Radio România Internațional

Tag: Cabbage

  • Dishes from the Apuseni Mountains

    Dishes from the Apuseni Mountains

    Today we bring you a variety of recipes form the area of the Apuseni Mountains. Highlanders here are used to storing food supplies for the cold season, filling their pantries with a variety of foods they themselves like to make. Pork and mutton, but also cabbage, potato and diary-related products are staples in the area. Householders prepare the food using lots of lard, while bacon, smoked fatback, onion and homemade bread, accompanied by a shot of home-distilled brandy are local favorites.



    As main courses go, pride of place is held by country-style sour soup made with smoked pork and potatoes or cabbage. Another staple dish is the pork and sausage stew, made by braising the onion in lard then adding homemade sausages and pork cubes. Another specific dish in the area is the cottage cheese pies, baked either in the oven or on stone slabs or stoves. A dish of rich consistency is the layered polenta, cooked by laying out polenta, sausages, pork cubes and crumbled cheese in layers in a casserole before baking.



    In the Apuseni Mountains, in the village of Vadu Crisului, there is a special dish called Tascoi, which is basically a Lent variety of the traditional cabbage rolls with mincemeat. You need leaves of pickled cabbage, stemmed, two cups of rice, rinsed and drained, two or three onions, two carrots, oil, tomato paste, peppercorns and ground pepper, two bay leaves, and salt to taste. Slice the onion thinly, sweat in oil, then add the rice and the carrot, which you have shredded finely, as well as finely chopped mushrooms.



    After you throw in the rice, add the tomato paste, ground pepper and salt to taste, stir well, and cook the rice. Wash well the cabbage leaves, then pack them carefully with the rice mixture, rolling them while tucking in the ends, like you would spring rolls. Lay them in an oven-proof vessel, pour on top boiling water with tomato paste, peppercorns, a sprig of dry thyme, and the bay leaves. Cover everything with shredded sauerkraut. Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the sauerkraut on top starts to brown nicely.


    Enjoy!


  • Stuffed cabbage for Lent

    Stuffed cabbage for Lent

    Today’s recipe is a very special one, it
    is a Lent dish as prepared in monasteries in Oltenia Country. It is stuffed
    cabbage which has fish instead of the regular minced meat used in traditional
    recipe.




    You need 200g of smoked mackerel, a kilo and a half of white
    boneless fish (preferably pike or perch pike), 200 g of rice, a cup of tomato
    juice, two or three onions, 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil, ground black pepper,
    peppercorns, dill (fresh or dried), thyme, bay leaves, salt to taste, one egg,
    shredded sauerkraut, and whole sauerkraut leaves for the wrapping.




    Start by chopping the onion finely and sweating it in the oil, and
    when it softens add water and cover. After it is done, leave aside to cool.
    Make sure the rice is properly cooked ahead of time, and the fish, both smoked
    and raw, is minced. Mix together well the fish with onion, dill, salt and
    pepper. Add the egg and once again knead together well. The secret is to
    balance the salt you add with how salty the smoked fish and sauerkraut are.
    Roll the mixture in the cabbage leaves.




    Line a deep stewpot with oil, shredded sauerkraut and thyme, then
    proceed to lay the stuffed cabbage rolls in layers, sprinkling in between
    peppercorns and pieces of bay leaf. Cover the whole thing with whole cabbage
    leaves, pour over the entire thing the tomato juice, adding water until it
    almost covers the contents of the pot. Simmer on the stovetop for an hour and a
    half.




    Enjoy!

  • Stewed Cabbage

    Stewed Cabbage

    The recipe uses sauerkraut, one of the most popular pickles in Romanian cooking, arguably surpassed only by pickled green tomatoes.



    It has countless applications, besides being used raw as a pickle, but can also be used as a main ingredient for soups, vegetarian or not. Also, in certain areas of the country, the sauerkraut liquid is used as a souring and flavoring agent. Today’s recipe, though, is the simplest of stews. Even though we present it as a Lent recipe, it definitely works well with cubed pork, and it definitely goes very well with smoked meats, such as ribs or sausage.



    Take one or two heads of cabbage for a total of about 2 kg, then two onions, tomato juice, oil, paprika or chili powder, dried thyme and dill, one or two bay leaves, and possibly additional salt if you find the salt in the sauerkraut not enough. Unpack the cabbage leaves and separate them, then hold them in cold water to bleed out the salt. Chop finely the onions, then sautee them in a large stove top vessel. Shred finely the cabbage, then add it to the frying onions. Continue cooking for a while, until the cabbage is well heated through and even starts to brown.



    Add a bit of water and the bay leaves, and leave to simmer for about 45 minutes. Towards the end add the tomato juice or paste, a pinch of dried thyme, a pinch of dried dill, the paprika or chili powder, mix well, and cook for about ten more minutes. This can be served hot with polenta, or can be used as a side dish for sausages or pork preparations.