Ciorba de Perisoare | Romanian Porcupine Meatballs Sour Soup
This classic Romanian soup features hearty meatballs simmered in a flavourful broth with diced veggies and potatoes then finished with sour cream and fresh herbs like lovage, parsley and dill. Serve with hot pickled peppers and crusty bread for a perfect cold weather meal.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 426kcal
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- ½ leek finely diced
- 3 carrots grated or cut into small pieces
- ½ cup parsley finely diced
- 2 tablespoons dried summer savory a.k.a. cimbru *
- 2 tablespoons sweet or smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 chicken or veg bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid or 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 liters water
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2-3 potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons lovage ** finely diced and added just before serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill finely diced and added just before serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely diced and added just before serving
- 3-4 tablespoons sour cream added just before serving or on the side
For the meatballs
- 500 grams ground pork or substitute beef, chicken or turkey
- ½ cup short grain rice
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 yellow onion onion very finely diced
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cimbru
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut and prepare all the vegetables and herbs.
- Mix the meatball ingredients together in a bowl and then form the meatballs.**
- Add oil to a large stockpot and saute the onion and leek on medium-high heat until translucent and just beginning to brown.
- Add the rest of the vegetables, the ½ cup parsley, tomato paste, salt, dried herbs and spices.
- Cover with about 2.5-3 liters of water and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered over low heat for about 30 more minutes.
- After the soup has simmered covered for about 30 minutes, uncover and gently drop the meatballs into the still simmering broth. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and allow to cool at least 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice or citric acid if using.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Notes
* Cimbru is dried summer savoury, an herb used extensively in Romanian cuisine. It has a distinctive flavour. If you can't find any, you can substitute the same amount of dried thyme or equal parts dried thyme and dried oregano (along with a small pinch of dried fenugreek if you have it).
** Lovage is a staple in Romanian soups. It has an herbaceous, citrusy and earthy smell. You can sometimes find it as specialty shops where they carry Romanian goods or otherwise at some Asian markets. If you can't find it you can substitute fresh chopped celery leaf or parsley.
*** You can make the meatballs any size you like just remember the rice will inflate and make them inflate to about 1.5 times their original size. The meatballs pictured here are made with approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture each.