Ciorbă de Fasole cu Afumătură
Ciorbă de Fasole cu Afumătură·(chor-bah deh fah-so-leh koo ah-foo-muh-too-ruh)
Ciorba Zilnică (The Daily Sour Soup)
Tuesday at 6 p.m., drop a supermarket smoked ham hock into a heavy Dutch oven, bypassing historical hours of boiling to coax dried beans into submission alongside a smoked pig knuckle. As the broth simmers, remember the real secret to grandma’s ciorbă isn't the suffering—it's the foundation: rendered smoked sausage and the earthy anchor of celeriac and parsnip; using high-quality canned beans bypasses the toil without betraying the deeply restorative, smoky marrow of the dish. Pour in an uncompromising acidic bite of apple cider vinegar and tarragon off the heat, stir once, and cut the bread thick.
Before you start
Rinse the canned beans aggressively.
The canning liquid contains excess starches that will muddy the broth and dilute the pure, smoky flavor we are building. Rinse them under cold water until it runs perfectly clear.
Chop the root vegetables uniformly.
Dicing the onion, carrot, celeriac, and parsnip to roughly the same size ensures they cook evenly and fit neatly onto a soup spoon.
Ingredients
- thick-cut slab bacon or kielbasa8 oz
- yellow onion1 med
- carrot1 med
- parsnip1 med
- celery root1/2 med
- canned Cannellini or Great Northern beans30 oz
- chicken or vegetable stock4 cup
- water2 cup
- dried tarragon1 tbsp
- white wine vinegar or sauerkraut juice2 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
Method
- 01
Render the smoked meat until it surrenders its fat.
Place a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the bacon or kielbasa until deeply browned and the fat has pooled. This smoky fat is the foundation of the soup; don't rush it.
- 02
Sweat the authentic Eastern European mirepoix.
Add the onion, carrot, celery root, and parsnip to the rendered fat. Sauté for about 8 minutes until the vegetables soften. The celery root and parsnip are non-negotiable here—they provide the distinctly Romanian terroir.
- 03
Simmer the beans and broth to marry the flavors.
Stir in the drained beans, stock, water, salt, and pepper. Bring the pot to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, cover partially, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
- 04
Acidulate the soup entirely off the heat.
Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the tarragon and vinegar. Adding the acid and herbs now preserves their bright, volatile oils and prevents the beans from toughening.
- 05
Let the soup rest before serving.
Cover the pot and allow the soup to sit undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes. This brief rest is a grandmother's secret, allowing the smoky, tangy, and herbal aromas to equilibrate into a cohesive, restorative broth.
Notes
Serve with the traditional acidic bite.
In Romania, this rich, heavy soup is always cut with a simple raw red onion salad on the side. Thinly slice a red onion, massage it with a pinch of salt to soften it, and toss with a splash of oil and vinegar.
From Cook Romanian in America.