Musaca de Cartofi

"Potato moussaka"

Moussaka is a fairly common dish over the Balkans with many different variations and using a variety of 'on-hand' ingredients. The dish is thought to have originated in the Middle East and spread throughout the region during the period of Ottoman rule. It's name suggests a dish that was continuously 'fed liquid' to keep it moist as it baked, although most common versions are more solid. Many Balkan versions spurn the eggplants so popularised by the well-known Greek version, and quite commonly have a top layer of cream solidified with egg. This version mixes the cream with the middle meat layer but its slow cooking results in a tasty and perhaps lighter-feelings dish with less stodge.

Time: 2 hours
Servings: 4 big slices or maybe 6 smaller ones.
Ingredients:

750g of potatoes, peeled and sliced
500g of minced meat (could be lamb, beef or pork or a mixture)
1 carrot, peeled and grated
2 onions, finely chopped
An egg
1/2 cup of 'smantana de gatit' (unsweetened cooking cream)
1/2 cup of white wine
1 cup of tomato bullion
1 level tablespoon of caster sugar
2 juicy ripe tomatoes
Salt, pepper and thyme
1/2 cup of soup stock (or half a beef stock cube dissolved in 1/2 cup of boiling water)
Oil for frying, butter for greasing dish, and some breadcrumbs or flour for dusting.

Method:

1. Pour a few millimetres of olive oil (traditionally you can use 'untura' (pig lard)) into a frying pan and brown off the potato rounds in batches on each side, removing them to a plate as the turn colour.
2. Gently fry the onion for a few minutes in the remaining oil and, once it has turned translucent and taken on a little colour, add the minced meat and the grated carrot and cook on a low-ish heat until the meat has changed colour.
3. Add the bullion, watered down a little if it seems too thick, and simmer the meat gently for about half an hour, being careful not to let it burn or stick (add a splash of water if and when needed), until a rich meat sauce, not too runny, remains. Allow to cool when done.
4. Meanwhile, grease a tray with butter or lard and sprinkle the sides and bottom with breadcrumbs ('pesmet') or flour.
5. Into the cooled meat sauce, mix in the egg and the cream and add salt, pepper and thyme to taste.
6. Place a layer of the potato slices in the bottom of the tray, then spread the meat sauce of top, followed by another layer of the remaining potato slices on top of the meat.
7. Thinly slice the ripe tomatoes and place them in a layer on top of the potatoes.
8. Pour the wine and stock over the top.
9. Put it in the oven on the relatively low heat and allow to cook for about an hour or until it starts browning off on top and most of the liquid has disappeared.

Cartofi noi cu marar

“New potatoes with dill”

I love new potatoes and I have cooked them numerous times in the last month since they first appeared on the market stalls in Obor. Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures so this time I was determined to do so before they grow too big. Already I saw that many of them were starting to resemble their fully-grown brothers but I managed to find a kilogram of smallish ones so perhaps this should be called ‘newish potatoes with dill’. Personally, I love the tiny little ones that you can pop into your mouth in one go. One dish I’ve cooked a couple of times this spring is a version of cartofi taranesti (peasant potatoes) but using typical spring ingredients (new potatoes, spring onions, spring garlic, fresh dill). I haven’t included it as I don’t know if it’s a typical Romanian dish, but it certainly showcases some nice Romanian market ingredients and is worth cooking.

This recipe comes from Radu Anton Roman’s tome. If you can’t get soured milk where you are, you can make it yourself (search online) or you could just use some plain yogurt or some sour cream, or even regular cream if you don’t mind it a bit sweeter in flavour.

Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2 portions

Ingredients:

500g of new potatoes

A spring of dill (about 2 tablespoons when chopped)

A large knob of butter

50ml of ‘lapte batut’ (soured milk)

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse any mud off the new potatoes, put them in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil them until a skewer or knifepoint penetrates them easily but don’t over-boil them so that they fall apart. Normally about 15 minutes works. When you judge them to be done, drain them and leave them to steam dry for a minute or two.

2. While they are boiling, finely chop the dill and beat the soured milk with a few good pinches of salt.

3. Heat the butter in a large pan and brown off the potatoes for about 5-6 minutes until golden.

4. Take off the heat, sprinkle on the dill, and pour on the soured milk. Serve hot.

Supa de cartofi cu carnati

"Potato soup with sausages"

This recipe was sent to me by a friend from Arad, a city in the west of Romania very close to the Hungarian border. This winter potato soup makes good use of the peppers and paprika that are so fundamental to the Hungarian cuisine which influences Romanian food in the Transylvanian regions. If you can't find Hungarian paprika where you live (try to find out if there is an Eastern European store in the neighbourhood) you can use regularly paprika. Personally, I really like the slightly smokey Hungarian paprika. The sausages turn this soup into a hearty lunch or even a welcome dinner after being out in the cold but of course, the sausages could be left out or served separately to cater for vegetarian guests.

Servings: 3-4 bowls

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large or two medium onions, chopped medium-fine

1 tablespoon of salted minced red pepper (or 1 teaspoon of mild Hungarian paprika powder, or 1 tablespoon of Hungarian paprika paste)

1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns

1 to 1½ bay leaves, torn into smaller pieces

2-3 potatoes (depending on size), peeled and cut into small cubes

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into rounds (or half-rounds if too thick)

Sunflower oil

1 tablespoon of flour

Salt

Water

1 or 2 sausages (depending on size) - either fresh ones or smoked ones like polonez, cransky, cabanos, whichever you prefer

Sour cream (optional)

Red onions (optional, side dish)

Method:

1. Pour the sunflower oil into a large pan, enough oil to just coat the base of the pan. Add the chopped onions (there should be enough to amply cover the base of the pan). Fry the onions gently until they become translucent.

2. Once the onions have softened (around 5 minutes) add the paprika, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Let them stew with the onions for a couple of minutes. It should already be starting to smell wonderful. Keep stirring so as not to burn or brown the onions otherwise they will taste bitter.

3. After a few minutes,  take off the heat, add the flour and stir it into the onion mixture to form a thick paste with the juices.

4. Return to the heat and bit by bit, add the water (the water can be warmed up first) and stir it into the paste until the paste has fully dissolved. Add approximately a litre to a litre and a half of water, according to how thick you like your soup.

5. Bring this stock to the boil and add the potato cubes and carrot and boil until they are soft, but still holding their shape. Keep the soup simmering, almost to a rolling boil. If it gets too thick, you can add a little more water.

6. About five minutes before the potatoes and carrots are cooked, add the sausage, thinly sliced.

7. Check the seasoning and add salt if necessary, then serve.

Serving:

This gorgeous winter-warmer of a soup can be served with a big dollop of sour cream (smantana) and some crusty bread. It is also commonly served with a red onion salad, which complements the soup perfectly. To make the salad, simply finely slice a medium red onion, salt well, mixing together with your fingers so that the onion releases some of its juices, then dress with a tablespoon or two of good olive oil or sunflower oil.

Cartofi Taranesti

"Country-style or 'peasant' potatoes"

Cartofi taranesti are a particularly common side dish in Romanian restaurants and the recipes for them vary from place to place, region to region. The essential recipe, however, remains more or less the same. They obviously originate from the home cooking of the countryside being cooked on the open hearth or wood burning stove. When done well they are soft on the inside, a little crispy on the outside, and perfumed by the other added ingredients. Many recipes simply add onions but I've always loved them with the bacon lardons and a touch of garlic, but you can omit them if you like (or if you don't eat meat, of course). They would also work well with rosemary or thyme.

Ingredients
5 or 6 smallish potatoes (larger potatoes can be used but would need to be boiled longer)
One onion, roughly chopped
Two or three cloves of garlics, crushed and chopped (optional)
A scant cup of diced fatty bacon, smokey works well (optional)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Chopped parsley (or any fresh herb you have handy)
Cooking oil (can be olive oil or even butter - again, whatever you have to hand)

Method
1. Wash any mud off the potatoes and put them into enough cold water to cover them plus an inch. Bring to the boil and allow them to boil until a fork can pierce them easily. Be careful not to over-boil them, you want them to hold their shape when you fry them later.
2. Once sufficiently part-boiled, probably 20-30 minutes depending on their size, drain them and fill the pan with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them quicker.
3. Peel off the skin with your fingers (it comes off easily, no need to use a peeler) and cut them into rounds, each about 10mm thick. (Note: alternatively you can peel them first, cut them into rounds or wedges, and then boil them.)
4. Put another pan on a medium heat and add the bacon pieces (if using) and fry them till some of the fat is extracted, then add a few more splashes of oil, butter, or lard. If you aren't using bacon, just add oil and heat.
5. Once the bacon has taken on a brown colour (or the oil has warmed up, if not using bacon) add the chopped onion and allow to soften for a couple of minutes, stirring ocassionally. Then throw in the garlic (if using) and continue to fry for another minute or two. It should be smelling lovely by now!
6. Arrange the sliced potatoes in the pan and allow to fry for about 10-15 minutes. Flip them from time to time, move the top ones to the bottom, but don't stir them too vigorously or too frequently or you won't give them time to develop a crispy brown coat, and too much stirring will mean you end up with an oily mash.
7. When they are nicely brown, serve them in a bowl or alongside the main, season with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of parsley (or another fresh herb). A dash of paprika is also a popular addition.

Gorgeous, hearty, warming, and moorish. They'll go with more or less anything or will happy stand alone as a centre-of-the-table nibble. Easily as good as a nicely roasted potato (and those are hard to beat).