Ciorba de periosare (sour soup with meatballs)

Poor old Transylvania. It’s famous for one thing: the fictional creation Dracula, and the real-life jerk on whom he was based, Vlad the Impaler. This is a shame, as Transylvania also has much to offer the meatball afficionado, among them this rustic meatball soup. It’s worth noting that there is no garlic in this recipe, so if you’re courting a vampire, this is the soup with which to woo them.

Ciorba de periosare (sour soup with meatballs). Credit: Mark Roper / Hardie Grant Books

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
• 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) chicken stock
• ½ tsp chicken stock (bouillon) powder
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp finely chopped lovage or parsley
• 1 egg, beaten
• chopped parsley, to garnish

Meatballs

• 450 g (1 lb) minced (ground) beef
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp finely chopped dill
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 50 g (13/4 oz/¼ cup) white long-grain rice
• 20 g (3/4 oz/¼ cup) fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

To serve

• sour cream
• crusty bread

Instructions

1. For the soup, heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a medium–large pot. Add the onion, carrot and celery and fry until the onion softens, about
2. 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and tomato paste, then the chicken stock and 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) water, then remove from the heat.
3. To make the meatballs, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl until evenly incorporated. Shape into small meatballs, then refrigerate until ready to add to the soup.
4. Bring the soup to the boil, then add the meatballs and cook over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through (they will rise to the surface of the soup once cooked). Season with the chicken stock (bouillon) powder, then add the lemon juice and lovage.
5. Slowly pour in the beaten egg, rapidly stirring in a clockwise direction for 1 minute. Cook for another minute, then remove from the heat and garnish with parsley.
6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh crusty bread.

Note

Frank Banyai, aka my dad, hails from Bistrița, deep in the Transylvanian region of Romania. Frank was born in the dark days of World War II, raised by a single mother who frequently served up ciorba, the word simply meaning ‘vegetable soup’, minus the meatballs; circumstances were tough, and meatballs only made their way into the soup when charitable organisations donated the meat. After migrating to Australia in his early twenties, Frank was finally able to make the ciorba of his childhood the way God intended: with meatballs.

This is an edited extract from Around the World in 80 Meatballs by Bunny Banyai (Hardie Grant Books). Photography by Mark Roper.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.