The New Year Party

The New Year Party is going to start in about 20 hours. But the preparations had already started.
I will post pictures with all the food for the party which I will have to make myself tomorrow.There will be tones of photos, everything will be described.
Yet I had prepared beef chops, as you can see in the picture.
And also a cherry cake with chocolate.

Cirnaciori with vegetables

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, cirnaciori, mititei and other stuff are Moldavian traditional food. People used to make them for a long time. And they are very very delicious. That's why I like to cook them, because there is now need these days to make them by yourself. You can by the in the market.
The super was consisting of cirnaciori, potatoes and vegetables.

The vegetables as you can see, are frozen. You can buy them in every market. All you have to do is to boil them for 10 min. Which I did for the first time in my life.

The Cirnaciori are also frozen, i cooked them in the microwave oven for 12 min. There is a red stuff on them, which surprised my, never seen something like that. They are probably using something additionally in order to make them look more attractive.
In the end this is what I got. That's a very colorful picture. You can see some broccoli there. But in Moldova we don't have this American tradition to eat broccoli. And we don't raise it.

Recently done

How mush does a kg of the highest quality pork costs in you country? Here in Moldova it is about 80 lei (less than 8$).
What you can see in the picture is what I recently made for super. This is a a slice of pork, fried in egg and flour, with a lot of spices which I like. Also a piece of omelet and paste of tomatoes. It was very delicious, especially when add the Soy Sous. Even though not very healthy :)

Bakery - pie with walnuts

I've made this pie this evening. It is a universal pie, because you can make it with anything you want, any fruits, gem, whatever. This time I've made it with walnuts.

The ingredients are:
6 eggs
2 glasses of flour
1 glass of milk or cream, non-sweet yogurt
1 glass of sugar or 1,5
soda 1 spoon

The method of preparing:
Mix the eggs for 10 min. Than add the sugar and also mix it a lot. That the flour and milk + soda. Mix it until it will have air bubbles. Add the chopped walnuts. Put it in the oven for about 30 min. In the end you should get what you can see in the picture.

Pancakes

Here in Moldova, we don't like fat pancakes. Like in Russia, or USA for example. Since childhood I remember only thin pancakes. In my opinion they are tastier, easier to eat and healthier. You don't get fat from eating 3-4 thin pancakes, than eating fat pancakes.
The following picture represents my own pancakes. As you may notice they look different from the ones in the first picture.

The ingredients are:
1 l of milk
300-400gr of flour (but depends)
2 eggs
sugar
soda
oil

Mix everything and fry:) The best pancakes.

Sausages on potatoes

These days I was really tired, and didn't have enough time to cook something normal.
But it is good when you have some ready products, which can be bought in the super market.
The sausage you see in the picture, is a traditional moldavian sausage. Our grandparents were making these stuff at home. And what is good to mention that these sausages can be very different, like bloody, fatter, bigger, different meat.

























These are different types of sausages. But the next one is the one I bought in the super market. It's a beef one made off.
I just cut the potatoes, put the sausage on them. And put it in the oven for 30 min. It was really great.

Soleanca

This is a type of traditional soup, which is very easy to cook.
It will take you not more than 15 min, to prepare it.

The Ingredients are:
all sort of salami and sausages. About 300-400 gr of different sausages.
onions
carrot
olives
lemon

Method of preparing:
Chop the onion and carrots and fry them all together for 5 min. Than add the chopped sausages, as it is shown in th picture. Fry it for some more minutes. And than add it into a bowl with water. Until it starts boiling. After it add some olives, like 10 for example. And when you put this soup into the plate, you should add a piece of lemon.

Felul 2 - Potatoes with chicken hearts and mushrooms, in the oven

This is my own recipe of potatoes with chicken hearts and mushrooms, made in the oven. But although it is made from traditional ingredients that are used in Moldova. It took me about 40 min. But in the end, it became very tasty and gentle taste. So here it is...

The ingredients are:
8 huge potatoes
1kg of chicken hearts
300 gr of mushrooms
1 onion
spices
mayonnaise

The method of preparing:
Cut the potatoes as it is shown in the pictures and put the in the pan. Than add some spices. The second level should be of chicken hearts, there is no need to chop them. Just put them the way they are. Than cover it with onions.
Another slice should be of mushrooms, follow the pictures. Also add spices.
And again cover it with potatoes. The last step is the mayonnaise.
What is important that there is no need to add any water in it. The hearts will eliminate their own sous and that will be enough. Put it in the oven for 30-40 min.

Some more pictures of bakery - placinte

I like to do them, and every weekend i bake such stuff. Really beautiful looking.

Chicken in cheese sous

This is all about chicken and cheese.
Method of preparing:
Take some chicken and cut into pieces. Prepare a sous in the following way:
flour, cream, spices, and a lot of cheese. Mix everything very good. Each piece of chicken put into this sous and than on a plate. Put it into the microwave oven, or simple oven. For 30 min or 40 min. It depends on the capacity of the oven.
Enjoy.

About Moldvavian Cuisine

I found today a very nice description of Moldavian Cuisine, by a tourist who had the opportunity to taste all those tasty things in Moldova, in a local family who invited him. Taken from here.

"The food consisted of lots of cheeses, small breads, whole small fishes on bread with cheese, smoked fish with Moldovan pevo(beer), a variety of very nice Moldovan, Ukrainian, and Romanian wines, stuffed peppers with sour cream, salads of chopped vegetables, dumplings stuffed and served with garlic sauce, homemade liquors of different berries and fruits. ... We ate this amazing pork to which the likes I have never tasted again I inquired to how this meat tasted so good, and the reply was, they feed their animals in Moldova better food than America and the marinating process is also very important. I will try to get this recipe in order to attempt it one day myself and share....My stay in Moldova was surreal, exciting, and made wonderful by the type of people who live there. If you ever have the fortune to stay in a Moldovan’s Home, you are very lucky and will be well fed by way of very delicious food. There is a minimal American influence, which I really enjoyed, the culture is unique. The hospitality was amazing and is highly recommended by me"

I think it is very beautiful, the person described his impressions about being in Moldova. And I'm sure that everyone else would feel the same.

"Ghiveci" - traditional autumn salad

"Ghiveci" is known in Moldova since old times, because it is made of vegetables which are grown here, are common for this area. This salad is a very healthy one, it contains a lot of vitamins, and it cost is really cheap. Comparing to other recipes, it doesn't suppose meat. That is why it is a vegetarian recipe.

The ingredients are:
2 eggplants
tomatoes
paste of tomatoes
carrot
onions
green pepper
garlic



The method of preparing:
Cut the eggplants into small cubes as it is shown in th picture. Then put them on the pan and fry with oil. The eggplants should change their color, and become brown.

When done, add the onions cut into small pieces and the green pepper. The pepper needs only 10 min, together with the onions to prepare. During this time, you have to cut the tomatoes. When the pepper is ready, put the tomatoes and the paste of tomatoes, about one spoon of paste. And add some water. Cover it, and let some 5 min more.

The result should be one from the picture. In the end add some garlic and spices (salt, black pepper, bay leaf). I assure you that is one of the tastiest thing in the world, and you should definetly try it.

Meat Loaf

This recipe is my own. But anyway it was inspired by the national traditions of preparing and combining different foods. The meat loaf is a hard to make one. It takes a lot of time and involves many ingredients.
My own meat loaf was made in the following way.

The ingredients are:
beef heart
cabbage
onions
tomatoes
cheese
dough

The method of preparing:

Prepare the dough and all the other elements separably.
The heart, or any other meat, and boil it until it's ready. Cut it into small pieces and put apart.
The cabbage should be fried with onions until it will also be ready for eating. Normally add some spices into it.
When everything is ready, you have to try to put it all together.
The dough, rolled on the table. Put some paste of tomatoes on it, just like on a pizza. Then put the cabbage and the meat, over it put some cheese, tomatoes, spices. And enroll it with the dough. You can put also another level of ingredients if you are making a huge meat loaf. It depends.
Take a look at it, how it should look in the picture.
Put it in the oven for 25 min. Enjoy!

Felul 2 - potatoes with beef and mushrooms

This type of traditional food is a very taste one. Beef represents an essential part of Cuisine of Moldova. Together with potatoes, they represent a great combination with a very healthy and delicious taste. So here are the ingredients which are a very simple list. The quantity of every ingredient depends on how many persons are you cooking for.

The ingredients are:
beef
potatoes
mushrooms
carrot
onions
spices


The method of preparing:
Cut the beef into small pieces and fry it in the pan. The when it becomes a little bit fried, add the chopped carrot and onions. Fry them all together. After the onions get a specific golden color add some water and brew it for about 45min-1 hour. It depends on the beef, during this time try to taste it, and if it is almost ready do the following. The chopped potatoes into small pieces, add to the beef. The about 20 min let it brewing. When everything is ready add the mushrooms, which should also be chopped into tiny pieces. The mushrooms don't take a lot of time to prepare - about 3-5 min.
The last thing you have to do is add the spices. I usually add the bay leaf, salt, black pepper, garlic, and some Caucasian mixes are really good (i advise everyone).

Enjoy this wonderful recipe, and look how it should looks in reality.

Red Soup - krasnii borshi - красный борщ

This is a great and hard to prepare soup.
The main elements represent the beetroot and the cabbage. But if you succeed in cooking it, you will be a very happy person.

The ingridients are:
Meat, 250 gr, it can be chicken or beef, or pork
1 beetroot
4 potatoes
250 gr of cabbage
1 carrot
1 onion
tomatoes

The Method of Preparing:
Cut the meat into small pieces. Put it in the pan. Cook until it is already done. Than add the peeled beetroot and wait for 10 min. After it add the peeled cabbage.
When the cabbage is ready add the potatoes and tomatoes. In the end you have to peel the carrot and the onion and fry them a little bit, than add into the soup.
Add some spices not too much, very important is the black pepper and lour leafs.
The soup should be served with cream. Just as it is shown in the picture.

Felul 2 - Marinated Turkey with Mamaliga

Mamaliga is actually the most traditional romanian food that you may ever find. Because people used to grow corn since long time ago. It is cheap, but very healthy and tasty. Even though corn is grown also in US, but they don't make Mamaliga from it. Which is their minus probably, because they just don't know what they miss.

Method of preparing:
Ok, let me tell you how it is prepared. You have to buy in the market the Corn Flour. It is very easy to prepare. You put some water, and wait till it will be boiling. Than add this Corn Flour, little, than some more, and until it will become as a porridge. It will take about 2-3 min. Leave for couple of min, and it will become hard. Here is a picture.

Ok, lets continue with the main food of this super. It is the turkey. It's not a simple turkey, it should be marinated. Doesn't matter which part of this bird you take. I took a wing, for example. Turkeys have really big wings. Marinate with mayonnaise, all sort of spices, maybe some wine, whatever you like. Here is a picture. I put it into white paper, which is used for baking.

The you have to enroll it like it is shown in the picture and put it into the grill for not less than 45 min. Turn it sometimes from one side to another.

This is how it look after 45 min.

Than add some cheese over it, and put together with the porridge. Don' forget about the garlic in the end. Mamaliga, no matter if it is served with meat or fish, always should have garlic.
This is how i looks in the end. Enjoy!

Beef sous with cream!

This is a unique recipe of preparing beef. In the end you will get a very tasty beef sous.

The ingridients are:
0,5 kg of beef
1 big onion
1 big carrot
200gr of cream

Method of preparing:
Take the beef and cut it into small piecies. Put them on the hot pan with some oil. Fry them for couple of minutes. Than cut the carrot and the onion into small pieces. Fry this one for some minutes more until it will become roasted. Than add a little bit of cream, like couple of spoons. This is a secret especially for making meat very gentle in just 10 minutes. After it add some water which will cover everything, and cook it for 15 min.

In the end add the rest of cream, add spices. You can choose any spices you like, but don't forget that this shouldn't be too spicy, because it has cream in it. One of the very important ingriedients should be the garlic. Don't forget about it. Enjoy!

"Placinte cu Brinza" modern version of baked pies with curd

The modern version is very easy and costs less money. All you have to do is by the fluffy dough and 0.5 kg of curd. You can see it in the pictures.

Method of preparing:
Unfreeze the dough. Than cut it into pieces not bigger than your palm. Than you have to prepare the curd. Put it into a bowl and add salt. The traditional "placinte" are very salty, and have a lot of dill. So if you add these two elements you will get the perfect "placinte."

After you put the curd inside the dough as it is shown in the picture, put it in the oven for about 20 min.



Aluatul:
- 1 kg de faina (eu am folosit 300 de gr de manitoba ai 700 de 00, dar fiecare poate folosi faina alba normala pe care o foloseate de obicei)
- 200 gr zahar tos
- 4 oua
- 25 gr drojdie proaspata
- 200 ml lapte
- 150 gr unt topit
Umplutura :
- circa 1 kg branza (eu am folosit ricotta de vaca, proaspata cumparata azi dimineaaa de la piaaa, din pacate nu scrie pe bon cat cantarea exact ai un alt fel de branza tot de vaca proaspata care aici se numeate tomini piemontezi, cred ca an total o fi fost un chilogram, ami pare rau dar acum ami dau seama ca nu am cantarit-o)
- 3 oua
- 100 gr stafide
- esenaa de vanilie
- 4 linguri pline cu varf de zahar pudra (mama mi-a zis: dupa gust, la care am anceput sa-i zic: metoda comunista de uniformizare a gusturilor e subiectiv de tot “dupa gust” ca ce e dulce pentru ea pentru mine poate nu fi suficient de dulce ai invers, aaa ca eu zic ca fiecare sa guste ai sa decida cat zahar merge, mai ales ca depinde foarte mult ai de ce fel de branza folosiai)
- coaja rasa de la o portocala.

"Shuba" - Шуба

This is a traditional russian food, but because of the fact that Moldavian, Russian and Ukranian cuisine have a lot in common, Shuba became something common for this territory.






The ingridients are:
1 herring
1 carrot
1 onion
4 potatoes
1 beetroot
3 eggs
mayonese




The method of preparing:

Put the carrot, the potatoes, the beetroot and the eggs in a bowl and cook them until they will be done. It depends, for example it will take 20 minutes to cook the beetroot and the potatoes, and 10 min for the eggs.
Cut everything into small piecies like you can see in the picture.



Firstly you put the small pieces of herring. Than cover them with circles of onions and pieces of carrot. Than should follow a layer of potatoes. Than arrange on it the eggs. Cover everything with a tiny layer of herring and onions.





One of the last elements is the beetroot. It should be peeled. Arrange it upon everything in a little more bigger size layer than the rest of ingridients.










At the end put some oil apun it and mayonese. Exactly how it looks in the picture.








This is how it should look from one side.

Special Equipment

Ranging from cake pans, can openers, colanders, eggrings, poachers and holders, food dishes and proportioner , food pans and food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets and accessories, the Moldavian cuisine needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to produce the most sophisticated Moldavian dishes. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Moldavian food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, and kitchen thermometers, measuring cups and measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers and strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking “arsenal”.

Preparation Methods for Moldovan Cooking

Moldavian cuisine uses elements from very various cooking traditions burrowed from their neighbors and developed from their own traditional dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Moldavian cooking, we should point out that attention to details is important in the Moldavian cuisine. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential- either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The diversity of the vegetables and cereals found in Moldavia is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportions differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Moldavian regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Moldavian dishes and cure and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.

Moldavian Cuisine

Moldavia is a small country situated in Eastern Europe and it borders Romania to the west and Ukraine to the North, South and East. Moldova is a rich country with fertile soil; the favorable natural and climatic situation favors to the growth of grapes, fruits and numerous vegetables which bring a unique flavor in Moldavian cuisine. Moldavian cuisine maintained some influences along with time passing by; you can find some Greek elements, like placinte or invartite, Mediterranean characteristics such as yeast, vegetable oils, spicy sauces, preparing food with wine; Turkish influences are shown by the tendency to prepare mutton meat; and all these influences improved the Moldavian cuisine. Traditional cuisine of Moldavia is based on crop such as corn, Wheat, rice, potatoes and other cereals; as for meat people from Moldavia prefer poultry, Pork and Beef meat; fish is very rarely used in Moldavian cuisine.

By Geographic Area and Style:

This north eastern region of Romania has had Russia as a neighbor and occupier throughout its history, and Russian influences are often noticed. The traditional bors is a creamy soup made out of tomatoes, and although it is not solely prepared in Moldova, it is most popular here. Other dishes like “parjoale” - dumplings containing Veal meat, onions and garlic are also very popular in this region. Other interesting dishes, such as “poale-n brau” are relatively unknown in the other Romanian regions and are mostly appreciated in Moldova. Moldavian cuisine is also famous for its precise and clear taste. The use of cream, or light sources prepared with a little bit of flour is characteristic for most of the dishes in Moldova.

People from Moldavia prepare many dishes using corn. The traditional Moldavian dish called mamaliga is made of water, salt and corn flour. The corn is also used in soups and garnishes, it is boiled and baked. The vegetables play an important role in Moldavian cuisine. Garnishes and independent dishes are prepared from them. Vegetables are often boiled, baked, stuffed, stewed and salted, and rarely fried. The most appreciated vegetables in Moldavian cuisine are green beans, Lentil, tomatoes, sweet pepper, eggplants, vegetable marrows, potatoes, onions and garlic. People from Moldavia also consume a lot of milk products like yoghurt, milk cream, cheese in various forms and animal products such as eggs. In the eastern side of Moldavia, cabbage pies is the most common dish, cabbage pies are prepared after a Slavic method of salting and souring.