Chiftele de zucchini (Zucchini Fritters)

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    Am vrut neaparat sa particip din nou la provocarea Dulce Romanie, Provocarea Lunii Iunie fiind organizata de Andie de la Andie's Veggies si care are ca tema un preparat vegetarian. Mi s-a parut foarte buna ideea asa ca musai sa particip si eu cu o reteta, ca daca eram mai inspirata putin participam si cu Prajitura cu capsuni. Blogul lui Andie este unul foarte dragut cu multe retete sanatoase pe care va invit cu drag sa-l vizitati, mai ales ca provocarea aceasta va fi de senzatie, sunt sigura!
    Am cumparat cam mult zucchini si dupa ce am facut pentru a zecea mia oara un minunat tian de legume cu el, ce mi-a ramas am folosit la chiftele de zucchini, o reteta care ne place destul de mult, tinand cont de faptul ca eu nu sunt mare fan dovlecei in general. Am pus totul pe masa si m-am apucat de treaba, ca doar e tare simplu si poti jongla cu ingredientele! Va sfatuiesc sa le incercati ca sunt foarte gustoase, le puteti servi la micul dejun, cina sau pachetel la munca. Banuiesc ca sunt mai light daca le faceti la cuptor, eu una am preferat sa le prajesc, gustul e mult mai intens asa, dupa parerea mea :)
    I really wanted to participate in June's Sweet Romania Challenge hosted by Andie from Andie's Veggies, which has a vegetarian dish as a theme. I thought it's a great theme so I decided to send a recipe, though if I were more inspired I would've send my Strawberry Cake recipe as well. Andie's blog is very cozy with lots of healthy recipes and I invite all of you to check it out, now that this challenge will really be a great one!
    I bought too much zucchini and after I've made for the thousand time the wonderful Vegetable Tian, I used  the rest of zucchini to make some Zucchini Fritters, a recipe that we truly enjoy, considering that I'm not a huge fan of this vegetable. I've put everything on the table and started cooking, since it's easy to make and you can play with ingredients. I advise you to try them out because they're very tasty and you can serve them at breakfast, dinner or at lunch. I guess baking them would make them lighter, I preferred to fry them, I find the taste more intense when fried :)

Ingrediente/Ingredients:                                                       

3 zucchini medii/3 medium zucchini
2 oua/2 eggs
50 g parmezan/50 g parmesan
50 g pesmet/50 g bread crumbs
100 g faina alba/100 g white flour
4-5 catei usturoi/4-5 garlic cloves
patrunjel verde/fresh parsley
sare, piper/salt, pepper
ulei pt prajit/oil for frying

Cum se face/How it's done:

Spalam zucchini-ul bine si il dam pe razatoare cu tot cu coaja, adaugam sare si lasam sa stea vreo 15 minute pentru a elibera zeama.
We wash the zucchini and we grate it with the peel on, we add salt and we let it sit for 15 minutes so we can drain the water.

Cu mainile stoarcem zucchini de zeama lasata si adaugam ouale, faina, pesmetul, parmezanul, usturoiul zdrobit, patrunjelul tocat, sare si piper dupa gust si amestecam bine.
With our hands we drain the zucchini and we add eggs, flour, bread crumbs, parmesan, crushed garlic, chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste and we mix them all together.

Intr-o tigaie incingem ulei si luam cu lingura din compozitie, formand chiftele pe care le prajim cate 2-3 minute pe fiecare parte pana au o culoare maronie.(mie imi plac prajite bine)
We heat the oil in a skillet and we use a spoon to form the fritters which we fry 2-3 minutes on each side until they get a nice golden brown color.(I like them well fried)

Le scoatem pe servete de hartie sa absoarba uleiul.
We take them out on paper towels to absorb the oil.

Servim chiftelele cu sos de iaurt si patrunjel verde sau legume proaspete langa si cu multa pofta :) la cat de bine miroase, ai manca cu cate 2 maini, pe cuvant!
We serve the fritters with a yogurt and parsley dip or with fresh vegetables; they smell so delicious that you wanna eat with 2 hands, trust me!

Mai de aproape...Bon appetit!/Closer...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!

Pui in stil Thai si taitei de orez cu legume (Thai Chicken and Rice Noodles with Vegetables)

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           Nu stiu daca voua vi se intampla, dar eu dezvolt obsesii pentru anumite mancaruri, adica imi plac o perioada de timp exagerat de mult, de nu as manca nimic altceva decat respectiva mancare :)) ei, asa mi s-a intamplat cu preparatele thailandeze...cand am venit in Canada si eram newcomeri inca, eram foarte reticenti cand venea vorba sa incercam preparate din alte bucatarii. Se stie ca Toronto e renumit pentru diversitatea preparatelor culinare din toate bucatariile lumii, fapt pentru care treptat am inceput sa incercam si altceva decat bucataria mediteraneana, foarte apropiata de cea romaneasca. Trebuie sa recunosc ca gusturile mi s-au schimbat treptat si am ajuns sa-mi fie pofta sa mananc mancare mexicana sau chinezeasca, jamaicana sau thailandeza. Banuiesc ca spiritul orasului a reusit sa ma corupa :))
          Astazi vreau sa va prezint reteta pentru puiul prajit in stil Thai cu taitei de orez si legume, una din obsesiile mele recente :) Sursa de inspiratie este The parsley thief. Reteta este una foarte usoara, potrivita pentru o cina in familie, foarte simplu de pregatit si delicioasa. Sper sa va placa!
          I don't know if this happens to you as well, but I have culinary obsessions, that means I really obsess about   

something I want to eat, and it's so intense that I don't want to eat nothing but that particular dish :)) well, this happened recently with Thai food...when we came to Canada and we were newcomers, we weren't too keen on any dishes that weren't Mediterranean or very close flavored to Romanian cuisine. Everybody knows that Toronto is famous for having a diverse range of culinary dishes from all world cuisines, and because of that we

slowly started to try some new stuff as well like Mexican food, Chinese, Jamaican or Thai. I guess the city's spirit got to us :))

   Today I want to present to you the recipe for Thai chicken and rice noodles with vegetables, one of my recent food obsessions :) My inspiration was The parsley thief. This recipe is very light, suitable for a family dinner, very simple to prepare but extremely delicious. Hope you''ll like it!

Ingrediente Taitei de orez cu legume:    
Ingredients for Rice noodles with vegetables:

   300 g taitei de orez/300 g rice
   1 tulpina de telina/1 celery stick
   1 morcov mare/1 big carrot
   2 ardei/2 peppers
   2 cepe verzi/2 green onions
   2 catei usturoi/2 garlic cloves
   4 ciuperci albe (champignon)/4 white mushrooms
   1/2 lingurita ghimbir/1/2 teaspoon ginger
   2 linguri sos de soia/2 tablespoons with soya sauce
   putin ulei/oil
   sare, piper/salt, pepper

Ingrediente Pui in stil Thai:  
Ingredients for Thai Chicken:

  600 g piept de pui taiat felii subtiri/600 g strips of chicken breast
  2 cepe verzi/2 green onions
  2 catei usturoi/2 garlic cloves
  1/2 lta de fulgi ardei/1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  2 linguri de zahar brun/2 tablespoons brown sugar
  1 lingura suc de lamaie verde/1 tablespoon lemon juice
  125 ml sos de soia/125 ml soya sauce
  2 linguri otet de orez/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  1/2 lingurita pasta de ansoa/1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste


Cum se face/How it's made:   

Mai intai facem marinada pentru pui, preferabil cu minim o ora inainte de a-l prepara.
Tocam ceapa si usturoiul marunt.

First we make the marinade for the chicken.

We chop the green onion and garlic.

  
Adaugam peste ele intr-un bol sucul de lamaie, sosul de soia, otetul de orez, zaharul brun, ardeiul iute uscat si pasta de ansoa. Amestecam cu puiul impreuna si lasam la marinat intr-un vas acoperit cu capac in frigider timp de minim o ora (eu am lasat vreo 4 ore)

In a bowl we add the onion and garlic, red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar and anchovy paste, we mix them very well and we add the chicken strips, mixing a little.

We place the chicken with the marinade in a covered dish in the fridge for at least 1 hour.(I left it in the fridge for 4 hours)

Cand puiul a stat suficient la marinat, preparam taiteii.
Curatam legumele si taiem morcovii si ardeii betigase, telina si ciupercile felii, iar usturoiul, ceapa verde si ghimbirul le tocam marunt.

We prepare the noodles:

We wash and peel the vegetables, and we chop the garlic, green onion and ginger.

We cut thin strips of carrot and pepper and we slice the celery stick and mushrooms.

Intr-o tigaie mare punem putin ulei si prajim 1 minute usturoiul cu ceapa verde si ghimbirul.

In a pan with a little bit of oil, we fry the onion with the garlic and ginger for 1 minute.

Adaugam morcovii si telina si lasam la prajit inca 1 minut.

We add the carrot with the celery and fry for 1 more minute.

Adaugam ardeiul si ciupercile, amestecam si lasam se se prajeasca inca vreo 2 minute totul.

We add the peppers and the mushrooms and we fry them for another 2 minutes.

Adaugam taiteii de orez fierti si strecurati.

We add the cooked and drained rice noodles.

Adaugam sosul de soia, sare, piper, si amestecam bine.

We add the soy sauce, salt and pepper and we mix them all very well. 

Et voila varianta vegetariana Singapore noodles care merg foarte bine cu orice fel de carne. Mai de aproape:

These are also known as Singapore noodles (vegetarian ones). Closer:

Acoperim cu un capac pana ne ocupam de pui.
Scurgem puiul de sos si il prajim intr-o tigaie cu putin ulei.
We remove from the stove and we cover the noodles with a lid until we prepare the chicken.

We remove the chicken from the fridge and drain the sauce. We fry the chicken strips in a pan with some vegetable oil until it's golden brown.

Luam de pe foc cand puiul e rumenit frumos.
We remove from the stove.

Servim puiul prajit cu taiteii de orez, este o combinatie excelenta! (Eu am servit si cu broccoli fiert langa).

We serve the chicken with the rice noodles warm.(I added some cooked broccoli). Bon appetit!

Mirosul ce il lasa in casa e uimitor, mi se face pofta doar cand ma uit la poza :))) Mai de aproape...Bon appetit!

The smell is amazing, it makes me drool only when I look at these photos :))) Closer...

Puiul are o aroma superba, doar sa-l incercati o data! Astept comentariile voastre cu obsesiile voastre culinare, daca aveti asa ceva :)) Va doresc un weekend grozav!

I'd be delighted to find out what are your culinary obsessions :) Enjoy the weekend everyone!!!

Orez cu pui si legume + astenie de primavara (Rice with Chicken and Vegetables + spring fatigue)

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          De cand am venit in Toronto nu mai prea stiu ce e aia primavara, deoarece aici iarna e mai lunga ca in Romania, iar trecerea de la iarna la vara se face rapid de obicei, cu diferente foarte mari de temperatura, cel putin asta am observat eu in cele 2 primaveri petrecute deja aici; chiar daca frumosul anotimp ne insoteste cu prezenta foarte scurt daca nu deloc, organismul meu resimte o astenie grozava ca in fiecare an, de nu am chef nici sa gatesc si de aceea nu am activitate in ultimul timp pe blog...daca aveti sugestii pentru alungarea asteniei please let me know...cam asa ma simt zilele astea:




      

        M-am gandit sa postez reteta aceasta super rapida cu orez pe care am facut-o cand ma aflam intr-o stare de lene maxima :) e simplu si delicios si merge perfect cu o salata de ridichi si ceapa verde.

Ingrediente:                                                                                

      200 g piept de pui fiert (il aveam ramas)
      1 ceapa
      1 ardei
      1 morcov
      250 g orez Arborio (bob mic, bun pt risotto)
      patrunjel verde
      unt pt prajit



Cum se face:


Se curata legumele si se toaca marunt. Puiul se taie bucati mai mari. Orezul se spala si se scurge de apa.

Intr-o tigaie punem untul la topit si prajim ceapa cu ardeiul, adaugam morcovul si punem apa, lasam sa fiarba 5 minute.

Adaugam orezul spalat, condimentam cu sare si lasam sa fiarba la foc mic pana orezul e moale, amestecand din cand in cand sa nu se prinda (adaugati cate putina apa daca e nevoie).

Intr-o tigaie separata prajim bucatile de pui condimentate cu sare si piper.

Cand orezul e aproape fiert, adaugam puiul prajit, avand grija sa amestecam.

Condimentam cu sare, piper si presaram verdeata tocata. Servim cu salata de cruditati sau muraturi dupa preferinta. Puiul prajit ii da o aroma mai buna decat daca am face pilaf de orez cu pui proaspat.

Mai de aproape...

Si o poza cu salata minunata si super gustoasa! Bon appetit si va doresc multa energie!!!

English version 


       I can't remember what spring means since I came to Toronto, because here winter lasts longer than in Romania, and passing from winter to summer is so fast, with huge temperature differences, at least that's what I observed in the last 2 springs that I spent here; even though the beautiful season is so short if not absent, my body experiences a very intense spring fatigue like every year, that I'm not in the mood to cook or anything else for that matter, that's why I don't have too much blog activity lately...if you have any suggestions to make this spring fatigue go away, please let me know...this is how I feel lately:
    
  Finding myself in a terrible laziness, I thought I should make this super fast rice recipe. It's simple, delicious and goes perfectly with a radish and green onion fresh salad :)


Ingredients:

      200 g cooked chicken breast

      1 onion

      1 pepper

      1 carrot

      250 g Arborio rice

      fresh parsley leaves

      butter for frying

How it's made:

We peel and chop the vegetables. We cut the chicken in bigger pieces. We wash the rice and drain the water.

In a pan, we melt the butter and fry the onion with the pepper, we add the chopped carrot and pour water, leaving them to cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

We add the washed rice, we sprinkle salt and we let it cook on low heat until the rice is tender, stirring often, to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan.

Meanwhile in a separate skillet we fry the chicken in a little bit of butter.

When the rice is almost cooked we add the fried chicken and we stir them all together, leaving them to cook until the rice is fully cooked.

We spice the rice and sprinkle fresh chopped parsley leaves.

We serve with a fresh radish salad or pickled vegetables if you like. The chicken tastes better with fried chicken than the rice pilaf with fresh chicken.

 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.