Čorba is what Chowder is to the English speaking population and Chaudrée to French natives. The latter 2 are usually prepared with either seafood or vegetables, then thickened with cream or milk.Čorba (pronounced; 'Tsjor-ba') is different in that people of the western Balkans make it either with fish, usually river varieties such as carp or catfish, or with meat.Today we are going to make a Veal Čorba using plenty of fresh vegetables and meaty ribs.
Prep Time10mins
Cook Time4hrs
Total Time4hrs10mins
Course: Main Course, Snack, Soup
Cuisine: Balkan
Keyword: soup, stew, veal
Cost: 4-5 Euro, 5-6 US$
Equipment
large cooking pot
skimmer
strainer
Ingredients
1kgveal ribsalso good to use instead would be shin. Basically use any cut that's got bone and is good for stewing.
2largeonionscut in half
3mediumcarrotspeeled but left whole
1medium celery rootpeeled and sliced into large wedges
1bunchparsleywashed and tied with string
1mediumroot of parsleypeeled. Sometimes it isn't possible to find parsley root. This is not a problem. In that case just leave this ingredient out.
2medium parsnipspeeled
1largeleakwashed. Use the top end, the leafs, for the broth
3literswater
2wholeeggsbeat the eggs together with the sour cream
3tbspsour cream
Instructions
Wash the ribs under the tap to remove any bits or small pieces of bone. Place the ribs in the cooking pot, fill with water (at this point don't add anything else) and bring to the boil
While the water is heating up, take the onions, cut them in half with the (clean) skin on nd burn them a little on the stove. We use a gas stove for this but you can get the same result on an electric stove. The 'burned' onion adds sweetness to the broth.
When the water has reached boiling point, turn down the heat and let the water simmer for a few minutes. you'll will see scum floating to the top. This you want to skim till its gone.
Next step is to add the stock vegetables to the broth. Simmer for up to 4 hours or until the meat is tender and falls off the bone.
Strain the stock and remove the meat from the bone. return the pulled meat to the soup and add some diced vegetables. We used carrot, celery root and parsnip and a little parsley (chopped)
Now beat two whole eggs together with sour cream and add to the broth, which must be below boiling point. The reason the broth should be around 90°C (200°F) you don't want to cook the eggs (to become scrambled). ½What you want is a creamy soup that now has become Čorba.
Notes
The old fashioned way is to start your meal with a broth, followed by the main course. Hence Čorba, in the Balkans, is usually eaten as a starter without bread.milletSometimes, instead of the diced vegetables, millet is added to the Čorba. Millet is a grain and doesn't need much cooking. If adding millet, add 1/2 a cup for every liter of broth and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
