Recipes from Romania

The American students who spent this fall semester in Romania requested I post the recipes for three of the most common foods that Romanians make in the fall and winter: zacusca, salata de vinete, and salata de boeuf.

When making these recipes, remember that cooking for Romanians is more of an art than a science. Most Romanians make each of these foods according to their own family recipe, so even if what you make doesn’t taste EXACTLY like what you ate in Romania, you can experiment until you get it right.


Zacusca (Vegetable spread)
Recipe from Mia Golea

Ingredients:

5 lbs eggplant
5 lbs red peppers
3 lbs green peppers
3 lbs carrots
3 lbs white onions
1 ½ lbs tomato paste
1 ½ lbs oil
bay leaves
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Cook, clean, cut eggplant as follows: Cook eggplants in oven on tray. Rotate them so all sides are cooked. When done, remove from oven. Leave covered with a towel for 5 minutes. Peel off the outer layer. Leave eggplant on a tilted cutting board to drain off liquid. Cut into small pieces.
2. Clean and dice green & red peppers, carrots, and onions
3. put a LITTLE oil in pot with onions.
4. Cook until starts to change color
5. Add carrots and a little more oil
6. Keep stirring!! (You need to stir consistently through this whole process)
7. Add green & red peppers and eggplant and more oil.
8. Add tomato paste and add pepper, bay leaves, and salt
9. When finished cooking, put in canning jars
10. Serve on bread. It can also be added to a grilled cheese sandwich.

This recipe makes about 12-15 pints.


Salata de Vinete (Eggplant spread)
Recipe from Mia Golea

Ingredients:

Eggplants
onion
garlic
salt
pepper

Directions:

1. Cook eggplants in oven on tray. Rotate them so all sides are cooked.
2. When done, remove from oven. Leave covered with a towel for 5 minutes.
3. Peel off the outer layer.
4. Leave eggplant on a tilted cutting board to drain off liquid.
5. Cut into very small pieces.
6. Dice an onion
7. Add garlic, salt, and pepper
8. Add mayonaise
9. Serve chilled on bread.

Note: this same recipe can be used to make a cauliflower spread by substituting boiled cauliflower for the eggplant.


Salata de Boeuf (Winter Vegetable Salad)
Recipe from Magda Balaban

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or chicken
2 lbs potatoes
5 carrots
1 med-sized celery piece (Note: Romanians use celery root not stalk, but either will work)
1 can peas
1-3 boiled eggs
1 lb pickles
mayonnaise
mustard
salt

Directions:

1. Dice all vegetables.
2. Add all ingredients (except boiled eggs, mayo & mustard) together with water in a large sauce pan.
3. Cover in water and boil.
4. When vegetables are soft, drain water.
5. Add diced eggs.
6. Mix in mustard, mayo, and salt to desired taste and consistency.
7. If desired, you can cover the salad with a layer of mayonnaise.
8. Serve chilled.