Ciorba

As the days get shorter and cooler, it is time to think about soups and stews. Our Romanian friend and employee at the farm in Italy this last year, Felicia, gave us this heart-and-body-warming recipe from her home country.

Ingredients:
2 tbs. of sunflower oil
2 cups of ground pork and beef combined
Two large potatoes cut into small pieces

One onion, chopped finely
One carrot, grated
One stalk of celery cut in small pieces, including the celery greens (keep separate)
½ of a 14 oz can of chopped and peeled tomatoes, strained, set the juice aside
One egg
A handful of flour

Salt and pepper

Mix the ground meat with salt and pepper, one egg and one tablespoon of chopped onion. Make into a small meat ball with a full teaspoon of the mixture and roll it in some of the flour.

• Brown the meat balls in a skillet

• In a large pot sauté the chopped onion, chopped celery, grated carrot, salt and pepper in the sunflower oil until golden brown.

• Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.

• Once the water comes to a boil add the strained tomatoes and simmer for a half an hour

• Then add the potato and meat ball and cook another 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, and then add the celery greens and tomato juice.

POFTA BUNA! – Paola