Ciorbă de perișoare de pește (Serves 10-12 as part of a  meal)

For the soup:

2-3 Tbsp. oil

200 g or 1 small onion, finely diced

3 red peppers, deseeded and grated on a course box grater

150 g or ¼ of a large celery root, peeled and grated on a course box grater

150 g or 1 large carrot, peeled and grated on a course box grater

100 g or 1 small parsnip, peeled and grated on a course box grater

200 g or 3-4 small tomatoes, diced

1 L borș

3 L fish stock, chicken stock, or water

2-3 Tbsp. salt

For the fish meatballs:

200 g of the soft interior of a white country loaf of bread, cut into small pieces

4 eggs

200 g or 1 small onion, peeled and grated

1 kg of white fish, finely ground through a meat grinder, food processor or by hand

1 bunch dill, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. salt

A few cracks of black pepper

100 g flour

To finish:

1 bunch of lovage or parsley roughly chopped

Lemon juice

1)        To make the soup base, heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add your oil and add the diced onion. Sweat onions until are soft and translucent. Now add the red peppers, celery root, carrot, and parsnip. Sweat until most the liquid has come out of the vegetables and cooked down to almost nothing.

2)        Now, add the tomatoes, borș, stock, and salt. Bring up to a gentle simmer and continue to cook while preparing the meatballs.

3)        For the fish balls, put the bread, eggs, and onion into a large bowl. With your  hands, mix everything together until the bread has broken down and the mixture has become a homogenous paste. Now, add the remaining ingredients and mix very well until everything is well combined.

4)        Use your hand to form the fish mixture into small meatballs and, one by one, drop them into the simmering pot. Repeat the process until all the fish mixture is gone. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and gently simmer for 25-30 minutes. Stir in the lovage, taste for seasoning. Add lemon juice if you would like the soup sour. Serve immediately.