April

Paștele  -  Easter

Here is a delicious Romanian menu for Easter:

Appetizers: dyed eggs (ouă vopsite), lamb haggis (drob de miel), spring onions (ceapă verde), bread (pâine)

First course: sour lamb soup (borș de miel)

Second course: lamb onion and garlic stew (stufat de miel)

Third course: lamb roast (friptură de miel)

Dessert: Easter cake with cottage cheese (pască)

Beverages:
for adults: Romanian brandy (țuică) with appetizers, red wine (vin roșu) with roast
for children: water (apă) juice (suc)
 

Lamb haggis (Drob de miel)

Ingredients:
Innards (heart, kidneys, liver, tongue, spleen) from a lamb
2 big onions
2 eggs
1 tablespoon mixed chopped parsley and dill
1 tablespoon chopped green onions (green parts)
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon lard
1 bread slice

Directions:
Grind the innards with the finely chopped raw or slightly fried onion, lard and crustless slice of bread (previously soaked and squeezed dry).
Add salt, pepper, chopped parsley and dill, chopped green onions, beaten eggs and mix everything well. In a well greased pan, set the washed lamb stomach so as to cover the bottom and sides of the pan with room to spare.
Arrange the ground meat mixture, cover with the sides of the stomach and bake.
When ready, turn onto a plate and serve with green lettuce.
 

Sour lamb soup (Borș de miel)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 lbs/750 g lamb
1 qt/1 l water
1/2 qt/0.5 l borsh
1 onion
1 carrot
1 parsley root
1 green pepper
5-6 tomatoes
celery root
2 tablespoons rice
lovage
salt

Directions:
Cut the lamb in pieces, set to boil and remove foam periodically. Add salt and quartered carrot, celery root, onion and parsley root.
Let boil slowly, covered, until the meat is tender. Remove the lamb pieces, move them into a clean pot, remove the vegetables and strain the liquid.
Add this liquid to the lamb pieces. Add the rice, the borsh and let boil until the rice is done. Sprinkle the chopped lovage and before serving, add a beaten egg or a few tablespoons of sour cream at the end.

 

Lamb roast (Friptură de miel)

Ingredients:
3 lbs/1,5 kg lamb meat (from legs)
1-2 tablespoons lard
salt
a few garlic cloves

Directions:
Wash and dry the meat, salt and let sit for a half hour.
Grease a roasting pan with lard, arrange the meat in, pour 2-3 tablespoons of water and place in the oven, first at low temperature, then increase the heat.
When roasted, place on a platter.
Pour a few tablespoons of water in the roasting pan, add a few chopped garlic cloves and set it on top of the range where it should be allowed to come to a boil.
Strain the liquid and pour it over the roast.
Serve with French fries and salad to taste.

 

Lamb onion and garlic stew (Stufat de miel)

Ingredients:
1 lb/500 g Lamb
30 green onions
30 green garlics
3 tablespoons lard
1/2 teaspoon flour
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (or 1 lb/500 g tomatoes)
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt
sugar

Directions:
Cut the meat in pieces and fry it with a tablespoon of lard.
Then add the flour, let it fry a little and remove from heat.
Cut the green onions and garlic in two inch pieces and fry separately in the remaining lard until slightly softened.
Then place over the meat pieces.
Add salt, tomato sauce or boiled and strained tomatoes, sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of water.
Boil for a few minutes then set in the oven until the liquid is substantially reduced.
 

Easter cake with cottage cheese (Pască)

Ingredients:
Sweet bread dough (regular or Russian)
Filling:
1 lb/500 g cottage cheese
4 oz/100 g Raisins
3-4 eggs
1 tablespoon butter
sugar to taste
a little grated lemon peel
salt

Directions:
Mix the ingredients for filling to obtain a homogeneous paste.
Roll a pencil thick sheet out of the sweet bread dough. Place in a baking pan.
From another piece of dough form a long, finger thick roll and arrange it around the sheet, sticking to the walls of the pan.
Place the filling within, without covering the roll on the edges.
Make two more such dough rolls and place them over the filling in an X shape.
After the cake has risen a bit in a warm place, use a little egg wash over the dough rolls.
Set in the oven to bake. Remove from the pan when it is cold.