Entree: Romania – Dobrogea – Ciorbă de Burtă (Hearty sour tripe soup thickened with egg yolks and sour cream, finished with garlic and vinegar)

Serving Size: 6

Approximate Time

Prep 20 min

Cook 2 hrs 30 min

Additional 10 min

Total 3 hrs

Ingredients

- 3 lb (1.36 kg) beef marrow bones or oxtail for stock
- 2 lb (900 g) beef tripe, cleaned and pre-boiled if not pre-cleaned
- 12 cups (2.8 L) water
- 1 large onion, peeled and halved
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 tsp (10 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) white vinegar, plus additional for serving
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream (preferably full-fat)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp (5 g) salt for garlic-vinegar mix
- 1/4 cup (15 g) fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
- Optional: hot chili or grated hot pepper to serve

Instructions

1. Rinse bones and place in a large stockpot with 12 cups (2.8 L) water. Bring to a simmer, skimming any foam, then add onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns, and 1 tsp (5 g) salt. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 2–3 hours to make a rich broth.
2. While stock simmers, if needed blanch tripe: place tripe in boiling water 5 minutes, then drain and rinse. Slice tripe into thin strips about 1/2 inch (1 cm) wide.
3. After stock has simmered, remove bones and strain broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot. Return strained broth to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add sliced tripe and simmer gently until very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sour cream. Temper the liaison by slowly whisking in 1 cup (240 ml) hot broth until warm, then stir the tempered mixture back into the pot off the heat or over the lowest heat, stirring constantly—do not boil once liaison is added or it may curdle.
5. Stir in 3 tbsp (45 ml) white vinegar and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Keep soup just below simmering while serving.
6. Prepare garlic-vinegar condiment: mash minced garlic with 1 tsp (5 g) salt and 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml) vinegar to a coarse paste. Serve alongside the soup so each diner can add to taste.
7. Ladle Ciorbă de Burtă into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley, and offer extra vinegar and hot pepper at the table. Serve with crusty bread.