Did you know that in Romania we have Coke with garlic for tourists??? :)) Don’t be scared and run away yet … This soup may sound and look a bit too modest to you, however, I promise you a rich in flavors soup that won’t last a whole day!
Are you still in here as I have a great traditional Romanian soup to tell you about in a little while so that you can have it along with this Coke? :) As the other day I came across this picture on a website called Know Your Meme, I realized that I haven’t even gone into many details about myself.
Well, I am very proud of being one of Dracula’s daughters, even though some of my friends call me a “citizen of the world”, who has been traveling quite a lot for the past couple of years, and who is still “on the go” until I find my serenity in one place. I currently live in Germany, but I dream of an “all year round sunny” kind of country for my soul.
Returning to the Romanian Garlic Coke, turned out it’s fake …disappointed right?! Because the soup I am about to tell you would have tasted a little better along with it (just kidding). The only reason I hadn’t shared this recipe with you guys yet is because I hate to keep you too long in the kitchen.
However, even though this soup may sound and look a bit too modest to you, I promise you a rich in flavors soup that won’t last a whole day! I still remember the first day I cooked it for my boyfriend – he was totally blown away by the taste, contrasting with its simplicity.
And since then, whenever he goes shopping on his own during the fall and winter, he brings also the ingredients I need for this soup. So subtile, right?! Ok, I got the message, its time has again arrived.
Although it is not the prettiest one, the soup I am going to share with you today called “ciorbã tãrãneasca” in Romanian language is by all means my favorite traditional one.
Ciorbã is the Romanian word for sour and comes from the Turkish word – “çorba”. The souring agent for ciorbã can be lemon juice, sauerkraut juice, vinegar, sour grape leaves or green sorrel leaves.
It takes a long time to make, but it’s worth the wait. It contains so many fresh veggies, is delicious anytime of the year and is very easy to prepare.
Serve it with fresh brown bread and yoghurt for a “fit version” and my favorite soup can be a complete meal. If you are a vegetarian/vegan, you can simply skip the bacon/ham part, and enjoy it as a meatless dish. However, I won’t promise you the same flavor.
Poftã bunã (Bon appétit in Romanian)!
- 400g bacon (a big chunk, not the sliced kind) or ham
- 200g fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 big-sized onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 white carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ zucchini, chopped
- ½ eggplant/aubergine, finely chopped
- 5 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 chili peppers, roughly chopped
- ½ lemon
- a splash of yoghurt
- a handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- First of all, wash all the veggies thoroughly and chop them finely. Cut the chunk of bacon or ham in small cubes.
- In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and bacon cubes in butter stirring occasionally, until the onion gets soften and become lightly golden, for about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots, green beans and cover with 3 cups of water, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, aubergine, red bell pepper and chili pepper), the fresh lemon juice from half a lemon and let them simmer for another half a hour. Take it off the heat and add plenty of chopped parsley as it brings an extra twist to it.
- Yes, I ran out of parsley, and therefore you won’t see it in the picture. :)
- Serve it with fresh bread, sour cream and extra chili peppers for a 100% soup a la Romania!
Get creative, use the ingredients you have on hand and stay healthy! Make sure you only "cook it fit".
Sharing is kind of SEXY!
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