Romanian sour cabbage soup or ciorbă de varză (CHORR-buh deh VARR-zuh) is one of the sour soups Romanians love. Its name comes from the Turkish word for soup -- çorba. The souring agent for ciorbe (plural of ciorbă) is usually sauerkraut juice, lemon juice, vinegar, sour grape leaves or green sorrel leaves. When a sour base made of fermented wheat bran called borş is used, the sour soup is called a borş, not a ciorbă. Soups that are not soured are known as supă in Romanian. Reserve sauerkraut juice from Romanian braised sauerkraut for this recipe.
Here is a larger photo of Romanian Cabbage Ciorba.
Here is a larger photo of Romanian Cabbage Ciorba.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings Cabbage Ciorba
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces sliced bacon
- 2 large chopped onions
- 2 large peeled and sliced carrots
- 2 stemmed, seeded and chopped red peppers
- 1 large cored and sliced cabbage
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup sauerkraut juice
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup sour cream
- Vinegar to taste (optional)
Preparation:
- In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, saute bacon, onion, carrots and peppers until onions are translucent. Add cabbage, salt and pepper, dill, stock and sauerkraut juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
- Beat egg yolks with sour cream. Temper the sour cream mixture with a few ladles of hot soup. Whisk tempered sour cream into soup. Return to heat and simmer, stirring continuously, until soup has thickened slightly. Adjust seasonings. If a more sour soup is desired, add 1 or more tablespoons vinegar to soup.
