Ciorba: Romanian Sour Soup

Hello again! First of all, Happy New year to all of you. I  hope your holidays were as joy-filled and exciting as mine were. I'm just now getting back to the United States after a lengthy trip to Poland and Romania (specifically Transylvania) with my family for the holidays. The trip was majestically enlightening and inspiring and I wish I could have brought everyone I love with me. If you have a chance to go, I really recommend it. There is so much to be gained, not only from the rich history there, but also from the simply glorious meeting of minds that occurs between people of dramatically different cultures sitting down to share a meal and conversation. 

While I wasn't able to bring back any of the wonderful people I met while traveling, I did - fear not - bring back recipes. Buckets of them. And one of those is the one I'm sharing today. This fabulously hearty soup was one that graced almost every meal we had in Transylvania and it was perfect every time, regardless of the slight changes in recipe. 'Ciorba' is the word used to describe traditional Romanian soups consisting of a combination of vegetables and/or meats. As most of the meats involved in their soups are pork, I relied on the generosity of my hosts and their kindness to provide me vegetarian versions of the usual stock. One of the most popular variations of ciorba available seemed to be 'sour soups', which are basic ciorba seasoned with vinegar or lemon juice to give them a tartness that I hadn't often experienced before. The result is delicious. And now you can try it yourself. 

I tried a few different variations before I managed this one, which is closest in taste to what I had while in Transylvania. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ciorba: Romanian Sour Soup

(Serves ~10, stores and reheats marvelously)

3.5 oz diced red onions, caramelized

1/2 tbsp sunflower oil

32 fl oz vegetable broth (low sodium)

32 fl oz chicken broth (low sodium - can substitute with another vegetable broth if you want vegetarian)

1.5 cups sliced beets

1.5 cups chopped green beans

1 (28 oz) can whole natural tomatoes, drained and halved

1 lb brussels sprouts, ends trimmed

1 lb shredded cabbage

1/3 cup shredded carrots

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (more to taste)

2 heaping spoonfuls diced garlic

sea salt to taste (I didn't use any, but I don't much like salt)

Start by sautéing your diced red onions in a skillet with 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil until they are translucent. Add the garlic and stir until all contents of the skillet are slightly browned; the scent should be rich and sweet. Your kitchen will smell awesome for the rest of the day.

In a slow cooker set to low, add all the broth and vinegar. Add the browned onions and garlic. In twenty minutes, add all the vegetables (green beans, brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, and beets). Turn up the heat to just below medium and cook for about 4 hours. Depending on what sort of slow cooker you have, this might take longer. The test is in two parts: smell and softness. The smell of this soup is mouth-watering and gets richer and more decadent over time. When the smell drags you to the pot, you're nearing completion. Then you just need to make sure that the brussels sprouts are mushy. Lift one out in a ladle and press it with a spoon or fork; if it crushes easily, you're ready to eat. Serve steaming hot. Crusty bread is a great accompaniment.

Go on. Have a peace. :) Enjoy!

Green Bean "Chips"

Okay. I don't know if y'all have tried veggie chips before. If you haven't, you're missing out on an awesome mouth experience. I first got turned on to these by my mother, actually, who found them in little plastic containers at the little independent market near our house a few years back. Since then, I've seen them showing up more and more. I haven't yet spotted them at Ralph's (though I might have just missed them), but they are definitely available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Now, the ones my mom got (way back when) were a mixed bag of green beans, carrots, parsnips, yams, and taro. And every time I see this mix (which is basically every time I go home because my mom's awesome and does that), I automatically go and pick out the beans and carrots for myself. Because I'm greedy when it comes to delicious vegetables.

Here's the only problem I have - they're too darned expensive. Nothing that edible should cost that much per 8 ounces. $7? For a bag that I will probably finish within at the most a day of opening it? No. I think not. And they shouldn't be. Not really. So I put my thinking cap on and invented a way to DIY your own veggie chips. The green beans anyway.

Now, the only way to get the exact crunchy texture of these right is to own a dehydrator (which I don't and I assume most of you don't either), but you can get pretty close just using your oven.

Without further ado, my nummy green bean snack. Guilt-free, tasty, mid-day veggies!

Green Bean "Chips"

~16 oz green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp Vignalta - Salle Alle Erbe Delle Marlunghe [This is a radical salt with herbs that I like to use on most of my straight up veggie dishes these days. It's just, frankly, awesome. If you want to buy it, you can Google it or click here. If you don't, just use salt. Or whatever kind of salt you want. Sea salt, table salt, garlic salt, onion salt, whatever. :) ]

Set your oven to 395 F.

Trim your beans, drop them in a big microwave safe bowl. Nuke them for ~3 minutes (this is my lazy way of "blanching").

Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper and then set a drying rack on top of it. The smaller grating here, the better.

Add olive oil to the beans and stir well, making sure they all get a nice coating. Shimmy some of the salt in. Stir again. Then, once they're all nice and olive oil/salt-ified, place them on the rack, making sure to leave at least a little space between them all if possible. They won't get as crispy if they're touching. I'm not sure exactly why. Now load them into the oven and bake for about 35 minutes (I put them in for 15 and then checked them every five minutes after that until they got to the right crispiness for me).

Soooo good. :) And best of all, the 16 oz baggie of beans cost me $1.49. Yummy for my tummy; yummy for my wallet.

Alteration:

16 oz green beans, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
2+ shakes garlic powder
juice of 1/2 lemon

Follow above instructions. :) Enjoy!