Hello!
In Romania, we have many influences from around, throughout our history. From Russia, Turkey, Hungary, Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria. It all depends on the area of the country.
There are a few things we love - sour soups or borscht, with or without sour cream on top, solid polenta with fried fish and our “mici” (little ones), which are a type of meatballs.
So, here are some easy dishes:
Some desserts (you can find more recipes here):
https://romanianfood.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/fursecuri-cookies/
Also here: http://www.romanianfoodrecipes.com/
1. The easiest one is the tomato salad. It’s the Greek one, minus the olives.
So: tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, onion, oil (sunflower, in Romania), maybe thyme (we do love our thyme here ^^ )
2. Borscht with vegetables
- 500 gr/17.6 oz potatoes
- carrots
- celery root or stick
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes (preferably peel the skin)
- 3 spoons of vegetable oil
- lovage
- tarragon
- borscht, if you find it in any stores (usually it’s best to boil it separately, then added)
Peel and cut in small pieces the potatoes.
Peel and chop finely the vegetables and the onion.
In a big pot , put 2 liters/4.22 pt of water. Add the carrots, the celery, the onion, the tomatoes, the oil. When they are tender (try them with a fork), add the potatoes. We add the potatoes later, because otherwise they become mush. Add salt and pepper, maybe thyme if you have it.
Boil until soft, try the potatoes with the fork. Take the pot of the stove.
Then, make the soup sour by using borscht, if you can buy it locally, or you can use other alternatives such as lemon juice, vinegar, or the water from pickles, especially fermented cabbage/sauerkraut.
All that’s left is the chopped mixed herbs: the lovage and the tarragon. Sprinkle them on top.
Depending on the region they’re from, you can put on the table a bowl of sour cream. Half of Romania eats borscht with sour cream.
3. Stuffed Bell Peppers
It’a an easy recipe. You just fill the peppers with meat!
For visual instructions (it’s written in Romanian, but it might help): https://savoriurbane.com/ardei-umpluti-reteta-strabunicii-mele/#
- 8 bell peppers
- 700gr ground meat, usually mixed (pork+beef)
- 4 spring onions, or just onions
- 70gr rice
- 4 juicy tomatoes, boiled and peeled, or 500ml of bisk
- 2 spoons of oil
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, dill
The peppers:
Cut the top of the bell peppers (keep the tops for later), take out the stock, wash them.
Cut the onions, fry them 2-3 minutes with 2 teaspoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Add the rice and fry it 2 more minutes. Leit it cool down.
The filling:
In a big bowl mix the meat with the seasonings and mixed herbs.
Add the onion with the rice and mix manually.
The tomato sauce:
Wash the tomatoes and make a cut on them with the knife (it will be easier to peel them off).
Boil and peel the tomatoes. Mix in a blender.
!!! Or you can just use tomatoes from a tin. And blend them.
On the stove:
Fill the bell peppers with the meat mixture, put the lids on (or cut round slices of a tomato for a lid).
In a deep pot, place the peppers vertically, just like lil’ soldiers. Pour the tomato juice over them, add 2 cups of water or about 500 ml.
Cook them over a medium flame, about 50 minutes.
Serve with sour cream on top. It cuts the heaviness from the meat.
