Romanian lamb borș with lovage (Borș de miel)

1. Cut the lamb into smaller pieces, put it in a pot, cover with about 2.5 litres of cold water, bring to the boil and carefully skim off the foam; season with salt and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

2. Add the finely chopped onion, the sliced white part of the spring onions and the diced carrots and pepper and simmer for another 20 minutes.

3. Add the washed rice and cook for 15 minutes until tender.

4. Meanwhile bring the borș to the boil in a separate pan, skim it, then pour it into the soup and bring everything to the boil once.

5. In a bowl, whisk the soured cream smooth with the egg, trickle in a ladleful of hot soup, then take the pot off the heat and stir in the cream mixture; finally add the chopped lovage, parsley and spring onion greens and season with pepper.

6. Serve hot with fresh bread – in Romania this is the first course of Easter lunch.

Tip: Borș de miel is the soup of the spring lamb season and an essential part of the Easter table. If you have no borș, sour it at the end with 3-4 tablespoons of lemon juice; don't leave out the lovage – it's the soul of the soup.