Radio România Internațional

Tag: Balkan cuisine

  • Sweet cheese and raisin cake

    Sweet cheese and raisin cake

    Different communities have different dishes they emphasise, such as the Saxons, who organise in Prejmer, near Brasov, the Festival of Crepes to mark the beginning of Lent, according to a long standing tradition.



    The Christian Orthodox have recently celebrated their equivalent of Mardi Gras, the last day when they can eat eggs, fish and dairy. On this day, in the south of the country they make cheesecake. That, however, is a misnomer, because it is not exactly like a cheesecake, although it has similarities. The beauty of this recipe is the fact that the dough is hand made.



    You need half a kilo of flour, half a kilo of cottage cheese, one cup of milk, two or three tablespoons of sour cream or butter, powdered sugar, possibly vanilla flavoured, about 100 grams of raisins, essence of rum, a little oil and two egg yolks. You also need some fresh yeast. Mix the flour with the yeast, two or three tablespoons of sugar, with two or three tablespoons of sour cream or a couple of tablespoons of butter. Mix the dough well, cut in half, and spread out the halves in two sheets. Lay the first sheet in the oven tray you’ll be baking in, lightly buttering the tray.



    To make the filling, mix well the cheese with the two egg yolks, with the vanilla sugar and the raisins. Spread it evenly on the dough sheet, then cover with the second sheet. Prick the top sheet with a fork to let the steam out. It takes about half an hour to bake. Sprinkle with confectionary sugar and serve hot.

  • Smoked prunes

    Smoked prunes

    People have been cooking with prunes in Eastern Europe for centuries, and it is a staple of fasting in the Orthodox tradition.



    To make such a dish, popular in Romanian monasteries, taken one kilo of smoked prunes, two onions, a cup of rice, oil, a pinch of salt and one of sugar. Set the prunes in cold water over low heat until they come to a boil, then add the rice and the finely chopped onion. Simmer everything, making sure that the prunes stay whole. At the end add the oil, salt and sugar. If you want a nicer colour, you can actually mash a prune or two and mix it into the dish.



    If, however, you want a fuller meal, one excellent suggestion is prune stuffed roast chicken. Take a whole chicken, about a quarter of a kilogram, or half a pound, of pitted smoked prunes, a few mushrooms, a carrot, a green pepper and one onion. Also you will need a few cloves of garlic, a bunch of green parsley, salt and pepper. Sautee the finely sliced onion, add the finely sliced mushrooms, the green pepper cut into small squares, and the shredded carrot. Sautee on low heat for about 10 minutes, then add the smoked prunes for a few minutes. Rub the chicken with oil, salt and pepper on both the inside and the outside. Stuff it with the sautéed vegetables, then, if any stuffing is left, put it in the oven tray you will be using for roasting. Add a cup of water, then set into the oven for three quarters of an hour, until the chicken is perfectly roasted. Use the stuffing as a side dish for the pieces of chicken you will be serving.



    Enjoy!