Welcome to Romania! According to Google, the population is 19.2 million people, and the capital is Bucharest. I love the pictures of Romania - it looks like a stunning place. The architecture, the landscape, the fields and mountains. I would love to visit this place someday. Their national dish is...
Sarmale!
Stuffed cabbage rolls! I was excited for this because I love cabbage rolls. But after reading the recipe, there was a slight twist to these. I modified the twist to the cabbage rolls based on what I could find, and they still turned out really well. For dessert we had cheese doughnuts. This I thought was strange, but was excited to try it. Here's what I did:
SARMALE
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 C rice
1 tsp paprika1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 onion, diced
3 bay leaves
Cabbage leaves
1 can tomato sauce
About 3 C water
Sauerkraut
Sour Cream
- Boil the cabbage leaves until they are tender (it helps to cut out the thick part of the "stem").
- Mix together the onion, pork, and chicken.
- Rinse the rice, and add to the meat mixture, along with the spices.
- Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and place in the cabbage leaves.
- Roll the cabbage leaves tightly so the mixture does not come out.
- Place sauerkraut on the bottom of the pan, enough to cover the bottom.
- Place the rolled cabbage in the bottom of the pan - make sure there are no gaps between the rolls (I had to stack them as well).
- Pour tomato sauce on top of the rolls, and fill the rest of the way up with water, until they are completely covered.
- Top with sauerkraut, cover the pan, and heat on medium until the rolls are cooked through.
- Serve hot with sour cream on top.
FRIED CHEESE DONUTS
1 1/8 C Ricotta Cheese
1 1/8 C Ricotta Cheese
1 egg
A drop of rum extract
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sugar plus 1/2 tsp vanilla (to make vanilla sugar)
1 C gluten free flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Oil for frying
1 C creme fraiche, to serve
Berry jam, to serve
- Put ricotta cheese, rum extract, sugar, vanilla sugar in a bowl.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients until you have a paste.
- Mix 4 oz of flour and the baking soda with the cheese mixture, using a spoon.
- Flour a working surface, as well as your hands, generously.
- Turn the dough on the working surface and knead lightly until you form a ball (dough should be sticky, but manageable).
- Divide the dough into five balls.
- Roll four of the balls into thick sausages and unite the ends, so it resembles a doughnut.
- Divide the last ball into four balls (doughnut holes).
- Heat oil in a pot until a toothpick blisters when you place the end in the hot oil.
- Place two donuts and two doughnut holes in the hot oil, and fry for about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Place on a paper towel and let drain.
- Serve warm, with creme fraiche and jam on top.
The verdict? This was one of our favorite countries so far - the food was very delicious. The cabbage rolls made a ton of extra filling for what we used, but I think if you got the sauerkraut cabbage leaves that were already made, it may be the correct amount. The filling was delicious, and the combination of flavors were subtle but very tasty. The doughnuts were also very tasty - we were shocked. We didn't think the combination sounded very good, but it was very, very good! All in all, a very tasty meal.
ME
Taste of Sarmale (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 9
Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is un eatable): 0
Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7
HANDSOME HUSBAND
Taste of Sarmale(1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8
Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0
Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 9ME
Taste of Fried Cheese Doughnuts (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 9
Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is un eatable): 0
Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7
HANDSOME HUSBAND
Taste of Fried Cheese Doughnuts (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8
Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0
Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):7And there you have it! Join us next time in Greece!
