
Soups
Cock-a-leekie soup with homemade noodles
There’s a dense fog that obscures visibility even within a meter, a milky fog that competes with the majestic peaks of the Poiana cu Cetate forest. The winding road through the woods eventually leads us to a plateau where time seems to stand still in awe of the landscape. Today, we are invited to Mrs. Anca’s home for a hot cock-a-leekie soup, a primordial delight in the local gastronomy. Earlier than our journey, the rooster was strutting around the charming yard, knowing it’s both an offering and a ritual in the delicious making of the soup.
The entire meal will take place at the family’s gastronomic spot (across from the old church in the village), which they lovingly maintain, especially for cooking. Here, you always find something delicious to satisfy your cravings, whether passing through the village, visiting the area, or biking to explore the wonderful surroundings. Mrs. Anca has known the recipe for many years, passed down from generation to generation.
While the rooster simmers over low heat to tenderize the meat, our host prepares a basket of vegetables to enhance the soup’s flavor. From abundance, we have the following: plump onions, aromatic carrots, flavorful parsnips, chubby bell peppers, the indispensable lovage in soups, parsley, and homemade noodles. Everything will be combined with a considerable amount of slightly sour broth, a must-have. On the household stove, a structure built like a mausoleum, the vegetables are boiled in the broth from the rooster. When they release their sweetness and flavor into the soup, after two hearty boils, it’s time to add the meat, which is taken piece by piece and ennobles the soup. Finally, a touch of sourness from the necessary broth and, of course, homemade noodles follow all the other ingredients to avoid crumbling. Well, what do you think? Would it have been sacrilege not to have a big serving of polenta to fill both the table and the cravings? According to preference, you can also add a bold dollop of sour cream and a hot pepper for a kick!
If you ever find yourself in Poiana cu Cetate, make a stop at the Condurache family’s gastronomic spot. I promise you’ll feel right at home, and your table will be overflowing with unimaginable delicacies.
Ingredients:
– 1 free-range rooster
– Onion
– Carrots
– Parsnips/parsley root/celery root
– Bell pepper
– Homemade noodles
– Slight sour broth
– Salt
– Lovage/parsley
– Sour cream
Preparation:
- Cut the rooster into pieces and wash it thoroughly. Boil it in a large pot. Use a skimmer to remove the foam that forms on top and discard it.
- When the meat is cooked, remove it from the pot, and strain the resulting broth.
- In this broth (if needed, top up with hot water), boil the finely chopped vegetables and then add the homemade noodles.
- Finally, add the slight sour broth, season with salt, and sprinkle a generous amount of chopped lovage.
- Cock-a-leekie soup goes well with sour cream, hot pepper, and, according to preference, you can serve it with polenta, bread, or cornmeal flatbreads.
Enjoy!