Romanian Eggplant Salad

No meal in my household can be had without the absolute basic - our eggplant salad! It's like bread and water, you just have to have it! It consists of nothing other than roasted eggplants with some oil and salt, but the taste is divine and one serving is never ever enough! The directions might seem a bit confusing so I added a few pictures so you can realize they're not as intimidating as they might sound.. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggplants

Vegetable oil

Salt

Tomatos (optional, to garnish)

Green onion (optional, to garnish)

METHOD

1.     Broil the eggplants for 40minutes, turning them over after half the time. You may broil using the broil function of your oven or use an open flame to roast them stove top. 

2.     Place a colander in a large bowl, peel the eggplants (careful, they'll be very hot), and place the meat in the colander.

3.     At this point the eggplants have to drain for at least an hour otherwise they will be very bitter. In order for all the juice to drain well we maintain pressure on the eggplant during this hour. A simple way that we use to do it is to place something heavy directly on top of the eggplants. Start by placing a plate over the eggplants and hand pressing it to get some of the juice out. When most of the major juice has sifted out, place a heavy bowl full of water to maintain the plate pressed down and leave for an hour. It may look something like this:

4.     When all the juices have drained place the eggplants in a food processor and mix, adding oil and salt to taste. Make sure you only pulse and don't let it run too much, you want to still be able to see most of the seeds. Be somewhat generous on the oil and salt until you reach a smooth texture, but once it's chopped you can take it out of the processor and add the oil and salt by hand mixing until it tastes good.
If you don't have a processor or just want to make it like in "the good ole-days," place the meat on a large cutting board and use a large knife to chop the eggplants until they reach a smooth, even texture. Then place in a bowl and add salt and oil until it tastes good! 

5.    Garnish with slices of tomato and green onion and serve!

Golubtsi / Sarmale (Stuffed Cabbage or Grape Leaves)

This is my favorite food of all times, from when I was very little to this very day. Golubtsi refer to cabbage leaves or grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of ground meat and rice. You may use this same mixture to also stuff red bell peppers, which may be a little less work since you don't have to do any wrapping. Many countries have their recipes for stuffed vegetables or grape leaves, and all somewhat vary. The kind that we make have more meat and are bigger and less standard in size than the ones that you usually see in the Mediterranean section of the supermarket, which are usually skinny and have mostly rice in them. The flavor of these is distinct from others, so even if you've tried them before, don't rule out this recipe!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground turkey

1 medium onion

1 medium carrot

1 tbsp tomato paste

Dill

1.5 tsp Salt

Chicken soup powder (1-2 tbsp for a large pot)

Heaping ½ cup rice

Cabbage head / grape leaves

Sour cream – to serve

METHOD

1.       Chop onion and fry with regular canola oil.

2.       Largely grate the carrot and add to onion to fry some more.

3.       Add 1tbsp tomato paste, some dill, and mix well.

4.       Remove from heat, add to the meat and add some salt.

5.       Mix in ½ cup of rice after washing it well and add salt or chicken soup powder.

6.       If using cabbage, cut off the head. Boil water and when boils throw in the leaves for few seconds until they separate. Immediately remove, put in a bowl and close it for them to soften. The spine should be cut off the leaves.

7.  If using grape leaves, start from here. Stuff the leaves by putting some of the filling in the middle in an elongated shape. Fold in length wise, then both sides, then the other edge. 

8.   Put in a pot, cover with boiling water with chicken soup powder, bring to boil, and let simmer for an hour. 

Fruit Cake

Whenever I go visit my grandma it is hard leave without tasting "something sweet" of course.. This cake is very simple to make and somehow no matter how large the meal that precedes it, there is just a little more room for this cake and some hot tea!

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs

3 tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp sour cream

200g kefir

1 bag baking powder

1 bag vanilla sugar

2-3 tbsp all purpose flour

Fruit:  apples, apricots, fruit of choice

METHOD

1.       Add a pinch of salt to the eggs and beat them.

2.       Beat in remaining ingredients to consistency of thick sour cream that doesn’t flow.

3.       Pour more than half the batter into a baking dish, place fruit such as apples or apricots, add cinnamon, and cover with remainder of batter.

4.     Bake at 350F for 30mins.

Radish Salad

Simple and elegant, this salad makes a wonderful accompaniment to any meal!

INGREDIENTS

Daikon radish

Carrots

Apple

Olive oil

METHOD

1. Grate all ingredients coarsely and mix.

Blini

An old typical Russian food, these little yeast pancakes are usually served with smoked salmon or caviar. However, using buckwheat flour can be very palate-specific and not to everyone's liking. If you're feeling adventurous, try these out.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 active dried yeast ( ¼ oz)

1 tsp salt

1 egg, separated

1 tsp sugar

¾ cup lukewarm milk

1 tbsp butter for sautéing

METHOD

1.       Mix the flour, yeast, and salt and make a well in the middle.

2.       Beat egg yolk with sugar and ¾ cup warm water and add to the well. Mix well and cover with damp cloth to let rise until doubles in size – about 2 hrs.

3.       Beat in the milk to make a thick, creamy batter, cover and leave for 1 hr until small bubbles appear on the surface.

4.       Beat the egg white to soft peak stage, then fold into the batter.

5.       Heat a heavy-bottom skillet or crêpe pan and brush with butter.

6.       Drop 1 tsp of batter to make a blin about 1 inch in diameter.

7.       Put on a plate in the oven to keep warm while you make the rest and don’t stack them on top of each other

8.     Serve with sour cream, caviar, salmon.

Sirniki (Farmer's Cheese Pancakes)

My most favorite breakfast ever, these are Russian Tvorog (soft farmer's cheese) pancakes served warm with sour cream. A Saturday morning would rarely be complete without these! The main ingredient is best bought in Russian stores, unfortunately I still haven't found an American equivalent to replace this type of cheese exactly, but check your stores, you never know what you may find when you're looking for it. This recipe is the one my Grandpa used to make for us growing up, and of course now we continue the legacy!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb tvorog (farmer’s cheese, consistency similar to ricotta)

2 egg

½ cup flour

2 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

METHOD

1.  Mix and fry on medium heat till golden.

Oladushki (Buttermilk Pancakes)

These Russian buttermilk pancakes are hearty, soft, and filling, serve with sour cream or your favorite toppings. This particular recipe uses whole wheat flour and turns out perfect every time!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup white flour

1.5 cup buttermilk

1 egg

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

METHOD
1.      Mix liquids and solids separately and then combine.
2.   Fry on medium heat, about 1 tbsp each one.

Russian Vinegret

This classic Russian salad doesn't need much introduction, simply an old and well known favorite. Here it is:

INGREDIENTS

3 Potatoes

1 Medium beet

2 Carrots

3 Dill pickles

¼ lbs Sauerkraut

1/8 cup Olive oil

Salt to taste

METHOD

1.    Cook potatoes, carrots and beets in skin, let them cool down, then peel.

2.    Cut in small cubes (about 1/4 inch) all cooked vegetables and pickles, put in mixing bowl.

3.   Add sauerkraut and oil and mix.

4.  Taste, add salt to taste.

Kotlieti (Ground Meat Patties)

A classic of many cuisines and every day meals, kotlieti are simply ground meat patties, as they are called in Russian. This is my grandma's recipe and it yields light and airy patties thanks to the secret ingredients that she adds - zucchini and soda water! This is one of the dishes we have on regular basis and each time we gobble them up as quickly as possible!

INGREDIENTS

1lb ground turkey

1 medium onion

½ medium zucchini

2 eggs

3-4 garlic teeth

2 tbsp soda water

2-3 tbsp bread crumbs

Salt

Pepper

METHOD

1.  Place onion, zucchini and garlic in food processor to achieve an even mash.

2.  Mix meat with the mash, add eggs, water, and bread crumbs

3. Mix until all the water is absorbed, wet hands and form oval shaped patties about 2" in length and fry on medium-high heat in oil until brown.