Romanian ciorbă with cabbage and smoked pork hock

Name: Romanian ciorbă with cabbage and smoked pork hock
Ingredients: 1 smoked pork hock (800 g); 1 medium cabbage (1000 g); 2 medium onions (300 g); 30 ml oil; 2500 ml water; 2 carrots (160 g); 1 large pepper (180 g); 200 g peeled tomatoes; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 2-3 celery leaves

Soups - Romanian ciorbă with cabbage and smoked pork hock by Fabia L. - Recipia

Romanian ciorbă with cabbage and smoked pork hock is served hot, usually for lunch. The hock simmers alongside the cabbage and diced vegetables until the meat comes away from the bone, leaving a smoky broth full of tender pieces with the mild, sweet taste of cabbage. I serve it with brown bread while it’s still steaming. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 108 minutes. Rest: 0 minutes. Total: 133 minutes. Serves: 6. About 340 kcal and 20 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

1 smoked pork hock (800 g)
1 medium cabbage (1000 g)
2 medium onions (300 g)
30 ml oil
2500 ml water
2 carrots (160 g)
1 large pepper (180 g)
200 g peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2-3 celery leaves

Preparation

1. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, slice it into strips and rub it with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dice the onions, carrots and pepper. 2. In a large pot, sauté the onion in 30 ml oil for 8 minutes, until translucent. 3. Place the whole hock on top of the onion and pour in 500 ml water. Boil for 10 minutes, until the liquid comes to a boil. 4. Add the cabbage, carrots and pepper. Pour in another 2000 ml water and add the peeled, diced tomatoes. Simmer over low heat for 90 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and the meat comes easily off the bone. 5. Remove the hock, pull the meat off the bone and return it to the soup. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the pepper, thyme and celery leaves.

Notes

Choose a hock with plenty of meat distributed around the bone, not one with a lot of bone and little meat. Some cuts are salty from smoking, so taste the broth before adding the last 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I don’t rush the onion: I let it soften without browning. Served as a heartier vegetable soup, it goes well with homemade bread for dipping in the broth. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a covered container; when reheating, add 100 ml water per serving if the broth has thickened. You can use 800 g smoked ribs, cut into pieces, instead of the hock, and check that they’re tender after 60 minutes. Winter cabbage, with its dense leaves, stays firmer than early-season cabbage. If it has thick ribs, slice them thinner so they soften along with the rest of the cabbage.