Ciorbă, Romanian pork and vegetable sour soup

Ingredients

• 200 g pork shoulder
• 2500 ml water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium carrots (240 g)
• 1 parsley root (80 g)
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 small onion (80 g)
• 1 piece leek (100 g)
• 1/2 cauliflower (300 g)
• 1/2 zucchini (150 g)
• 250 g cabbage
• 150 g drained canned peas or fresh peas
• 3 medium potatoes (450 g)
• 40 g rice
• 1 pickled hot pepper from a jar
• 200 g full-fat sour cream (at least 20% fat)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 heaping tablespoon vinegar (15 ml)
• 15 g fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Cut the pork shoulder into small cubes and put it in a pot with 2500 ml cold water. When it comes to a boil, skim off the foam, add 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer for 35 minutes, until the meat is tender. 2. Peel the carrots and parsley root and cut them into small cubes. Dice the peppers, finely chop the onion and slice the leek thinly, then add them to the pot. 3. Break the cauliflower into small florets, peel the zucchini and dice it, then shred the cabbage. Add them to the pot along with the peas. Dice the potatoes and add them last. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. 4. Add the rice and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the grains soften. 5. Chop the pickled hot pepper from the jar. Mix the sour cream with the egg yolk, then gradually pour in 150 ml of hot broth from the pot, whisking as you go. 6. Pour the mixture into the pot and lower the heat. Add the chopped hot pepper, white pepper and vinegar. Let the soup warm gently for 2 minutes without coming to a boil. 7. Turn off the heat and stir in the finely chopped fresh parsley.