Celebration meal

Romania

In Octoberwe harvested our vegetables and prepared some dishes.

Zacuscă / Eggplant Salad (an eggplant appetizer)
Ingredients:
4 medium eggplants
2 green bell peppers
4 red or yellow bell peppers
2 large sweet peppers
2-1/2 pounds canned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup oil (preferably sunflower or olive)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 fresh hot pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Preheat the oven on "broil".
Instructions:
Eggplants: Pierce a few holes in the skin with a fork. Broil one side until the skin is blackened, then turn and broil the other side. When done, cut the stems off and rest the eggplants on a tilted surface to drain the juice for about 15 minutes. Next, peel off the skin and process in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.
Peppers: Core and de-stem the peppers, then broil until the skins are mostly blackened, usually 5 minutes. Once cool, remove the skin from the peppers, chop and set aside.
Next: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they just begin to caramelize (10 minutes). Stir in the tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers and eggplant. Add the salt, black pepper, and sugar. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for about one hour, stirring frequently to keep from burning.
You can and store it in a cool place for 3 or 4 months. You can also eat it immediately.It is delicious spread on crust bread or even as a topping on rice for a quick vegetarian meal. It is also excellent as a sandwich spread.

Salată de legume / Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:
tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, green bell pepper, sunflower or olive oil, salt, (vinegar to taste).
Instructions:
Wash vegetables, slice/chop them. Mix them all in a salad bowl, add oil and salt (and vinegar if you like it).
Eat it with fries, steak etc.

Salată orientală / Oriental Salad

Ingredients:
potatoes, onion, eggs, olives, oil, salt, vinegar.

Instructions:
Boil potatoes and eggs separately then let them cool. Slice them thinly. Chop thinly the onion. Mix them all together. Add olives, a bit of salt (to taste), oil and vinegar. Mix again.
Serve it as appetizer.

 

Murături în oțet / Pickles preserved in vinegar

Ingredients:
sweet red peppers, cucumbers, pepper grains, mustard grains, garlic cloves, horseradish, laurus leaves, salt, sugar, vinegar, water.

Instructions:
Get ready big jars (wash and dry them). Wash vegetables. Slice sweet peppers. Peel garlic and keep whole. Arrange vegetables in jars as many as you can of all kinds, including a few garlic cloves in each jar, few laurel leaves, a piece of horseradish.
Prepare liquid: Mix 1 glassful vinegar, 1 liter water, 1 ½ spoonful salt, 2 spoonfuls sugar. Boil this mixture then leave it cool. Pour the cold mixture into jars till it covers vegetables. Then lid jars tightly. Keep them in a cool place.
Serve with fries, steak, bean soup (ciorbă de fasole).

Fasole bătută / Pure of stirred beans

Ingredients:
beans, garlic, onions, oil, salt, lemon juice.

Instructions:
pick good beans, wash them, leave them in cold water for about 24 hours. Throw water away and boil beans in new clean water. Drain well. Mash beans. Mash garlic too. Stir beans and garlic together till they become like cream. Smooth it adding lemon juice. Place it on a plate and top with frizzled or fried onions.