Romanian chicken meatball ciorbă without rice

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 kg ground chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1 slice of bread (30 g)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

For the soup

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium onion (150 g)
• 1 red pepper (150 g)
• 1 parsnip (150 g)
• 1 celery root (300 g)
• 2000 ml water
• 2 tablespoons rice (30 g)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 15 g fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Mix 1 kg ground chicken with 2 eggs, the crumbled slice of bread, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Shape into meatballs about 3 cm across. 2. Peel and chop the onion, pepper, parsnip and celery root. In a large pot, sauté them in 2 tablespoons oil for 8 minutes, stirring, until softened and the onion is translucent. 3. Pour 2000 ml water into the pot and bring it to a boil, about 12 minutes. Lower the heat and cook the vegetables for 15 minutes, until tender. 4. Add the rice and meatballs. Cook for 20 minutes over medium heat, until the meatballs are cooked through and the rice is soft. 5. Beat the remaining 2 eggs with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour them into the pot, then add the chopped parsley and lemon juice. Let the soup cook for another 2 minutes over low heat, without letting it boil hard.