresh lovagechopped, or celery leaves
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
To serve
- 2 fresh green chillies (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pot over a medium heat and soften 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 parsley root or parsnip and 3 ½ oz celeriac, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables smell sweet.
8 minStep 2: Add 1 red pepper, 8 ¼ cups water and 2 tsp salt and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
12 minStep 3: Add 3 potatoes, 5 ½ oz green beans and 14 oz chopped tomatoes and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.
15 minStep 4: Add 3 ½ oz frozen peas and cook for 3 minutes. In a small pan, bring 2 cups borș (fermented bran liquid) to the boil separately (this keeps it from clouding the soup), then pour it into the pot and let it return just to a simmer. If using lemon, simply stir it in off the heat.
5 minStep 5: Taste: it should be pleasantly sour. Turn off the heat and stir in 3 tbsp fresh lovage and 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley. Serve hot with 2 fresh green chillies to bite alongside.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ciorbă de legume take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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