What is a recipe for Ciorba De Burta?

- 2 pounds of fresh beetroot

- 600 ml/20 fl oz of water

- 3 tbsp white vinegar

- 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

- 1 finely chopped onion

- 1 finely chopped carrot

- 150 g/5 oz of finely diced parsnip

- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

- 1 finely chopped red bell pepper

- 200 g/7 oz of finely diced pork or bacon

- 170 g/6 oz of sour cream

- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. Wash and peel the beetroot. Cut it into strips or cubes.

2. Put the beetroot in a pot with the water, vinegar, oil, onion, carrot, parsnip, garlic, and bell pepper.

3. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, heat a pan on medium-high heat and fry the pork until browned.

5. Add the fried pork to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Let the soup simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

7. In a bowl, mix together the sour cream, 2-3 tbsp of soup broth and parsley.

8. Remove the soup pot from the heat. Temper the sour cream mixture by adding a few spoonfuls of hot broth into it. Gradually stir in the tempered sour cream mixture into the soup. Do not boil the soup anymore, as it would cause the sour cream to curdle.

9. Serve the Ciorbă de burtă hot.

Tips:

- To enhance the flavor of the soup, you can add a bay leaf or a few black peppercorns during cooking.

- Use a mix of pork meat, bacon, and ham to add more depth to the flavor of the soup.

- If you don’t have sour cream, you can substitute it with plain yogurt.