Spanachena Supa sas Sirene
Спаначена супа със сирене·(spa-NAH-cheh-nah SOO-pah suhs SEE-reh-neh)
The Tuesday Pot: Bob Chorba & Stews
Six-thirty on a Tuesday, the five-quart Dutch oven hits the heat, the spinach wilts into the dark broth, and a resourceful supper is suddenly only minutes away. We aren't pureeing this or loading it with heavy cream. We're relying on the rustic bite of rice, the distinct cool earthiness of spearmint, and zastroika—a yogurt and egg temper that turns a humble broth into liquid velvet. Crumble a block of sheep's milk sirene into the hot bowl at the end.
Ingredients
- sunflower oil3 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- carrot1 med
- all-purpose flour1 tbsp
- sweet paprika1 tsp
- water6 cup
- short-grain rice1/3 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- fresh baby spinach10 oz
- dried spearmint1 tbsp
- egg yolks2 large
- plain whole-milk Greek yogurt1/2 cup
- sheep's milk feta in brine4 oz
Method
- 01
Sweat the aromatics.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, then sauté the diced onion and grated carrot for 5 to 7 minutes until softened and translucent.
- 02
Bloom the paprika.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 minute to cook off the raw taste, then pull the pot off the heat and stir in the sweet paprika for exactly 10 seconds so it doesn't burn.
- 03
Simmer the starch.
Return the pot to the heat, immediately pour in the water, and stir well to dissolve the flour and paprika before adding the rinsed rice, salt, and black pepper.
- 04
Cook the rice.
Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the rice is tender.
- 05
Wilt the greens.
Stir in the spinach and spearmint, simmering for just 3 to 5 minutes more so the greens are cooked but remain vibrant, then remove the pot entirely from the heat.
- 06
Temper the zastroika.
In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the egg yolks and yogurt until smooth, then slowly drizzle in 2 to 3 ladles of hot broth while whisking constantly to warm the mixture.
- 07
Unite the soup.
Slowly pour the warm yogurt mixture back into the main soup pot off the heat, stirring gently to combine into a silky, opaque broth.
- 08
Finish with feta.
Ladle the hot soup into bowls and generously crumble the brined feta cheese directly over each serving to soften.
Notes
Respect the Zastroika.
The secret to the silky texture is taking the soup completely off the heat before stirring in the tempered yogurt and egg. Boiling it will curdle the eggs into ugly rags.
The cheese is the salt.
Bulgarian sirene is intensely salty. We under-salt the broth intentionally so the generous handful of cheese at the end perfectly balances the dish.
Mind the mint.
The defining herbaceous backbone of this soup relies on spearmint (dzhodzhen). Standard peppermint extract or generic dry mint is too harsh; seek out actual dried spearmint.
Sourcing the cheese.
Pre-crumbled American feta is coated in anti-caking agents and lacks the required tang. Buy blocks of sheep's milk feta sold floating in brine to replicate authentic sirene.