Tian de legume (Vegetable Tian)

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        De multa vreme am vrut sa fac tianul de legume si sa-l postez, dar tot am asteptat sa-mi cumpar o forma ceramica colorata ca sa o inaugurez cu splendoarea de culori ale legumelor :) nu stiu cum se face, dar tot cautand una care sa-mi placa nu am apucat sa cumpar inca, asa ca am pregatit tianul anyway :) reteta e foarte simplu de preparat si extrem de creativa in sensul ca se pot pune ce legume doriti, plus ca e perfecta pentru caldurile de afara, e usoara si delicioasa! noua ne-a placut atat de mult ca am facut-o de 2 ori intr-o saptamana :)
        I wanted to make this vegetable tian a long time ago, but I kept waiting to buy a colorful ceramic dish so I can obtain an overall beautiful color :) searching for "the" dish, I haven't bought it yet, so I prepared the tian anyway :) the recipe is very easy to make and extremely creative since you can use whatever vegetables you like, plus it's perfect for the hot weather outside, because it's very light and delicious! we liked it so much that I prepared it twice in one week :)

Ingrediente/Ingredients: 


1 vanata mica/1 baby eggplant
1 zuchini/1 zucchini
4 cartofi de 4 feluri (cartof alb, mov, pt copt, si dulce)/4 types of potatoes (white, purple, for baking and sweet) 
5-6 ciuperci mari albe/5-6 big white mushrooms
3 rosii mari/3 Roma tomatoes
1 ceapa/1 onion
2 catei usturoi/2 garlic cloves   
3 linguri ulei de masline/3 tablespoons olive oil
Parmezan/Parmesan     
sare, piper/salt, pepper
cimbru/thyme


Nota/Note:


       In poza apare mai mult material decat am folosit pt o tava. In functie de marimea tavii puteti folosi mai multe sau mai putine./In the photo there are more ingredients that I actually used. Depending on the dish size, you can use more or less vegetables.


Cum se face/How it's made:      


Curatam ceapa si cateii de usturoi si tocam ceapa (eu am pus si rosie putin) marunt. Intr-o tigaie prajim ceapa putin si la final adaugam usturoiul tocat. Dam deoparte si punem ceapa intr-o tava unsa in prealabil cu putin ulei.
We peel the onion and the garlic cloves and we chop the onion (I used some red onion as well). In a skillet we fry the onion and at the end we add the crushed garlic. We place the fried onion in an oiled rectangular baking dish.

  
Spalam foarte bine legumele cu tot cu coaja si le uscam cu un servet de hartie. Le taiem felii cu un slicer sau cu mana daca nu aveti, doar sa fie relativ subtiri si uniform taiate. Ar trebui sa aiba maxim 1 cm in grosime.
We  wash the vegetables very well with their skin on and we dry them with paper towels. We slice them all using a mandolin slicer, or by hand if you don't have one, just make sure the slices are the same size. They should be 1/4 inch thick slices.   

Asezam feliile de legume alternativ in strat uniform peste ceapa. Eu am facut 3 randuri.
We place the vegetable slices alternately on top of the onion. I made 3 lines.             

  
Condimentam cu multa sare pentru ca sunt foarte dulci, adaugam piper, putin cimbru uscat (dupa gust) si picuram cate un strop de ulei peste legume. Acoperim tava cu folie de aluminiu si o introducem in cuptorul preincins la 185 grade pentru cca 35 minute. Dupa 35 min, presaram Parmezan, luam folia jos si mai punem in cuptor pentru inca 25 de minute. Dupa ce s-au rumenit frumos scoatem din cuptor. Servim cald simplu sau langa ceva friptura eventual.
We sprinkle lots of salt because they're very sweet, we add pepper, some thyme and we drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. We cover the dish with foil and we place it in the preheated oven at 370 degrees for 35 minutes. After 35 min, we remove the foil, we sprinkle Parmezan and we place the dish in the oven for another 25 minutes. When the vegetables are golden brown on top, we remove the baking dish from the oven. We serve them warm as they are or with steak if you prefer.     

Bon appetit!

Ciorba de ardei umpluti (Stuffed Peppers Soup)

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            Desi imi place foarte mult supa de ardei umpluti o pregatesc destul de rar acasa deoarece sotul meu nu e fan supe cu bulion si banuiesc ca noi toate incercam sa gatim pe gustul intregii familii de obicei, nu? Din cand in cand o incerc totusi in speranta ca voi obtine aroma deosebita pe care i-o dadea bunica mea si chiar daca nu e la fel, amintirea e foarte frumoasa! La mine fiecare mancare are o anumita istorioara si mereu corelez aroma cu amintirea :) Cum afara caldura inca nu a preluat controlul de tot, am zis ca e o ocazie buna sa pregatesc ciorba aceasta :)
          Aceasta reteta merge si la YBR, provocarea organizata de Nancy de la SpicieFoodie! Va recomand cu mult drag blogul ei, e unul dintre cele mai bune!
           Though I love stuffed peppers soup I rarely make it since my husband is not a huge fan of tomato based soups and I guess all of us try to cook food that all family enjoys right? Once in a while I make this soup hoping that I'll get that special flavour my grandma's soup used to have, and even though it's never the same, the way I remember it is always special :) For me every dish has a history and I always relate the flavour to my memory :)  Because heat didn't take control outside yet, I thought it'd be a great occasion to cook this delicious soup :)
            This recipe also goes to YBR, the challenge organised by Nancy from SpicieFoodie! I greatly recommend her blog, as it's one of the best out there! 

Ingrediente/Ingredients:

400 g carne tocata  porc/400 g ground pork
100 g orez bob mic/100 g Arborio rice
8-10 ardei mici dulci/8-10 small sweet peppers
2 morcovi/2 carrots
2 patrunjei radacina/2 parsley roots
1/4 telina/1/4 celery root
2 cepe/2 onions
1 rosie mare/1 big tomato
300 ml bulion/300 ml tomato sauce
1 lingura faina/1 tablespoon with flour
patrunjel frunze/parsley leaves
sare, piper/salt, pepper            

Cum se face/How it's made:  

Mai intai pregatim umplutura de carne/We first prepare the meat filling:
Intr-un castron punem carnea, orezul spalat, o ceapa tocata marunt, sare, piper si le amestecam bine.
In a bowl we combine meat, washed rice, one chopped onion, salt and pepper.

Spalam bine ardeii, taiem capacul si scobim cu grija miezul si semintele din interiorul ardeiului. Ii scobim pe toti si ii dam deoparte.
We wash the peppers and we roundly cut the tops off and we discard stems and seeds. We set aside.

Curatim ceapa, si radacinoasele si le tocam toate marunt.
We peel vegetables and chop them.  

Intr-o oala prajim putin ceapa, adaugam legumele tocate si punem cam 2 litri de apa si sare.
In a large pot, we  fry the onion, we add the vegetables and 2 litres of water plus some salt.  

Pana cand supa incepe sa fiarba, umplem ardeii cu carne si ii presaram cu putina faina la capete, ca sa nu iasa carnea.
Until the soup starts to boil, we stuff the peppers with the meat filling and we sprinkle some flour at the ends, so the meat doesn't get out.   

Cand apa incepe sa fiarba adaugam ardeii cu grija si ii lasam sa fiarba pana cand orezul este moale.
When the soup starts to boil we add the stuffed peppers carefully and we let the soup boil until the rice is cooked.

Cand ardeii sunt fierti, intr-o tigaie prajim faina cu putin ulei si adaugam bulionul, amestecam bine si adaugam la supa. Amestecam bine, lasam sa fiarba vreo 2 minute si adaugam patrunjel tocat si condimente.
When the peppers are done, in a skillet we fry the flour with some oil, we add the tomato sauce and we pour it in the soup. We stir and we let it boil for another 2 minutes and we add chopped parsley and spices.

Servim cu multa pofta. Se poate pune smantana daca va place, eu o prefer simpla. Bon appetit!
We serve the soup with lots of appetite. You can add sour cream if you desire. I prefer it simple. Bon appetit!

Supa de rosii cu galuste de faina (Tomato Soup with Flour Dumplings)

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       Cum afara e frig si ploua acum (aseara a nins de zici ca venea Craciunul din nou!) m-am gandit ca o supa de rosii ar fi foarte potrivita! Am vazut la multe fete pe bloguri reteta aceasta preparata cu galuste de gris, dar eu am invatat de la bunica mea reteta cu galuste de faina, imi place mult asa, si se pare ca nu numai mie, chiar o vazusem si la Bucatarul maniac pe site. Anyway, pentru cei care ar vrea ca supa sa fie de post, va recomand sa inlocuiti galustele cu orez sau paste mici care nu contin ou, etc...

Ingrediente:          

Pt supa:


     1 ardei mare
     2 morcovi
     1/4 telina mica
     1 ceapa
     300 ml rosii pasate (bulion)
     patrunjel verde
     sare, piper
     1 lingurita zahar

Pt galuste:


     2 oua
     aproximativ 100 g faina (depinde de marimea oului)
     putina sare

Cum se face:


Spalam, curatam legumele si le tocam.

Intr-o oala cu 2 litri apa cu sare punem zarzavatul tocat si lasam sa fiarba la foc mic acoperit.

Cand zarzavatul e fiert pe jumatate, adaugam o lingura de ulei si bulionul in oala si amestecam bine.

Condimentam si lasam sa fiarba 5 minute.
Intre timp batem ouale intr-un bol mic si adaugam faina cate putin amestecand continuu.

Adaugam faina pana cand obtinem un amestec fluid gros ca in poza de mai jos.

Cand supa fierbe incet, luam o lingura de supa, o clatim in supa si luam din compozitia de galuste cate putin si introducem in oala cu supa, lasand galusca sa alunece usor de pe lingura. (supa trebuie sa fiarba usor)
Continuam la fel pana terminam toata compozitia. Daca vi se pare ca galusca se destrama, atunci mai adaugati faina. La mine observati ca sunt si bucati mai mici, mie asa imi plac, noi le zicem "zdrente" :)

Lasam galustele sa fiarba vreo 7 minute, condimentam cu sare, piper, zahar si adaugam patrunjel verde. Bon appetit!

  

English version          

                
       Since it's a cold and rainy day (last night it snowed) I thought I should make a delicious tomato soup! If you want to fast, you can make semolina dumplings instead of flour ones, I saw that many girls do that. I personally prefer the flour dumplings for this soup. It turned out to be exactly as my mother used to make :)        

Ingredients:             

For the soup:

     1 big pepper

     2 carrots

     1/4 cellery root

     1 onion

     300 ml strained tomatoes

     fresh parsley

     salt, pepper

     1 teaspoon sugar

For the dumplings:

     2 eggs

     around 100 g flour (depending on the size of the eggs)
     a pinch of salt

How it's made:

We wash, peel and chop the vegetables.

In a large pot with 2 litres salted water we add the chopped vegetables and let them cook covered on low heat.

When the vegetables are tender, we add 1 tablespoon of oil and the strained tomatoes, we stir an let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile we beat the eggs and we add flour gradually, mixing very well until we obtain a thick batter like in the picture.

When the soup is slowly boiling we take a tablespoon which we introduce in the soup, and then we take from the dumpling mixture and slowly place the spoon in the soup until the dumpling falls off the spoon.

We continue like that until we finish the dumpling mixture. If you see that the dumplings fall apart in the soup, you can add a little bit more flour to the mixture.

We let the dumplings cook for 7 minutes, we pute salt, pepper and sugar and the chopped parsley and we set aside. Bon appetit!

Carne de vitel in sos vanatoresc (Veal in Hunter's Sauce)

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            Desi nu ma omor prea tare dupa carnea de vita in general, sunt cateva retete pe care le prepar destul de des si care au ramas preferate dupa multi ani de zile. Varianta aceasta de a prepara carnea de vita este deosebit de delicioasa, similara ca aroma cu Boeuf Bourguignon (postata anterior de mine), dar mai buna zic eu, probabil pentru ca e mai "light" putin :)  Sper sa va placa daca o incercati si sa devina o favorita si in familia voastra!

Ingrediente:          

       700 g carne vitel
       2 morcovi mari
       1 patrunjel radacina (eu nu am avut acum)
       1/4 telina
       2 cepe
       1/2 ardei rosu mare
       1 rosie
       2 catei usturoi
       150 ml vin rosu
       2 lingurite pasta tomate
       3 foi dafin
       sare, piper


Cum se face:


Spalam carnea, o taiem bucati si o punem la fiert intr-o oala cu apa sarata la foc mic, avand grija sa luam spuma de pe carne.

Intre timp spalam si curatam zarzavatul si tocam marunt ceapa, morcovul (puteti taia niste rondele de decor), patrunjelul, telina, ardeiul, rosia si le dam deoparte.

Cand carnea e fiarta, o strecuram, pastrand supa.
Intr-o cratita punem 2 linguri de ulei si punem carnea la prajit pt 10 secunde.

Adaugam zarzavatul tocat si lasam sa se prajeasca impreuna timp de 10 minute, amestecand din cand in cand.

Dupa 10 minute, punem rosiile, pasta de tomate si completam cu supa de carne pastrata, pana cand depaseste putin carnea. Adaugam sare si lasam sa fiarba acoperit la foc mic, pana cand legumele sunt moi.

 Cand legumele sunt aproape fierte, adaugam vinul, usturoiul zdrobit, sare, piper, foile de dafin si lasam sa fiarba inca vreo 5 minute la foc mic, fara capac.

Lasam sa se raceasca putin si servim cu cartofi piure, orez sau paste dupa preferinta, alaturi de un pahar de vin rosu :) Bon appetit!

Daca vreti un sos mai gros, puteti adauga o lingura de faina sau il puteti pasa de asemenea.

Mai de aproape...carnea e frageda si aromata, iar legumele sunt o nebunie!!!

English version


        I'm not a huge fan of beef meat in general, but there are a couple of recipes that I prepare often and which remained my favorites after a long time. This way of preparing beef or veal is delicious, similar to the flavour that Boeuf Bourguignon has (previously posted by me) but even better if I might add, probably because it's "lighter" :) I hope you enjoy it if you try it and maybe it'll become one of your family's favorites as well!

Ingredients:             

       700 g veal (or tender beef meat)

       2 big carrots

       1 parsley root (I didn't have any this time)

       1/4 of a celery root

       2 onions

       1/2 big red pepper

       1 tomato

       2 garlic cloves

       150 ml red wine

       2 tablespoons tomato paste

       3 bay leaves

       salt, pepper

How it's made:

We wash the meat, we cut it in smaller pieces and we cook it in a pot with salted water on low heat, making sure we remove the foam from the meat.

Meanwhile we wash, peel and chop the onion, carrots (you can cut some slices for decorating if you want), celery, pepper, and tomato, and leave them aside.

When the meat is cooked, we drain the meat and keep the soup.

In a large pot we heat up 2 tablespoons of oil and we fry the meat for 10 seconds.

We add the chopped vegetables and we fry them all together for 10 minutes, stirring often.

After 10 minutes we add the tomatoes and the tomato paste and we pour soup (the one we kept) until it reaches above the meat, we add some salt and we let them cook covered on low heat.

When the vegetables are almost done, we remove the lid, and we add the crushed garlic, the bay leaves, spices and we pour the wine. We stir and let it cook for another 5 minutes on low heat.

We leave it to cool down and we serve with smashed potatoes, plain cooked rice or pasta as a side dish.

Bon appetit!

If you would like a thicker sauce you can add a tablespoon of flour or blend the vegetables to obtain a cream.

                               

Salata Niçoise (Salade Niçoise)

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           Am observat ca nu am retete de salate postate pe blog, asa ca e musai sa postez si eu cateva, mai ales ca sunt foarte gustoase, rapid de preparat si mult mai sanatoase. Pentru astazi am ales salata Niçoise, o salata de origine frantuzeasca ce contine ton, ansoa, fasole verde, oua fierte, rosii si masline. Reteta originala nu contine legume fierte, dar eu m-am abatut putin de la varianta originala :)

Ingrediente:   (pt 2 persoane)                                    
      200 g ton bucati
      50 g file de ansoa
      3 oua
      3 cartofi
      150 g fasole verde
      4 rosii mici
      100 g masline negre (eu am pus kalamata)
      3 frunze de salata verde
      putin Parmezan


 Pt vinaigrette:  

    2 catei usturoi
    6 linguri ulei de masline (eu am folosit ulei de floarea soarelui)
    1 lingura otet balsamic (eu am pus de mere)
    oregano proaspat
    sare, piper
    mustar optional (apare in poza, dar nu l-am folosit-are o aroma prea tare dupa parerea mea)


Cum se face:


Curatam cartofii de coaja, ii taiem cuburi si ii punem la fiert in apa cu sare. Cand sunt fierti, ii scurgem de apa si ii punem deoparte.

 Curatam si fasolea verde, o spalam bine si o punem la fiert in apa sarata separat, in paralel cu cartofii. Cand e aproape fiarta o scurgem de apa si o punem deoparte.

In timp ce cartofii si fasolea verde fierb, punem la fiert si ouale timp de 12 minute (sa fie fierte tari), le curatam de coaja si le dam deoparte.
Pregatim vinaigrette-ul intr-un bol mare : zdrobim usturoiul, punem peste oregano tocat marunt (e mai bun proaspat), adaugam uleiul, otetul, sare, piper (eu am renuntat la mustar)  si amestecam bine.

Taiem maslinele bucati, pregatim ansoa, rosiile si ouale le taiem sferturi si le punem deoparte.

Cand toate ingredientele sunt pregatite, punem in bolul cu sos cartofii fierti, fasolea verde, maslinele si rosiile si le amestecam usor cu o lingura, fara a le zdrobi.
Asezam cate o frunza de salata verde in farfurie si adaugam salata din bol peste care punem ansoa, bucati de ton si oua fierte, presaram putin parmezan si servim.

Salata e foarte consistenta, sosul delicios, iar ansoa ii da o aroma deosebita. Categoric repetam curand :)
Mai de aproape...Bon appetit!!!

English version


         I've noticed that I don't have any salad recipes posted, so I must post some since they're so tasty, easy to prepare and a lot healthier than other dishes. For today I chose Niçoise Salad, a French salad that contains tuna, anchovies, green beans, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and black olives. The original recipe does not contain any cooked vegetables, but I added some anyway :)

  

Ingredients:   (serves 2)                                        

      200 g tuna

      50 g anchovies fillets

      3 eggs

      3 potatoes

      150 g green beans

      4 small tomatoes

      100 g black olives (I used Kalamata)

      3 lettuce leaves
      Parmesan optional

 For the vinaigrette:    

    2 garlic cloves

    6 tablespoons olive oil (I used sunflower oil)

    1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I used apple cider)

    fresh oregano 

    salt, pepper

    Dijon mustard optional (It appears in the picture, but I chose not to use it since it has a strong flavour)

How it's done:

We peel the potatoes, cut them in bigger pieces and we cook them in salted water. When they're tender we drain the water and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, we wash the green beans and boil them as well in salted water. When the beans are almost done, we drain the water and set aside.

While the vegetables are boiling, we hard boil the eggs in salted water for 12 minutes, we peel them and set aside.

We prepare the vinaigrette:  in a large bowl we crush the garlic, we add the chopped fresh oregano, 6 tablespoons of oil, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, salt, pepper and we mix them all together.

We quarter the olives, eggs and tomatoes and set aside.

In the bowl we add on top of the vinaigrette the potatoes, the green beans, olives, tomatoes, we mix them gently, without smashing them.

On a plate, we place a lettuce leaf and we add salad, and on top we place tuna chunks, quartered eggs with the sunny side up and anchovies, we sprinkle some Parmesan and we serve. Bon appetit!

Varza a la Cluj (Romanian Cabbage a la Cluj)

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            Varza a la Cluj este o mancare traditional romaneasca specifica zonei Ardealului de unde sunt si eu, probabil de aceea imi place atat de mult :) Unii cunosc aceasta reteta sub denumirea de "sarmale imprastiate" sau "varza in straturi la cuptor", dar indiferent cum o numiti, este o mancare extrem de delicioasa ce ocupa un loc de cinste in cartea mea de bucate! Imi pare rau pentru cei care tineti post daca va fac pofta (in caz extrem puteti inlocui carnea cu un amestec de legume)

Ingrediente:  

       800 g carne tocata de porc+vita
       1 varza mare (1-1.5 kg)
       1 ceapa mare
       1 rosie
       150 g orez
       200 g bacon optional
       300 ml suc tomate
       sare, piper



Cum se face:

Mai intai curatam si spalam varza, o taiem fidea, presaram sare si o punem intr-o oala mai mare la calit pentru aproximativ 20 minute la foc mic, avand grija sa amestecam ca sa nu se prinda.

Cand varza e moale, o condimentam cu sare si piper si o dam deoparte.

 Tocam ceapa marunt si o punem la calit in o lingura de ulei.

Cand ceapa s-a inmuiat putin, adaugam carnea tocata, amestecam si lasam la foc mic sa fiarba.

Intre timp fierbem orezul in apa cu sare si il strecuram.
Cand carnea incepe sa se rumeneasca, adaugam orezul fiert si amestecam, condimentam cu sare si piper si dam deoparte.

Taiem cateva felii de bacon pentru decor iar restul taiem cubulete si le prajim intr-o tigaie.(se poate renunta la bacon)

Intr-un vas ce intra la cuptor (sticla, vas roman, dutch oven, ce doriti) punem 2 linguri ulei si incepem sa facem straturi, asezand primul strat de varza calita peste care punem din loc in loc bacon prajit.

Asezam un strat de carne tocata cu orez.

Punem bulion din loc in loc deasupra.

Continuam cu straturile, iar ultimul strat va fi cu varza, peste care asezam felii de bacon si rosii si turnam 100 ml apa.

  Dam tava la cuptorul preincins la 180 grade pentru 40 minute, timp in care aromele se vor imbina frumos :)

Dupa 40 de minute si o pofta cat carul scoatem tava din cuptor. Voila!

Lasam sa se raceasca putin si servim cu ardei iute sau smantana (cui ii place). Desi e o mancare "heavy duty", are o savoare de nedescris! Bon appetit!

English version    


         Romanian Cabbage a la Cluj it's a traditional dish that comes from Ardeal, where I come from as well, probably that's why I love it :) Some people know the recipe named as "scattered cabbage rolls" or "layered cabbage in the oven", but whatever the name you know it by, it's a delicious recipe which occupies a special place in my cook book.
        

Ingredients:    

       800 g minced pork+beef meat

       1 big green cabbage (1-1.5 kg)

       1 big onion

       1 tomato

       150 g rice

       200 g bacon optional

       300 ml strained tomatoes

       salt, pepper

How it's made:

First, we wash the cabbage and we chop thinly the cabbage, we sprinkle salt and we cook it in a large pot on medium heat for 20 minutes, making sure we stir once in a while.

When the cabbage has softened, we spice it and set aside.

We peel and chop the onion and we fry it in a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil.

When the onion has softened, we add the minced meat, we stir and we let it cook on low heat.

Meanwhile we wash the rice and we cook it in salted water and when it's done, we drain the water.

When the meat starts to fry (the water has evaporated) we add the cooked rice, we add spices, stir and set aside.

We cut some bacon slices for decorating the dish, and we chop the rest and fry it in a pan.

In a large glass dish or a dutch oven (if you prefer) we start to make the layers.

We put 2 tablespoons of oil and we place the first layer of fried cabbage and some bacon above.

We add one layer of meat and rice.

We pour some tomato sauce from place to place and continue with the layers until we finish with a cabbage layer. We add bacon and tomato slices and we pour 100 ml of water.

We place the dish in a preheated oven at 365 degrees for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes and a lot of hunger, we take the dish out of the oven. Voila!

We let it cool off and we serve it warm with hot pepper or sour cream (optional). Even though it's a heavy duty meal, it has an unbelievable flavor! Bon appetit!