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Romanian granny's recipes

       Preparation    

 

Clean the tripe under a stream of cold water. Cut the tripe in pieces as big as a palm, and boil it with the beef bone, the bay leaves, the ungrounded pepper, the parsnip, the onion and a spoon of salt. You have to make sure there is enough water in the pot, the tripe is difficult to boil, and even with a pressure pot it will take around 2 hours. After it is boiled, strain the water, remove the pepper and the bay leaves as well as the beef bone and let it cool. Cut it into stripes 8-10 cm long and 0.5 cm thick. Put the water back on the fire and add the tripe stripes. Clean the carrots, grate them and fry them until they are soft, together with the 2 oil tablespoons. Add the carrots to the soup and boil for a couple of minutes and then set the pot aside. Prepare the garlic sauce: cut it in very thin slices and then smash it together with a few spoons of very cold water. Add it to the soup. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Mix the egg yolks and the sour cream together, dilute it with a ladle of soup and then add it to the soup pot. Serve with more garlic paste, vinegar, sour cream and hot peppers (fresh or pickled) if you wish. 

      Tripe Soup     

 

 

Preparation time: 30 minutes

 

Cooking time: 3 hours 

:           Ingredients   

 

  • 3-4 kg of veal tripe

  • 1 beef bone (600-800 g, just the bone, with no meat)

  • 4 bay leaves

  • 1 spoon ungrounded pepper

  • 2 carrots

  • 1 parsnip

  • 1 onion

  • 2 oil tablespoons

  • 10 cloves of garlic

  • 8 egg yolks

  • 500 g sour cream

  • salt

  • pepper

  • vinegar

       Preparation    

 

 

Bring to boil 3 l of water in a pot Finely slice 1 onion, the parsley, the parsnip and the carrots and put them in the water. In the meantime soak the bread in water then squeeze it. Mash the bread with a fork. Mix the ground meat with the other finely chopped onion, the mashed bread, the egg and the rice and season with salt and ground black pepper. For a more tender meat composition add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Make small meatballs rolling them with wet hands. When the vegetables become tender put the meatballs in the boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes. When the soup is almost done the meatballs are coming to the surface as the soup simmers. Add the tomato paste and stir. Finely chop the parsley leaves and add them to the soup and then season with salt and vinegar. The soup is delicious served with a bit of sour cream, and a hot pepper on the side.

      Sour meatball Soup     

 

 

Preparation time: 50 minutes

 

Cooking time: 40 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

  • 1 pound grounded meat (mixed beef and pork)

  • 2 small onions

  • 2 slices of bread

  • 2 tablespoons of rice

  • 1 eggground black pepper

  • 1 parsley root

  • 3-4 carrots

  • 1 parsnip root

  • 3-4 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 bunch of parsley leaves

  • 2-3 tablespoons vinegar

       Preparation    

 

 

Clean the fish, remove the ears and bitter bone of head, gut and intestines, then rinse quickly to avoid losing taste and cut into large pieces, then rinse again with cold water. To remove water use absorbent kitchen towel and put the fish in refrigerator.

Meanwhile, set to boil the finely chopped onions, the carrot and the 2 green peppers cut into slices. Let them boil for 20-25 minutes. When the vegetables are almost cooked, add the cleaned and washed rice, then the sliced tomatoes and give them boil once. After that pour borsch then add the pieces of fish into the pot and let them boil at low temperature for 15-20 minutes until everything is done. Remove from heat and match to taste with salt and lemon juice. Add chopped fresh lovage. It may be served hot or cold.

    Carp Soup   

 

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes

 

Cooking time: 55 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

 

 

  • 500 g fresh carp

  • 2 onions

  • 2 green peppers

  • 1 small carrot

  • 2 tablespoons rice

  • 1 / 2 pound peeled tomatoes

  • 1l borsch

  • salt

  • lovage

  • juice from one lemon

       Preparation    

 

 

Soak dried beans in cold water for 5-6 hours or over the night. Boil beans 15-20 minutes in 4 l of hot water with one teaspoon of baking soda. Drain and then repeat the procedure without adding baking soda. Drain again. Meanwhile fry onion and bacon in hot oil, in a pan, until onion becomes transparent. Add drained beans, carrot, bay leaves, pepper, salt, thyme, and enough hot water to cover well the beans. Let it boil covered, stirring gently from time to time. If the sauce becomes too thick before the beans are soft, add some water. When beans are ready, add tomato paste, stir very gently, and boil for no more than 5 minutes. Serve next to toasted bread and onion.

    Bean Soup with Smoked Bacon   

 

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes

 

Cooking time: 55 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

 

 

  • 500 g dried beans

  • 200 g smoked bacon

  • 2 onions

  • 1 carrot

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 3 tablespoons oil

  • 1 teaspoon whole black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

  • Salt

       Preparation    

 

 

Finely chop the onions. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onions until translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook stirring for another 3-4 minutes.Carefully cut off the tops (you’ll need to put them back on), core the peppers and discard seeds and membranes. Arrange the peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward. In a bowl, mix the ground beef, ground pork, cooked rice, chopped parsley and the onions with tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper.Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Spoon 4-5 tablespoons of the mixture into each pepper. Place the bell pepper tops back on. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until the peppers are tender and the skin is a little blistered.Remove peppers from the oven, mix the crushed tomatoes with the water and pour over the stuffed peppers. The peppers should be almost covered with liquid. Bake for 25 minutes.Serve with a few generous tablespoons of sour cream.

    Stuffed peppers   

 

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes

 

Cooking time: 45 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

 

 

  • 10 medium bell peppers

  • 500 g ground beef

  • 500 g ground pork

  • 150 g cooked white rice

  • 5 tablespoons sunflower oil

  • 2 onions

  • 200 ml tomato paste

  • 4 tablespoons chopped parsley

  • salt

  • pepper

  • 400 ml crushed tomatoes

  • 400 ml water

       Preparation    

 

 

Soak dried beans in cold water for 5-6 hours or over the night. Boil beans 15-20 minutes in 4 l of hot water with one teaspoon of baking soda. Drain and then repeat the procedure without adding baking soda. Drain again. Meanwhile fry onion and bacon in hot oil, in a pan, until onion becomes transparent. Add drained beans, carrot, bay leaves, pepper, salt, thyme, and enough hot water to cover well the beans. Let it boil covered, stirring gently from time to time. If the sauce becomes too thick before the beans are soft, add some water. When beans are ready, add tomato paste, stir very gently, and boil for no more than 5 minutes. Serve next to toasted bread and onion.

    Lamb stew    

 

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

 

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

 

 

  • 500 g dried beans

  • 200 g smoked bacon

  • 2 onions

  • 1 carrot

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 3 tablespoons oil

  • 1 teaspoon whole black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

  • Salt

       Preparation    

 

 

Cut the cabbage, rub it with salt and then fry it in three tablespoons of oil. When the cabbage becomes soft, put half of cup of water and keep mixing constantly. Add a sprig of thyme, and mix in the pot until the water evaporates.

After the cabbage is done, you have to boil the rice. Clean and cut the onions, then cook them in two tablespoons of oil. Add the meat over the onion and season it with salt and pepper. Mix the meat with the onion and let it cook, until the juice from the meat is reduced. Then, add the rice and leave it for five minutes on the stove, mixing constantly. Now that we have both the cabbage and the meat prepared, we can proceed to putting the final preparation on the tray.

Take a large enough tray, with thicker walls (preferably a clay one) and spread some oil on it. Add a layer of cabbage, one of meat with onion and rice, 3-4 tablespoons of oil and tomato paste and 2-3 slices of Kaiser. Over the Kaiser, add again a layer of cabbage, one of meat, and continue like that until the composition comes to an end. The important thing is to finish the food with a layer of cabbage and few slices of Kaiser.

If you used fresh white cabbage, and not pickled one, besides a cup of water, also put a cup of sour soup. Put the tray in the oven at 150 degrees for 2 hours. Cabbage a la Cluj is ready to be served with sour cream, hot peppers and polenta.

 

Preparation time: 1 hour

 

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 2 medium cabbages (pickled cabbage is recommended)

  • 2 pounds minced pork and beef meat

  • 150 g of rice

  • 2 big onions

  • 6-8 tablespoons of tomato paste

  • 100 g Kaiser

  • 100 g bacon

  • a cup of sour soup (if you do not use pickled cabbage)

  • oil

  • pepper

  • salt

  • thyme

    Cabbage a la Cluj 

       Preparation    

 

 

Chop the garlic cloves, add some of the salt and press them using a knife until they become a paste. Mix together the garlic paste, the baking soda, the cumin, the basil, the ground black pepper, the rest of the salt and the veal bouillon in a bowl.

Add the minced meat and mix all ingredients together using your hands. Cover the bowl with foil and leave it in the fridge for one night.

The second day, the meat is mixed again and divided by hand in small grilled minced-meat rolls which are placed on a plate greased with vegetable oil to avoid sticking. The meat rolls are then greased with oil also on the above side, using a brush.

Meanwhile, the grill, carefully greased with oil, is heated. The meat rolls are grilled for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, and transferred to a plate. They should be served immediately, with mustard and fresh bread. Fried potatoes can also be served with this meal.

    Romanian grilled minced-meat rolls

 

 

Preparation time: 6 hours

 

Cooking time: 45 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

  • 500 g pork minced meat

  • 500 g veal minced meat

  • 5 garlic cloves

  • 1,5 teaspoon of salt

  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon of cumin

  • 1 teaspoon of dry basil

  • ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper

  • 50 ml veal bouillon

  • oil

       Preparation    

 

Make the rum syrup first. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, melt 100 g of sugar to a very light caramel, without stirring but swirling occasionally. Turn off the heat but leave the saucepan on the hot burner. Add the water and remaining 200 g sugar, mix and let sit until everything is melted. Let cool completely before adding rum and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

To make the dough: dissolve yeast in warm milk. In a large bowl or stand mixer using the paddle attachment, combine flour, yeast-milk mixture, eggs, sugar and salt. The dough will be soft and sticky, and that is perfect. Add the softened butter, vanilla and lemon zest, if using, and mix again. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume.

Heat oven to 1500 C. Butter a mini pan or cupcake pan. If the pan isn't nonstick, sprinkle the buttered pan with bread or cake crumbs. Divide the dough equally into the wells of the pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the dough reaches the top of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove cakes from pan and pour some of the syrup into the bottom of each well. Dip the bottoms of the cakes in the syrup in the saucepan and replace the cakes into the baking tin. Pour remaining syrup over the cakes until it is completely gone. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to serve: cut the top of each cake leaving a small part still attached. Pour the whipped cream in a pastry bag or a sandwich bag and cut a small corner. Fill the cut of each cake with whipped cream and garnish with cherries.

 Romanian Savarin

 

Preparation time: 30 minutes

 

Cooking time: 30 minutes

 

Rising time: 1 hour

:           Ingredients   

 

Cake

  • :7 g active dry yeast

  • 50 ml warm milk

  • 350 g all-purpose flour

  • 4 large room-temperature eggs

  • 15 g sugar

  • a pinch of salt

  • 175 g room-temperature unsalted butter

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • Zest of 1/2 lemon (optional)

: 

 

Rum Syrup

  • 300 g sugar

  • 600 ml water

  • 50 ml rum

  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

 

Garnish

  • 450 ml heavy whipped cream

  • 4 tablespoons sugar

  • cherries

 

       Preparation    

 

In a large mixing bowl put together the cottage cheese, the eggs, the salt, the lemon zest, the vanilla sugar, the baking soda and the raisins .Thoroughly mix the content of the bowl till everything is nicely spread out then add the flour ( 200 g) and incorporate it into the mixture. If the mixture is too runny add a little more flower; it should be fairly consistent. Spread some flower over your cooking table and with a spoon dipped in water form balls from mixture and model them into a ring by pressing on the middle first, then creating a gap and rounding it off. Make sure to use flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands or surface. For every ring made also make a small ball of dough. Once you have done this, prepare a pot with oil in order to deep fry the rings and balls. Cook each one on both sides for no more than 4 minutes, until you see them turning golden brown on each side. After baking each one, serve them hot powdered with caster sugar on a plate with sour cream and cherry jam or any other jam, according to your likes.

 Cottage cheese dumplings 

 

 

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

 

Cooking time: 30 minutes

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • :500 g of cottage cheese

  • 2 eggs

  • lemon zest from 1 lemon

  • 100 g of raisins

  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt

  • 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla sugar

  • 300 g of flour ( 200 g for the dumplings and 100 for the modeling itself)

  • sunflower oil ( enough for deep frying )sour cream

  • cherry jam

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