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  • Aubergines

    Aubergines


    For Romanians, the most popular way to prepare aubergines is to puree them. They are grilled, then pureed and sometimes they are mixed with boiled courgettes, finely chopped onion, sometimes with mayonnaise, and also some finely chopped garlic.




    One other popular way of cooking aubergines, or eggplant, is to fry them. After peeling, the aubergines are cut into thin slices, half a centimeter thick, and laid straight into heated oil in a pan. Fry the slices on both sides, then set them on paper towels or let them drain. Peel a few cloves of garlic, chop them finely, then mix them together with chopped fresh dill and a bit of oil. Garnish the aubergines slices with the mixture. A more elaborate version is what is called Greek style aubergines. The mashed garlic is mixed separately with chopped tomatoes with a bit of water, and simmered for about 15 minutes. Towards the end, add plenty of finely chopped fresh parsley, and a bit of oil. Cover the fried aubergine slices in this simple and hearty sauce.




    One other very simple and effective recipe is the aubergine patties. Bake two aubergines, peel them and mix them with two or three tablespoons of flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Use a spoon to make small patties, and fry them.




    Romanians still make a dish that bears its original Turkish name, Imam Bayildi. It is a baked dish, made by slitting an aubergine lengthwise, and filling it with a mix of cooked vegetables, tomatoes, onions, red peppers, and garlic. This is a vegetarian dish.




    Romanians traditionally eat a lot of meat when not fasting, and in Oltenia, a southeastern region of Romania, the locals make an aubergine stew with meat. Use one kg of beef, a kg and a half of aubergine, a head of garlic, a bunch of fresh dill, oil, and salt. Cube the beef, fry it lightly in oil, pour in half a cup of water, then cover and simmer. Peel the aubergines, slice them, sprinkle with salt, and set them aside to drain. Cube the aubergine slices, fry them lightly in oil, then mix with the meat and the sliced tomatoes. Add in the finely chopped garlic, and a sauce made of tomato juice and finely chopped onion, fried with a tablespoon of flour. Mix everything and set into the oven for about half an hour. Enjoy!


    (translated by: Calin Cotoiu)

  • Stuffed Cabbage for Lent

    Stuffed Cabbage for Lent

    Here is a very special recipe, 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 recipes.



    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!

  • Beef and Pork Stew

    Beef and Pork Stew

    This recipe can nowadays be encountered all across Romania, and each of the regions has its own approach to making it, using a variety of different ingredients. We are talking about the Romanian dish known as ‘tochitura’, a quick beef and pork stew, that very much resembles a braise made with a mixture of meat and organs. In Moldova the stew is made without adding the tomato juice or paste. Transylvania on the other hand, is known for its appetizing pork dishes, which is why householders often add homemade smoked sausage to the stew.



    To make this Romanian dish, you need half a kilo, about a pound, of leaner pork fresh ham, and about a kilo of pig liver, spleen, heart. For the sauce you need two medium-sized onions, a head of garlic, a glass of red wine, oil, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper, and optionally tomato juice or paste.



    Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Wash the meat and slice it into cubes. Heat oil in a skillet with a cover, then brown the onion. When the onion is brown, add in the meat and organs, and cook until they are no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Then add in some water to barely cover, the glass of red wine, and leave to simmer under the cover.



    If you want to add pork sausage, add it not long before the mixture of meat is ready. When everything is done, add the garlic and the other herbs and seasonings. A few minutes before turning off the heat add the tomato paste or juice if you wish to use them, and optionally another glass of wine. Sprinkle some finely chopped parsley on top and leave to rest. This mixture is traditionally served with a side of polenta with a fried egg sunny side up on top, over which we grate cheese. It goes well with a mix of sauerkraut, pickles and cornichons, and of course, a glass of red wine. 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.



  • Transylvanian Smoked Meat Soup

    Transylvanian Smoked Meat Soup

    This week’s recipe is the Transylvanian soup with smoked meat, which has two versions, one with potatoes, one with cabbage. Its little secret is that of blanching the meat before using it in the soup, because, no matter what kind of smoked preparation we use, boiling it takes away part of its salt.



    For this recipe, take half a kg of smoked ribs, a few potatoes, two onions, two carrots, one piece of celery root, a parsnip, tarragon, vinegar, egg, and sour cream. Shred the smoked rib, and set it to boil, skimming the pot periodically. Add the potatoes, cubed, then the chopped onion, carrot, parsnip and celeriac. At the end put in tomato juice, the finely chopped tarragon, then, at the end, mix separately egg yolk with sour cream to finish the soup.



    If, however, you opt for the sauerkraut solution, then finely shred it and wash it to make it less salty. Use the sauerkraut liquid as a souring agent. You can use less vegetables, but the minimum is two chopped onions and a few garlic cloves. Separately, brown two tablespoons of flour, then add some water, and after it comes to a boil, pour it into the soup pot. Towards the end add the chopped garlic and either use the egg yolk-sour cream mixture or some buttermilk. Enjoy!

  • New Potatoes

    New Potatoes

    Few foods are more versatile than the potato, and we will be looking at a couple of recipes that are as effective as they are simple.



    Take about a kilo of potatoes, a few stalks of spring garlic, and a bunch of fresh dill. Brush the potatoes well to remove much of the thin peel. If they look less than fresh keep them in cold water for about a quarter of an hour. Cut them into pieces if larger, leave them whole if smaller. Strain them well, then deep fry them for a few minutes, until golden. Take them out, sprinkle them with finely chopped fresh garlic and dill, with salt to taste.



    You can also make a similar dish, which is baked instead of fried. Sprinkle the potatoes with finely chopped spring garlic and dill, and also drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over them before putting them in the oven. It takes about 20 minutes for the potatoes to get cooked. You can replace the spring garlic with a garlic paste as a dip of sorts.



    Irrespective of how you prepare them, new potatoes are always a treat. Enjoy!