Recipe: Ciorba de Varza

You’ll enjoy some of the best food in the world onboard a Viking River Cruise. And from time to time, they’re nice enough to share one of their wonderful recipes with us.

Ciorba de Varza (pronounced “CHOR ba duh VAR zuh”) is a traditional cabbage soup with meatballs, very typical of the Bulgaria/Romania region. The recipe was provided by Reiner Marks, who served as an executive chef aboard Viking’s European fleet for many years.

Ingredients:

Ingredients for the soup:

Six ounces sliced bacon
Two onions, chopped
Two carrots, sliced
Two red or yellow peppers, chopped
One cabbage, cored and sliced
Six cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
One cup fresh sauerkraut
Two large egg yolks
One cup sour cream
One-quarter cup white wine vinegar
One-half cup chopped dill

Ingredients for the meatballs:

Two slices of white bread (soak in water to soften and squeeze the liquid out)
OR one cup of dry breadcrumbs
One cup cooked rice
One pound ground beef
One egg
One tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, sauté bacon, onion, carrots and pepper just until onions are transparent. Add the cabbage, chicken broth, salt and pepper, and sauerkraut. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

2. Combine all meatball ingredients in a bowl. Form 1- to 2-inch meatballs and add to the soup as it simmers. Leave in for 15 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. With a whisk, beat egg yolks with sour cream, then add a few ladles of hot soup and continue beating until mixed well. Add this sour cream mixture into the soup pot. Return to heat and simmer, stirring continuously, until soup has thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Add the meatballs and chopped dill before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

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