Romanian Sarmale

     I've had the opportunity to savior Sarmale twice.  They are delicious and perfect for any occasion. This recipes closely follows the traditional way to make Sarmale.  Please try these with some polenta and sour cream.

Ingredients

4 servings

3 lb cabbage head

1 1/2 lb gound pork meat

4 tbsp vegetable oil

4 medium onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1/2 lb bacon, finely diced

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tbsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp sweet paprika

2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 cup rice

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup tomato juice

1 quart sour cabbage (sauerkraut)

1 bay leaf

1 spring fresh dill

1 smoked ham hock

Steps

2 hours 40 mins

     Remove core from cabbage. In a large pot, bring enough water to cover cabbage to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and 1/4 cup vinegar to the boiling water. Immerse cabbage in boiling water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes (just enough to make the leaves tender). With fork or tongs, gently remove leaves as they become tender. Drain well; let cool. 

  

     In a large frying pan over medium heat, add oil, onions, celery, bacon, salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley leaves.  Saute until light golden brown. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 1/2 hour.

  

     Add the ground pork, rice, and sauteed onions, together with 1/2 cup water, and mix well. This is the meat filling.

  

     Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat filling in center of cabbage leaf. Fold right hand side of leaf over filling, then roll from base to bottom of leaf, then with index finger gently tuck left hand side of leaf into cabbage roll to make a nice neat roll. Squeeze juice out of sauerkraut and place 1/2 of jar on bottom of pot. Chop any leftover cabbage and place on top of sauerkraut. Place pork hock on top of sauerkraut. Arrange cabbage rolls, seam side down in pot in neat layers. Place them loosely touching each other and layer on top of one another. Sprinkle with salt between layers. Place second half of sauerkraut on top of cabbage rolls. Spread tomato sauce and tomato juice over the sauerkraut and place 1 bay leaf (and optional dill sprig) on top. Cover rolls with water just enough to cover rolls. Place heavy dish on top making sure there is a couple inches between plate on top of pot. Cover pot and bring to boiling and reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 2 hours.

  

Serve with sour cream and mamaliga (polenta) for a real Romanian dish.

  

Romanian Easter Pasca

     Cultures all over the world have their own variations on Easter bread, from the sweet braided Czech bread, to Polish "kolacz," to Armenian "choereg," to British "hot cross buns," and most famously, Italian "Panettone." In Romania, Easter tradition calls for "Pasca," a cheese-filled sweetbread which is light, fluffy, and topped with raisins.

     The base of the recipe is called cozonac, a type of sweet leavened bread, which is stuffed with a cheesecake-like filling to make Pasca. As with a number of Easter breads, Pasca is a religious symbol with the white cheese filling symbolizing Christ who has risen and the Holy Spirit.

     My sister Valerie has made my mom's Easter Ricotta Cheese pie which is very similar and VERY yummy.

Total: 80 mins

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 60 mins

Yield: 1 Romanian Pasca - approximately 14 servings

Ingredients

For the Dough:

1 cup whole milk (warmed)
2 teaspoons yeast
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter (softened)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour

For the Cheese Filling:

1 pound ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons butter (softened)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks, beaten (divided)
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
3 ounces raisins

Steps to Make It

Fit a stand mixer with the dough hook. Combine the warm milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of the mixer and let it proof.

Add the eggs, sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, and 4 cups of flour to the bowl.  Mix with the dough hook. 

Add additional flour a little bit at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is soft but not sticky.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Coat a 2-inch-deep 10- or 12-inch round (preferably glass) pan with cooking spray.

Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Line the bottom and sides of the prepared pan, reserving a handful of dough.

With the reserved dough, make two long, pencil-thin ropes and twist them together. Place it around the edge of the dough. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat cheese with a mixer and slowly add butter, sugar, three egg yolks, flour, vanilla extract, and salt. 

Beat until smooth, add raisins, and mix again.

When the dough has risen, pour in the cheese filling, making sure it doesn't go over the edges.

Brush cheese filling and dough border with remaining beaten egg yolk.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack. Remove from pan once cooled.

Mucenici- A Traditional Romanian Honey and Walnut Pastry

     Romania is known as a country with many traditions and customs - the beginning of Spring is no exception. March starts with three important traditions in Romania: Martisor, Babele, and 40 de Mucenici (40 martyrs).

     Martisorul is a small symbolic item men offer to women on March 1 as a sign of love and respect. In some regions, women give martisoare to men.

    Martisoare are usually small items, such as handmade flowers, jewelry, and figurines tied with a red and white entwined cord. The red is said to represent the spring and the heat while the white represents the winter and the cold. Anything can become a martisor as long as you tie the red and white string to it.

     Every year on March 9, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Forty Martyrs (commonly known as Mucenici): these were Roman soldiers in the Legio XII Fulminata who lived in the time of Emperor Licinius (308-324), a persecutor of Christians. Christians were tortured and executed in Sebaste (present-day Sivas, Turkey) because they refused to apostatize their Christian belief.

     Unfortunately for me, I just missed this celebration by a week!  I would have loved to participate (as a spectator) in these events but I guess I'll be ready for next year.  Mucenici coincides with the start of the agricultural year. People perform several rituals on this day, such as beating the ground with wooden mallets to drive out cold and unleash the warmth.

     For this day of tradition, Romanian women (especially in the Moldova region) bake a special dessert called Mucenici (pronounced Moochaneech) or sfintisori – little saints. The desserts are made in the shape of figure 8, which some say denotes a stylized human form of the martyrs themselves. There are several variations of this dessert depending on the geographic region.

     The pastries are basically made from a yeast dough filled (or not) with walnuts, baked in the shape of an eight, soaked in a delicious syrup, and glazed with honey and more walnuts.

     I am told the pastries are fluffy, delicious, beautiful, and full of flavor and will try to bake them before I leave in less than two weeks.

How To Make Mucenici - A Traditional Romanian Honey and Walnut Pastry

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH:

4 cups all purpose flour (sifted)

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 stick unsalted butter (melted but cool)

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Lemon zest

Orange zest

3 Tablespoons dry yeast

Pinch of salt

WALNUT FILLING:

2 1/2 cups ground walnuts

7 Tablespoons powder sugar

6 Tablespoons whole milk

SYRUP:

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

Lemon zest

Orange zest

Vanilla bean pod

DECORATION:

1/2cup honey

3/4 cup walnuts

DOUGH:

In a little bowl, dissolve the yeast in half of the milk. Add a teaspoon of sugar to the mixture. The milk has to be lukewarm, not hot.

Set aside and let it rise for 15 minutes.

In a mixer bowl, add the sifted flour.

Start mixing the flour on low speed, using a spiral dough hook attachment. One-by-one, add the yeast, eggs, melted butter, sugar, lemon and orange zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.

While the dough is kneaded, slowly add the lukewarm milk until the dough forms.

Let the machine continue to knead the dough for about 7 to 10 minutes until it becomes a smooth, elastic dough that doesn't stick to the bowl or your hands.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with several clean dish towels, and let it rise for about an hour or until it doubles in volume.

When the dough has risen, place the dough on the work surface and flatten it slightly.

Cut the dough in 15-20 equal pieces. You can cut it in 8-10 pieces, for bigger size pastries.

Shape every piece into a ball and if necessary weigh them to make sure they are the same size.

Place them on the table and cover them with plastic wrap.

Take one ball, shape it into a roll, flatten it with your hands and stretch it with a rolling pin. It should be about 10 inches long and about 2-3 inches wide.

HOW TO PREPARE THE WALNUT FILLING:

Add powder sugar and milk to the ground walnuts. Mix well. You should obtain a thick paste. Set aside.

HOW TO FILL THE PASTRY:

When the dough doubled in volume, place it on the work surface and flatten it. Split it in equal size pieces, based on how big you want the pastries to be in size.

Traditionally, they should be about the size of your palm when done, so split the dough in about 15-20 small pieces.

Form balls and place them on the table. Cover them with plastic wrap so they don’t form a dry crust while you work the pastries.

Take a piece of dough and form a roll about 7-8 inches long. Flatten the roll with your hands and stretch it with a rolling pin to make it about 10 inches long and 2-3 inches wide.

Place a dollop of walnut paste on the entire dough length. Roll the dough inside to cover the walnut filling and form back the roll.

Grab the ends of the roll and bring them together to form a ring. Twist the ring in the middle to form an eight.

Shape it nicely to look like the number 8. Place the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking tray.

Continue the same way until you finish the dough. Let the pastries rise again for about 20-30 minutes.

Brush them with beaten egg and bake them at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

HOW TO GLAZE THE PASTRY WITH SYRUP:

When done, they should be golden brown on top. Place the pastries on a cooling rack.  While they cool off, prepare the syrup.

Mix sugar, water, lemon and orange peel, and vanilla bean pod in a saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. When ready, strain and place the syrup in a big bowl.

Soak each pastry both sides for about 10 seconds each in the hot syrup and place them back on the cooling rack.

FINAL GLAZE:

To glaze the pastries, place the honey in the microwave for 10 seconds, just long enough to make it more fluid. Brush each pastry with the honey and dip the pastry top in the ground walnuts.

Serve. The Mucenici pastries go really well with coffee, tea, as breakfast or snack.

Cozonac: Romanian Easter and Christmas Bread Recipe

Total:  80 mins.         Prep:  20 mins.         Cook:  60 mins

Yield:  1 loaf (serves 4)

     As I said in my initial post, for many centuries, Romania was the crossroads for Western European travelers, so therefore, their cooking includes all the best aspects of many nations as well as deeply rooted traditional recipes.  Romanian cooking encompasses flavors and tastes from all over Europe.  With Christmas less than 30 days away, I thought I'd take a peek to see how they celebrate the season.  Here is an interesting culinary coincidence.  

     Romanian cozonac is a slightly sweet yeast-raised egg bread, similar to Czechoslovakian houska, which is traditionally eaten for Easter, Christmas, and New ​Years. Bulgarians similarly call this bread kozunak. The Romanians consider it their version of Italian panettone. When the cozonac dough is filled with farmer's cheese, it becomes a pasca, similar to a Polish kołacz.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus 2 1/2 tablespoons, separated)
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 4 egg yolks (room-temperature)
• 3/4 cup sugar (superfine)
• 4 ounces raisins (light or dark)
• 1 lemon (zest only)
• 4 ounces butter (melted)
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vegetable (or canola oil)
• 1 large room-temperature egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• Optional: 1 ounce walnuts
• Optional: 1 tablespoon raisins
• Optional: 1/2 cup sugar (confectioners)

Preparation:

Scald 1/2 cup milk and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons of flour until smooth. Let cool 10 minutes.

Heat another 1/2 cup milk just until just lukewarm. Do not scald. Place yeast in a small bowl and pour lukewarm milk over, stirring until dissolved. Add yeast mixture to the milk-flour paste and beat until large air bubbles appear. Cover and let rise at least 15 minutes.

Heat the remaining 1/4 cup milk to lukewarm. Do not overheat. Pour into a warmed large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg yolks, sugar, raisins, zest, yeast mixture, and 3 1/2 cups of flour, stirring after each addition.

Knead about 10 minutes by machine or 15 - 20 minutes with buttered hands while still in the bowl, adding melted butter as necessary to achieve a non-sticky, pliable, moist ball of dough. It will probably take about 3 ounces of the melted butter. Save the rest.

Add rum, vanilla, and oil and knead another 2 - 3 minutes. Cover bowl with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled. Punch down and with hands dipped in some of the reserved melted butter, knead another 5 - 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 F. Coat a 10- to 12-inch round pan that is at least 3 inches deep or a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Using buttered hands, twist the dough and place in the pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until dough reaches the top of the pan.

Brush top of dough with egg wash (1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water). Sprinkle with optional walnuts and raisins, if desired. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick tests clean or an instant-read thermometer registers 190 F.

Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. If you wish, while the cake is still hot, sprinkle with optional confectioners' sugar.

Mamaliga (Polenta)

     Since the Romans occupied the land now known as Romania, many Italian dishes have found their way into this culture.  Living in Italy, I ate polenta as a side dish to many beef meals, like we Americans would eat corn bread.  Well, mamaliga is a Romanian food consumed very much like the Italians do, on a daily basis as a side to various meals, mostly replacing bread. If you haven't had polenta during your exploration of Italian dining and would like to experience this Romanian culinary tradition, you must try mamaliga. 

     As opposed to other cultural uses for this corn meal based delight, classic mamaliga is served with warm milk or with sour cream, and can also be eaten topped with feta cheese. I've heard Romanians sometimes serve mamaliga with a sunny side up fried egg on top - I can hardly wait to try this! And like corn bread, mamaliga is served as a side dish for some traditional Romanian stews and for sarmale, or stuffed cabbage rolls.

     Here I found some classic mamaliga recipes.  When I get to Romania, I'll let you know if these were on target.

Basic mamaliga (polenta)

Cooking time: 20- 25 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water 
• 1 pound ground cornmeal (a courser version will make a more traditional mamaliga) 
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Bring to boil the water in a large pot with the salt,  Turn heat down to simmer and pour in the cornmeal a steady stream.

Stir constantly for about 20 minutes with a wooden spoon, until you notice the mamaliga breaks away easily from the sides of the pot.

The cooked mamaliga should be thick enough to stay in place on a wooden plate.

Traditionally, just like polenta, mamaliga is cut with a string, but modern cooks will most probably use a knife.

Serve in a deep bowl with warm milk or sour cream. You can also change it up and add Parmesan cheese or shredded feta cheese in combination with the sour cream.

Baked Mamaliga Recipe 

Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 pound  coarse ground cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces butter
• 3.5 ounces shredded feta cheese
• 3.5 ounces sour cream
• 4 eggs

Preparation:

Prepare the basic mamaliga as in the previous recipe. 

When it becomes thick, pour half of the quantity in a heat-resistant glass dish.

Melt the butter and pour half of it on top of the mamaliga in the baking dish. Then spread the shredded feta cheese mixed with 4 beaten eggs uniformly on top.

Pour the rest of mamaliga on top, then spray it with melted butter.

Preheat the oven at 375-400 F and bake for 15 minutes  (until the surface becomes lightly brown).

Cut in pieces and serve with sour cream on top.

     I am excited about the opportunity to live in Romania, with food being one of the things I most look forward to.  After growing up in an Italian household and then living in Italy for several years, Italian food has always been my favorite.  Living in Romania though will offer me an occasion to learn something new - sorta. After reading volumes of material on this country, what makes Romanian food recipes so special?

     Romanian history.  This land was always  at the confluence of roads between East and West, and always in the way of various conquerors - on their way to and from the Crusades and other far away lands as Europeans discovered new cultures to the East.

     As this little country was fighting for its own independence, it was always occupied by some foreign entity; first by Romans which gave birth to a Latin nation! The Turks followed and then the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.  Romanians also had pronounced cultural influences from other European countries such as France, Poland, and Russia. Between World Wars I and II, the capital of Romania, Bucharest, was known as "Little Paris."  The influence of France's culture was at its peak for language, culture, and food.

     The result of these mixed and varied cultural influences has strongly influenced "traditional" Romanian food. My first exposure to Romanian food was at the 2nd annual Romanian Festival in San Antonio in September 2018.  We enjoyed; mici, cabbage rolls (wait, I thought those were Polish), polenta (isn't this Italian), baklava (hey, this is Turkish), coleslaw that tasted more German than what we would eat at KFC, and chocolate desserts rivaling any French pastry shop.  

     So what is "Romanian" food?  Over the next few years, I will be exploring the culture and the people of my new home.  Stay connected to learn while I learn, see what I see, and taste what I am tasting.  I hope you like it.

Mici

     Mici (meech) are the most popular Romanian outdoor grilled food. "Mici" are caseless sausages, made of ground beef meat mixed with spices, garlic, and beef broth. They are served with mustard, fries, and/or country bread next to a cold beer. From the inexpensive street food stops, to summer patios or fancy restaurants, you can find them all over the country! You can smell them everywhere in the summer and they smell so good! 

     In Romania you can buy them unprepared from any grocery store, fresh or frozen, then you can load up your car with a grill and charcoal and BBQ away on the side of the road! While I was living in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzagovinia back in the mid-1990's, I ate a food very similar to this called Chevap Chi Chi. Like most European nations, Romania shares many similar foods but prepares them just a little differently.  I enjoyed Chevap so much as a matter of fact, I snuck several pounds home to Naples, Italy on a C-130 (along with the delicious pita and Chi Chi cheese) and made them for the family.  I have prepared them here in the U.S. a couple times, only to reminisce the taste of Sarajevo where I just had to learn to prepare them. They were close, but just not the same as the authentic Chevap.  It takes at least 24 hours to prepare and mature the meat and have the truly tasty Mici experience.

     I learned about Romanian Mici in September 2018 at the 2nd Annual San Antonio Romanian Festival.  I didn't know until then there was such a large Romanian community here in South Texas.  We enjoyed the Mici, along with cabbage rolls and polenta, and I thought I'd share my first Romanian recipe experience with you.  I can't wait to have authentic Mici in Deveselu, Caracal, or Bucharest in the very near future!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• 2 lb ground beef
• ¼ lb ground beef suet*
• 2 cups of beef broth
• 1 tsp of salt
• ½ tsp of black pepper
• 2 tsp of summer savory**
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp of ground coriander
• ¼ tsp of ground all spice
• 1 tsp of paprika
• ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp of oil (for brushing)

Preparation:

     In a small glass, dissolve the baking soda with the lemon juice by stirring vigorously.  In a large bowl, incorporate the meat and all of the ingredients (except the oil), as well as the dissolved baking soda. Mix all of the ingredients together. Add the broth in stages, mixing well after each addition. The meat mixture needs to get to a consistency allowing shaping into small sausage shapes, you don't want your mixture to be too loose. Depending on your meat water content, you may not need to add all of the broth. You also want your mixture to incorporate enough liquid so the grilled "Mici" will be juicy. Refrigerate overnight for the meat to absorb all the flavors.

     Take the meat out of the refrigerator and with slightly wet hands, form the "mici" into a cylinder shape 2-3 inches long and 1 inch thick.

     Place them on a foil lined tray and continue to form "Mici" until all of the meat is finished. Brush them generously with cooking oil.

     Grill them on high heat, preferably on a charcoal grill and not electric or gas. Flip them to cook on all sides to your desired doneness. They are very good when done with just a little pink inside (I know Teresa, you don't like it pink inside) and very juicy.

     Serve with mustard, bread, or French fries along with a cold beer. Enjoy!

Mici

Notes

*Beef suet is the raw, hard fat of beef found around the loins and kidneys.  It is available at most grocery stores and is used a lot when preparing game.

**Summer Savory (cimbru) is one of the key spice ingredients of "Mici". You can replace it with dried basil, but the result will not be the original taste. If you like pork, you can use half beef and half pork, however, be aware of the fact, in this case the "Mici" will need to be thoroughly cooked, with no pink inside for you trichinosis worriers.