Meatball Soup, Romanian Ciorba

Romanian Meatball Soup

For Meatballs

1 lb ground pork or ground beef

1 egg

2 tbsp dill chopped

2 tbsp parsley chopped

1/4 cup rice long grain and uncooked

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste

For Soup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion chopped

2 large carrots chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste

2 tbsp tomato paste

4 cups chicken broth low sodium

4 cups water

1/2 tsp vegeta or 1 chicken bouillon

3 tbsp lemon juice (from 1 lemon)*

2 tbsp lovage chopped

1 egg beaten

parsley for garnish

Version #2 for soup ingredients:

3 diced tomatoes

1 diced zucchini

1 small celery cut into cubes

2 diced bell peppers

1 large diced carrot

2 diced onions

a few beef bones

1/2 liter bag

1 Contact parsley chopped

1 link Lovage (leustean)

a little salt

* I replace the lemon juice with the liquid from sauerkrout

In a bowl add all the meatball ingredients together and mix well. Shape into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 30 to 35 meatballs, depending on how big you make them. Place meatballs in fridge until ready to add to soup.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom 5 qt pot to medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, cabbage and celery to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions soften and are translucent.
Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil then add the meatballs one at a time.
Cook for about 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through, they will rise to the top when they are done. Season with vegeta then add the lemon juice and lovage. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as necessary. Very slowly pour in the egg in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise direction for one minute. Cook for another minute then garnish with parsley.
Serve hot with a bit of sour cream.