
Soups
Chicken soup
As you leave Iași, refreshed by a breeze from the dense forest whispering in your ear, you leave behind the ancient woodlands and arrive in Dobrovăț – at the edge of the forest, a place where you’re welcomed into the home of four women who cook tirelessly day and night.
A place where finding a swallow’s nest at the corner of a house is a good sign, a sign that the family is united, warm, and always happy to receive guests. Today’s meal is as simple as it is delicious and reinforces the entire philosophy of authentic Moldovan cuisine: homemade chicken soup with noodles and a fully-loaded cheese pie.
Three generations bound by the same matriarchal values, four exceptional women who have set out to prepare delicious food with enthusiasm welcome you warmly. As soon as you step into the yard, controlled chaos signifies a quintessentially Romanian household where cooking over an open fire is an art. Grandma Aneta is already rolling out the dough for the pie, which will later be filled with generous amounts of sweet cheese. In the large red pot on the stove, a plump chicken has been simmering with a generous handful of vegetables from the household garden: onions, carrots, parsnips, bell peppers of all colors, and an assortment of spices for several hours. Next to the stove, basking in the sunlight, homemade noodles are resting, waiting for their turn to join the soup when it simmers for the final time. The two daughters of Mrs. Aneta, Diana and Petronela, assisted by the youngest member of the family, Paula, stand guard over the slowly simmering dishes. The pie waits to enter the oven, and the soup needs one last boil, and the meal is nearly ready. Even though the pie doesn’t stay in the oven for long before it emerges as rosy as a rosebud, time seems to be against us, the eager eaters, and patience plays tricks on us.
In the meantime, large, accommodating bowls fill up with the golden soup, alongside which sits a spicy pepper and freshly baked homemade bread. Dessert finally takes its place at the table and unlocks the conversation, with everyone sharing stories, both trivial and extraordinary. We could write pages and pages about the hospitality of this place, but it’s better to invite you to Dobrovăț, to the home of these four ladies who will brighten your day with dishes that evoke childhood memories. Enjoy your meal, dear guests!
Ingredients:
– 1 homegrown chicken
– 1 onion
– 2 carrots
– 1 parsnip
– 1 bell pepper
– 2 tomatoes
– 1 bunch of parsley
– 1 bunch of lovage
– 1 liter of mild borscht
– 2-3 handfuls of homemade noodles
– water
– salt
Preparation:
- Rinse the chicken thoroughly and place it in a large pot over medium heat. Remove any foam that forms when it starts to boil.
- Add the cubed carrots and parsnip, and the whole onion to the pot when the chicken is almost cooked.
- When the meat is almost cooked, add the diced bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir and continue cooking over low heat.
- Add the homemade noodles, and when they are cooked, add the mild borscht and 1-2 tablespoons of salt. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the parsley and lovage, stir, and remove from the heat. Cover the pot and let the borscht rest for a while.
- Serve this delicious borscht with sour cream and hot peppers on the side.