'Roşii umplute cu brânză' - Tomatoes Stuffed with Cheese Ingrediente: - tomatoes - cheese - sour cream - chilli peppers - onions - dill How it’s done: 1. Remove tops of tomatoes, and hollow out 2. Make the cheese paste: mix finely grated cheese with sour cream, chilli peppers, onions and dill. Mix until consistent 3. Fill the hollow tomatoes with the paste, packing it in tightly, before replacing the 'lids' 4. Refrigerate, and serve cold
'Şniţele de ciuperci' Mushroom Schnitzels Ingredients: - mushrooms - 3 eggs - salt and pepper - beer - oil
Unlike many English versions of this dish, the tomatoes are eaten at, or below room temperature. The freshness of the ingredients is therefore essential, as any bland flavours are much more perceptible. Personally I would have added more chilli to my own, but this is more a matter of individual taste. They were served as a starter but went equally well alongside the schnitzel, a fact someone making lunch on a shorter timescale might consider. Enjoy your meal!
How it’s done: 1. Wash mushrooms, cut stems, dry; 2. Break three eggs in a bowl, mix them with salt and pepper; 3. add beer then whisk until the mixture thickens; 4. dip mushrooms in bowl until they are liberally coated; 5. Fry these in a small amount of oil until golden brown. These delicious vegetarian schnitzels, which varied wonderfully in size, were extremely filling and high in protein. Crucially, they were not fried for too long so the batter retained moisture. This said, anyone cooking them should be careful not to use two much salt in the mixture, as it can detract from the natural flavour of the mushroom. Enjoy your meal!
- issue no 13, 2013
ROMANIAN FOOD 21