Food&Recipes

Chicken Saramura  Chicken legs chopped fresh herbs oil salt chicken stock chopped chillies 1. Coat the chicken legs with chopped fresh herbs, oil and salt and leave for 30 minutes, then grill until golden brown. 2. Reduce some stock with chopped chilies to a coating consistency, then add grilled tomato, peppers, onion and garlic to make a light sauce. 3. Serve the chicken on a slice of shallow-fried polenta, coated with the sauce.

Sarmale – Sour Cabbage Rolls 1 Lb ground chicken 1 Lb ground veal or beef 1 Large onion minced 1 cup rice (white) 1 can tomato sauce (non-spiced) 2 cloves garlic 1 Tb paprika 1 Tsp freshly ground pepper 1½ Tsp salt 1 Tbs marjoram 1 Lb sauerkraut 4-5 sprigs of fresh dill or parsley 1-2 bay leaves (imported) 1 Tbs canola oil 6 cups chicken broth (home made) The procedure is very simple. In a large pan, sautee the minced onion and garlic with the oil for about 5 minutes, add the paprika and take off the heat. Add this to a large mixing bowl together with the ground chicken, veal (or beef), rice, ground pepper, salt marjoram, half of the dill chopped and mix well. Lay a bed of sauerkraut (about 1 inch) on the bottom of a large pot (preferably cast iron for optimal heat transfer and distribution), add 2-3 sprigs of dill and build a surrounding wall out of your stuffed cabbage rolls, by placing them seam down and pointing to the center. Fill up the center space with the remaining rolls, sprinkle about 1 tsp salt, pepper to taste, add the bay leaves, 3-4 sprigs of dill, and add the remaining sauerkraut on the top. Don’t top the pot to the rim like I did because the rice will expand while cooking pushing the entire sarmale up. Leave about one inch to the rim. Add the tomato sauce and broth making sure that the liquid level comes up to the top level of rolls. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Boil it for the next 4 hours.

Fried cheese squares. They make a perfect snack, with a crumb crust Ingredients 1/2 lb provolone cheese (Cascaval is the more authentic; if you can find it, by all means use it) 2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water 1 1/2 seasoned bread crumbs (I actually use plain Progresso and add lots of garlic powder) 1-2 cup vegetable oil, for frying lettuce leaf, to serve Directions 1. Slice the cheese into 1-1/2 inch squares that are 1/2 inch thick. 2. Dip first into the beaten egg mixture, then into the seasoned bread crumbs (I find that a"double dipping" of each works the best; after the first dip in the bread crumbs, repeat the process again). 3. Heat oil in a deep skillet until it "shimmers". 4. Fry cheese until golden brown on both sides and a little soft (this does not take very long, and do not completely melt cheese).