Regular cabbage rolls/ Sarmale cu varza dulce

1 large cabbage, 1 3/4 lb/750 g ground meat (mixture of pork and beef is recommended), 4 large onions, 2 tablespoons rice, 1 bread slice, 3 tablespoons lard, 5-6 tomatoes or 1 tablespoon tomato sauce, salt, pepper, chopped dill, 1 qt/1 l sour cream Grind the meat with the crustless bread slice (previously soaked and squeezed dry) and a raw onion. Place in a bowl and mix with rice, dill, pepper, salt and finely chopped onion slightly fried in two tablespoons of lard. Mix everything well. Core the cabbage with a sharp thin knife and then blanch it with borsh. Then carefully remove the cabbage leaves, one by one, so that they do not tear. Cut larger leaves in 2 or 3 and then place a little meat in each cabbage piece and roll in. The smaller the rolls are, the tastier they are. Place a layer of rolls in the pan (take a deep one), then cover with a layer of chopped (julienned) cabbage, then a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. Do this layering until all the rolls are made. The last layer must be tomato slices or add tomato sauce. Add a heaping tablespoon of lard, pour the borsh and let simmer on top of the range for 30 minutes. Then place in the oven so that the liquid is reduced. Serve with sour cream. Grilled minced meat rolls/ Mititei

2 lbs/1 kg ground beef, 1/2 lb/250 g suet, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 2-3 garlic cloves, some ground pepper, juniper berries and caraway, 2-3 tablespoons meat broth, salt Grind the meat together with the suet. Add salt, spices, chopped garlic, meat broth and baking soda and mix everything with your hands for 15 minutes, adding two tablespoons of water a little at a time. Keep the bowl with this mixture on ice for 5-6 hours. Just before grilling, take tablespoons of the mixture and with wet hands, shape the rolls (they are approx. 2-3 inches long and 1 inch thick). Before placing on the grill, grease them with oil and during grilling baste them with a mixture of meat broth and oil. Boeuf salad/ Salata de boeuf

4-5 potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, 1 parsnip (optional), 1 large celery root, a handful of green peas, 2 pickles, 1/2 lb/250 g poultry breast or beef sirloin, salt. For mayo: 1 hard boiled yolk, 3 raw yolks, 1/2 lb/250 g oil, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon lemon juice You get the best beef salad by boiling the vegetables with the meat (soup). Cube the potatoes and all other vegetables. The same goes for the meat and pickles. Place all in a bowl, add the peas, salt and let rest until you prepare the mayo. Sieve a hard boiled egg. Place it in a bowl. Add a little oil, mix with a spoon, add a raw yolk and add oil, a little at a time, stirring continuously in the same direction. When it starts to thicken, add another raw yolk and again oil a little at a time.

Do this until all yolks and all oil is used up. Then add mustard, a little at a time and stirring continuously and the lemon juice, again stirring continuously. Add 3/4 of the mayo to the meat and vegetable mixture and mix well. Add salt if needed. Arrange on a serving platter. Smooth with a knife and then cover with the rest of the mayo. Garnish with a few olives, hard boiled egg white, or egg slices, pickled red peppers, parsley, etc. Try to shape flowers, other designs. Eggplant salad/ Salata de vinete

2 big eggplants, 1 onion (to taste), 3-4 tablespoons oil, a pinch of pepper (optional), salt, green pepper, tomatoes Roast the eggplants, peel while still hot and then leave on a slanted cutting board to drain. Chop with a wooden or glass chopper, place in a bowl and then mix, using a wooden spoon, with a little oil at a time, until it whitens and becomes foamy. Add finely chopped onions (to taste), pepper and salt. Place in a a salad bowl or on a plate and garnish with tomato slices and rounds of green pepper.

Romanian Pancakes / Clatite romanesti

Ingredients
U.S. 2c tsp Ingredients Flour Baking powder Sugar (optional) Salt Eggs Oil Milk Baking soda European 240 g tsp

1 Tbs tsp 2 1 Tbs 1c tsp

1 Tbs tsp 2 1 Tbs 240 ml tsp

1. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. 2. Make a well in the center and dump in eggs and oil. Mix the liquids in the center, then slowly add the milk as you blend the liquids into the flour mixture. 3. Mix baking soda with a little water and fold in gently trying not to break the bubbles as they form. 4. Heat a greased griddle or frying pan. 5. Spread large spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle. When bubbles form, turn them over and brown the other side.

Notes: These pancakes are best made with buttermilk rather than regular milk. The slight acid works with the baking soda to make them light. Variations: Try adding a mashed banana to the batter. This also works well with chopped apples, blueberries, or other fruit. Chocolate chips, coconut, and chopped pineapple can be used as well.

Romanian Polenta / Mmlig

Ingredients
1 qt. Water, 1-2 cups corn meal, 2 tsp. salt

Boil water and salt in a pot. When water is boiling, gradually add corn meal while stirring the mixture with a whisk. Stop adding corn meal when the mixture is considerably thick, though still liquid. Continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, with caution since the mixture bubbles up and splatters hot polenta around. Remove from the heat and serve with your favorite dish.

Refried Beans
Ingredients
U.S. 2c 2-3 tsp To taste tsp 1 tsp c Ingredients Pinto beans (dry) onions Salt White pepper Hot chili Sweet chili (paprika) Cheese (grated) European 400 g 2-3 tsp To taste tsp 1 tsp 55 g

1. In a large pot, wash, sort, and soak the *beans overnight. 2. Discard soaking water, cover beans with at least 1 inch fresh water, and heat to boiling. 4. When water is boiling, add onions, carrots, salt, a little bit of oil and reduce heat. Simmer until beans are soft (about 1-2 hours). Check beans periodically, add more water if necessary and stir to ensure beans arent sticking to the bottom. 5. When the beans are soft, remove from the head, drain and reserve the cooking liquid. 6. Mash the beans in the pot with a masher or fork. You can fry 2-3 onions and add some tomato juice on top. Then you mix them with the beans. 7. Heat the beans over a very low flame (stir constantly to keep from burning or sticking).

8. Add white pepper, and the chilies. Adjust flavoring if necessary. 9. If you are serving these beans as is, (not as a filling) you may want to grate some cheese on to them, and stir it in so its nice and melted. Notes: This is actually a healthy variation on re-fried beans - they are not fried at all. If you want the true re-fried effect, pour the mashed and seasoned beans into a well greased skillet and fry for a few minutes. Lard is the most flavorful option for frying your beans. Variations: This recipe for re-fried beans is quite mild, if you are eating them as is, you may want to add some kick. You can boost the heat with extra hot chili. Ground cumin and coriander can be hard to find in Romania, they are the ideal spices for these beans. To serve these beans as a side dish, you may want to add cheese, (as mentioned above) and top with sour cream and a little chopped green onion (or cilantro if you can find it). These beans are also a great vegetarian filler for many Mexican style dishes like burritos.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls / Sarmale

Ingredients
U.S. 1c Ingredients Slnin (chopped) Onions (medium) Tomatoes Red bell peppers Shredded carrots Vegeta Pepper Sweet paprika Dill Tomato paste Mushrooms (optional) Dried parsley Water Rice (round) Beef European 225 g

3 4 1

3 4 1

c 4 Tbs tsp 2 tsp 2 Tbs 3 Tbs

95 g 4 Tbs tsp 2 tsp 2 Tbs 3 Tbs 200 - 300 g 3 Tbs 120 ml 600 g 2 kg

3-4c

3 Tbs c 3c 4 lb

(ground) 1 Tbs 1 Tbs 2 Salt Vinegar Cabbage heads Fresh parsley Assorted herbs Sour cream 1 Tbs 1 Tbs 2

c To taste As needed

15 g

To taste As needed

1. To prepare the filling, heat oil and chopped slnin on medium heat. 2. Chop onions, tomatoes, and peppers then add to pan. 3. Add shredded carrot, vegeta, pepper, ardei dulce, dill, tomato paste and chopped mushroom. 4. Mix dried parsley with c water and add to pan. 5. Mix together, and then add the rice. Simmer for 10 minutes. Take off flame. Add ground meat and mix well. 6. To prepare the cabbage, fill a deep pot full with water, 1 Tbs salt and 1 Tbs vinegar. Place over high heat. 7. Cut out hearts of cabbage and dunk the cabbage into the pot. 8. With a fork, start separating the leaves of the cabbage, one by one. Blanche for two minutes then place them in a separate bowl. 9. Cut off thick stems. 10. To assemble the Sarmale, place roughly 1 Tbs of stuffing on cabbage leaf and role tightly like a cigar. Tuck in the ends. 11. Place unused cabbage leaves at the bottom of the pot, along with the fresh parsley and any other spices you happen to have (dill, basil, thyme, etc), to prevent burning of the Sarmale. 12. Add water until Sarmale are covered, and then cover pot with lid and let cook over low flame for at least 1 hour or until half the water has evaporated. Serve with Smntn. Notes: It may look daunting, but Sarmale are rather easy and inexpensive to make. The most time consuming part of making Sarmale is the preparation. Once they are assembled, you just leave them alone. Dont worry if you dont have all the ingredients mentioned. The only secret to great Sarmale is a lot of onion. As long as you have that, the rest is just added taste. This recipe will feed two people for a week. If you cant find an ingredient, leave it out. The ones you really need are onions (plenty of them!), tomato paste, and lots of seasoning. This recipe can be halved. Variations: This is a great way to meet other Romanians; everyone has a different and unique Sarmale recipe and the discussion about the proper way to make them can last hours! Have fun experimenting and dont be intimidated!

Meatball Soup / Ciorb de Perioare

Ingredients
U.S. 1 2-3 1 Ingredients Onion Carrots Celery root European 1 2-3 1

2-3 1 lb To taste 28 c 2 lb 5 2 Tbs To taste To taste 1c 1 Tbs 2 Tbs

Parsley roots Pork Vegeta Water Ground meat Eggs Flour Salt Pepper Sour cream Vinegar Parsley

2-3 kg To taste 6L 1 kg 5 2 Tbs To taste To taste 242 g 1 Tbs 2 Tbs

1. Chop onions, grate carrots, celery root, and parsley roots. Cut pork into 2-3 centimeter cubes. 2. Fry onions in oil and add other roots. Add cubed pork and season with vegeta. Pour water over all and boil until meat is tender. 3. Meanwhile, mix ground meat with 2-3 eggs. Add flour, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Roll meat mixture into tablespoon sized balls. 4. Once the pork is tender, add meatballs to the soup. Simmer until the meatballs rise (this means they are done). 5. To turn the soup sour, add vinegar. 6. In a separate bowl, mix 2 egg yolks with the sour cream until well blended. Remove the soup from the flame and add the egg/sour cream mixture. Do not boil the soup after this or it will curdle. 7. Season soup with fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Notes: This popular soup comes with many variations. It is sometimes made with veal instead of pork, or the chopped meat may be omitted all together. It is uncommon to find this creamy version in Hungarian areas. For more authentic Hsgmboc Leves omit the egg yolks and sour cream in step 6. It is not very traditional, but try adding other fresh or dried herbs to this soup for more flavor.