Zeama (Moldovan Chicken Soup)

Eat the World is headed to Moldova, which is located between Romania and Ukraine.  Therefore, the cuisine bears similarities to both if its neighbors. 

There were so many great recipes to choose from, but when cold and flu season hit the school where I work and the school the boys attend, I knew I wanted to make chicken noodle soup for the inevitability of someone getting sick…it was Spud who got his 3rd or 4th sore throat of the year that never tests positive for strep, who then passed a cold on to the rest of us.

This soup was just what the doctor ordered, nice and soothing on the sore throats and so comforting.

There are a few differences here from my usual chicken noodle soup with extra vegetables and spices which made an even more nutritious and flavorful soup.  Plus, even though I could have used store bought noodles, the recipe I found used homemade, so I decided to go all the way and make those too - so delicious!  I definitely need to make homemade noodles a regular part of my chicken noodle soup!

Zeama (Moldovan Chicken Soup)

Adapted from By Lena

Broth

1 whole chicken

Water to cover

½ bell pepper

2 stalks celery

½ onion

1 whole carrot

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon salt

Homemade Soup Noodles

3 ½ ounces flour

Pinch salt

1 egg

1-2 teaspoons olive oil, optional

1-2 teaspoons water, optional

Soup

1 potato, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

½ onion, diced

½ bell pepper, diced

1 small tomato, diced

1-2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon dried dill

Place the chicken in a soup pot and cover with water.  Bring to a low boil.  Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top.

Once the foam is skimmed, add the half bell pepper, half onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt.  Bring to boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the noodles.  Place the flour, salt, and egg in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough blade.  Pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.  If the dough is too dry, add the olive oil, followed by water if necessary.  

Turn out the dough onto the counter and knead once or twice to make a smooth ball.  Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth.  Set chicken aside to cool slightly.  Once cooled, remove the chicken from the bones.

Add the potatoes, carrots, onions, and bell pepper to the broth and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, roll the dough and cut into noodles.  I used my pasta roller, gradually rolling to the second from the thinnest setting, then cutting with the thin noodle cutter.

Add the noodles, tomato, shredded chicken, lemon juice, parsley, and dill to the soup.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until noodles are cooked.  Taste the broth and adjust salt, herbs, and lemon juice as desired.

Serves 6-8

Amy Eats the World in...

1. Cuba: Ropa Vieja (Slow Cooker Beef)
2. Ireland: Cheesy Potato Soup with Irish Ale
   
3. Thailand: Chicken Satay
   
4. Kenya: Crunchy N’Dizi (Peanut Crusted Bananas)
   
5. Sweden: Rodbetssallad med Getost (Grated Beet Salad with Goat Cheese)
6. New Zealand: Kiwi Burger 
7. France: Fougasse (Provencal Flatbread)
8. Argentina: Chimichurri Sauce
   
9. Mexico (Halloween Special): Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)
10. India: Spiced Golden Milk 
11. Poland: Chrusciki (Angel Wing Cookies)
12. Ethiopia: Buticha (Hummus)
13. England: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Leaky Cauldron-Style Mini Cottage Pie 
    
14. Georgia: Lobiani (Bean-Stuffed Bread)
15. Mexico: Crispy Pork Carnitas
    
16. Cambodia: Loc Lac (Shredded Beef with Lime)
17. Israel: Chicken Albondigas (Chicken Meatballs)
18. Finland: Sima (Lemonade) 
19. Puerto Rico: Arroz con Tocino  (Rice with Bacon)
20. Egypt: Ghorayebah Cookies
    
21. Ukraine: Scuffles (Rohalyky) Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
    
22. Portugal: Bitoque (Steak & Eggs) 
23. Germany (Christmas Special): Lebkuchenherzen (German "Gingerbread" Cookies) 
24. Trinidad & Tobago: Trini Macaroni Pie 
25. Iraq: T'bit (Slow Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice) 
26. Fiji: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal) 
27. Senegal: Cafe Touba (Senegalese Spiced Coffee) 
28. Colombia: Cañón de Cerdo (Colombia-Style Pork Loin Roast) 
29. Soul Food (United States): Oven-Baked Ribs with Cola BBQ Sauce 
30. Bangladesh: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding) 
31. The Netherlands: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep) 
32. Laos: Khao Piak Sen (Lao Chicken Noodle Soup) 
33. Jamaica: Chicken &  Pumpkin Soup 
34. Vietnam: Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Chao Ga) 
35. Sudan: Red Lentil Soup (Sudanese Addas) 
36. Luxembourg: Bouchée à la Reine (Vol-au-Vent)
    
37. Uruguay: Pasta Caruso
38. China: Homemade Fortune Cookies
39. Lesotho: Borotho Bread
40. Scotland: Tattie Scones
41. Native American Tribes of North America: Wild Rice, Squash, & Corn Soup
42. Guyana: Butterflaps
43. Greece: Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls
44. Réunion Island: Rougail Z'Andouille
45. Japan: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
46. Australia: Fairy Bread
47. Ecuador: Lentil Soup with Rice (Arroz con Menestra de Lentejas)
48. Slovakia: Garlic & Potato Soup (Cesnaková Polievka)
49. Turkey: Simit Bread
50. Dominican Republic: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa)
51. Libya: Macroona Imbakbaka (Libyan Minestrone)
52. Malta: Brodu Tat-Tigiega (Maltese Chicken Soup)
53. Wales: Cawl Cennin (Welsh-Style Leek & Potato Soup)
54. Morocco: Kefta Tagine with Eggs in Tomato Sauce
55. Bermuda: Bermuda Triangle Cocktail
56. Philipines: Pork Siomai
57. Chile: Chilean Beef & Corn Shepherd's Pie (Pastel de Choclo)
58. Slovenia: Slovenian Flatbread (Belokranjska Pogača)
59. Lebanon: Ka’ak (Lebanese Purse Bread)
60. Congo: Moambe Chicken (Congo Poulet Moambe)
61. Guatamala: Fiambre (Guatemalan Salad)
62. Austria: Viennese Kaiser Rolls
63. French Polynesia: Vanilla Bean Lemonade
64. Seychelles: Creole Rice
65. Switzerland: Bündner Gerstensuppe (Swiss Barley Soup)
66. Brazil: Brigadeiro (Brazilian Fudge Balls)
67. Madagascar: Hen`omby Ritra (Malagasy Simmered Beef)
68. Spain: Tortilla Española (Potato Omelette)
69. Afghanistan: Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup)
70. Indonesia: Nasi Goreng with Chicken
71. Denmark: Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
72. Oman: Omani Bread (Khubz Ragag)
73. Costa Rica: Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean and Chicken Soup
74. Palestine: Whole Chickpea Hummus (Musabaha)
75. Zimbabwe: Beef Hifiridzi (Beef Short Ribs with Greens)
76. Kiribati: Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup
77. Belize: Pan de Muerto
78. Azerbaijan: Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)
79. Iceland: Piparkökur (Icelandic Pepper Cookies)
80. Zambia: Zambian Spinach
81. Burma/Myanmar: Garlic Oil Noodles with Chicken
82. Moldova: Zeama (Moldovan Chicken Soup)