Romanian Meatball soup - ciorba de perisoare
A sour soup filled with chunky vegetables and fluffy meatballs
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Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 knife
- 1 saucepan or frying pan for sauteing tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 2-3 large carrots
- 1.25 liter water (or vegetable stock)
- 1 pepper (bell pepper)
- 2 medium potatoes (optional) peeled and cubed
- 1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g)
- 2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower or vegetable oil
- 2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas
- 2 tsp salt (to taste)
- juice from 1 lemon (optional)
- 1 tbsp lovage (chopped) to garnish or use parsley
For the meatballs
- 500 g Lean beef mince
- 1 tbsp olive oil or sunflower or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
- 2-3 tbsp fresh herbs (dill and or parsley, finely chopped )
- half cup short grain rice (or any white rice)
Instructions
Cook the vegetables
- Fill up a third of a large pot with cold water. Peel the onion and carrots and dice them. The carrots can also be sliced in chunky discs if you prefer. Add diced onions and carrots to the water. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer covered for 10 minutes.1 large onion, 2-3 large carrots
Prepare your meatballs
- Mix all ingredients for meatballs. With an ice-cream scoop make small balls (roughly 2 teaspoons of mixture per meatball) and place them on a plate. You should get around 15 meatballs.500 g Lean beef mince, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Drop meatballs gently into the simmering water, add potatoes (peeled and cubed) and keep covered. After 15 minutes take a meatball out and check if the rice cooked and soft. If not, allow to simmer an extra 5 minutes. Potatoes should also be soft by then if adding.2 medium potatoes
Saute the tomatoes
- In a saucepan or frying pan, heat the oil gently. Add the diced pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly.1 pepper, 1 can chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2-3 tbsp fresh herbs, half cup short grain rice
- After potatoes and meatballs are fully cooked, the sauteed peppers and tomatoes can be added to the pot.
- Add the frozen peas and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning.2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas, 2 tsp salt
Finish and serve
- Take the pot off the heat, add finely chopped lovage or parsley and lemon juice.juice from 1 lemon
- Serve 1-2 ladles per person with a dollop of sour cream and crusty sourdough.
Video
Notes
For a deeper flavor, sweat the diced onion and carrots in a little oil for 5 minutes before adding the water. Or just simmer them in the water, both work.
You can add a splash more water if you find the soup is too thick after adding the chopped tomatoes.
If you cannot find lovage, use chopped parsley or even chopped celery leaves.
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Nutrition
Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 25gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 2084mgPotassium: 1043mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5157IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 4mg
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