Ciorbă de perișoare with leek and zucchini

Ingredients

For the soup

• 2000 ml water
• 30 ml olive oil
• 1 medium onion (150 g)
• 1 medium carrot (80 g)
• 100 g celeriac
• 100 g parsnip
• 2 spring onions (30 g)
• 1 medium zucchini (250 g)
• 1 medium leek (150 g)
• 400 g canned diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Vegeta
• 10 g fresh lovage
• 10 g fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

For the meatballs

• 500 g ground beef
• 15 g rice
• 5 ml olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 5 g fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Finely chop the onion, grate the celeriac on the coarse side of a grater, and slice the carrot, parsnip, and spring onions into rounds. Put the 2000 ml of water in a pot to heat while you prepare the rest. 2. Heat 5 ml of olive oil in a small frying pan and toast the rice for 2 minutes. Mix it with the ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper, and 5 g of chopped parsley. Shape into meatballs about 2 cm across. 3. Heat 30 ml of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion, celeriac, carrot, parsnip, and spring onions for 2 minutes, until slightly softened. 4. Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Add the meatballs and simmer over medium heat for 12 minutes. 5. Thinly slice the zucchini and cut the leek into rounds. Add them to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, Vegeta, and lovage. Cook for another 6 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the vegetables have softened. 6. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper. Sprinkle with 10 g of freshly chopped parsley and leave the soup covered for 10 minutes.