Romanian Cuisine meets California Rice
By Julie Cader
Romanian cuisine offers a diverse blend of dishes and tradition, generally influenced by the cuisines of neighbors, Germany, Bulgaria and Hungary. As cooler days of fall are fast approaching, a yummy pot of Romanian meatball soup (Ciorba de Perisoare) seems like a great remedy to warm us up. Romanian soups are generally soured, meaning acidity is added to the soup in the form of lemon juice, creating a slight tang to the soup.
Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorba de Perisoare)
Making the Meatballs – Ingredients
1 Day-Old Sourdough Bagel
1 Small Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Eggs, Beaten
1.5 lbs. Ground Beef
½ cup of Kokuho Rose Rice
1-teaspoon Celery Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Pepper
- Tear the bagel into small chunks and run in the food processor until the bagel is finely ground. Remove breadcrumbs from processor and place in large bowl.
- Finely chop the onion and garlic in the food processor and add to bowl.
- Add in ground beef, eggs, California rice, celery salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Form small 1-inch diameter meatballs. Recipe makes around 60 small meatballs. (You may want to have a bowl of water on the side to keep your hands wet as you form the meatballs.)
- Set meatballs on plastic wrap to rest while you prepare the soup.
Making the Soup – Ingredients
1 Onion
4 Carrots
3 Stalks of Celery
1 Small Red Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Cups of V8 Harvest Vegetable Juice
2 Containers of Knorr Home-style Concentrated Beef Stock
6-Ounces of Tomato Paste
3-Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-Tablespoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika
1 Lemon, Juiced
1-teaspoon Salt
1-teaspoon Ground Pepper
2 Eggs, Beaten
Sour Cream
- Finely chop the onion, carrots, celery, red pepper and garlic in a food processor.
- In a large soup pot, heat the EVOO and add the chopped vegetables.
- Sauté vegetables until they are soft.
- Add vegetable juice, beef stock, tomato paste, paprika, salt and pepper, 10 cups of water, and the lemon juice.
- When the soup starts to boil, add the meatballs, one at a time, and keep boiling. When the meatballs are done, they will rise to the top. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.
- Turn heat up to medium, and when you have a slow boil, slowly stream in the eggs, stirring the egg mixture rapidly to make shreds.
- Serve hot, adding a dollop of sour cream to each bowl.
Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice.
