Nu pot continua aceasta calatorie fara sa ma opresc pe la Radesti la Coca pentru a degusta mancarurile ei traditionale. Pentru ca nu se astepta sa ”vin in vizita”, avea doar cateva feluri de mancare pregatite, asa de weekend 😉 . O vizita anuntata ar fi insemnat cam de 3 ori pe atat 😉 pentru ca ea este ospitaliera, primitoare si gateste al naibii de bine, asa cum a invatat impreuna cu mama de la strabunica si bunica mea. La ea gasesti mereu cate o ciorba sau o friptura care fierbe incet pe soba cu lemne in care mai adauga apoi cate un ingredient-minune pentru a da mancarii gustul final si desavarsit: un pic de untura, un pic de telina sau un pahar cu vin ori o lingura cu smantana.

Orice vizita a mea la Radesti incepe cu un tur prin bucatarie pentru a descoperi bunatatile care ma asteapta, apoi cu turul gradinii pentru a vedea daca iarba e suficient de mare pentru a fi cosita sau daca sunt cirese amare si struguri dulci de toamna si continua cu gradina de legume si cu bucataria de vara unde se gatesc cele mai adevarate tocanite sau zacusti pentru iarna. Turul meu continua apoi pe la florile din curtea interioara, la leaganul din fata casei si in casa insasi pentru ca vreau sa imi aduc aminte de tot, asa cum era in copilarie cand imi placea sa ma pierd cu orele prin iarba mare din gradina, sau intr-un cires ori pe acoperisul surii sa mananc cele mai delicioase dude. Odata ce toate aceste amintiri se invaluie in mintea mea cu mirosurile si senzatiile de atunci, sunt gata sa ma asez la masa mare din bucatarie, sa stau la o vorba cu Coca si sa degust toate bunatatile ei. Si daca nu reusesc sa ma descurc cu toate, nu-i bai, ca le iau la pachet 😉 .

Dar destul despre mine, am mai scris eu despre Radesti in aceasta Poveste, acum hai sa gatim impreuna cu Coca ca mie, cel putin, mi-a facut o pofta…

Orice gospodina cu experienta potriveste ingredientele ‘cu mana’ si le gateste asa cum simte, dupa gust. Si aprope sigur: la foc mic, incet si cu rabdare. Asa nu da gres niciodata. Coca a incercat sa imi spuna exact reteta pentru fiecare fel pe care l-a gatit, dar pentru ‘final touch’ va trebui sa faceti si voi la fel ca ea: sa vedeti daca mai trebuie un pic de sare sau de usturoi sau un pic de vin acolo unde este cazul etc.

Incepem cu o salata pufoasa de icre de crap. De fapt ar trebui sa incepem cu icrele de crap pe care Coca le recolteaza si le pune intr-un borcan la frigider cu multa sare apoi le foloseste tot anul.
Ingrediente:
– o ceasca de gris
– 3 linguri de icre
– o ceapa razuita fin
– ulei
– zeama de lamaie
– sare

Mod de preparare: 
Se fierbe grisul in apa cu sare cat sa fie mai tare; se lasa la racit. Icrele se scot din saramura, se spala si se scurg.
Se freaca jumatate de cantitate de gris cu cate putin ulei pana incepe sa creasca, apoi se adauga treptat icrele continuand sa turnam ulei si sa amestecam. La sfarsit se incorporeaza treptat cealalta jumatate de gris si se amesteca pana devine o crema pufoasa. Se adauga ulei in functie de cat de mare sau de concentrata va fi salata. La final se adauga ceapa, zeama de lamaie si se mai potriveste de sare daca este nevoie.
Se lasa la rece 24 de ore inainte de servire.

E tare buna salata de icre dar hai sa lasam un pic de loc si pentru ghiveciul de legume care arata apetisant si pe care il puteti servi cu paine de casa prajita.
Ingrediente:
– 5 cepe taiate marunt
– 5 ardei taiati marunt
– 5-6 rosii decojite taiate cubulete
– un dovlecel razuit
– putin suc de rosii, lapte, faina
– un buchetel de frunze de telina si patrunjel maruntite
– ulei

Mod de preparare:
Se caleste ceapa in ulei, apoi se adauga ardeiul si se calesc impreuna pana se inmoaie; se adauga rosiile cubulete, dovlecelul si se fierbe la foc mic.
Cand este gata se adauga putin suc de rosii si putina faina cu lapte pentru a ingrosa compozitia. Se potriveste de sare si se adauga verdeata.
Mie imi place sa servesc cu paine proaspata. E delicios!

Acum ca am terminat cu aperitivele, ar merge o friptura de vitel in sos de vin care se poate servi cu cartofi natur. Si cu un pahar de vin rosu langa, din cel de care puneti in friptura.
Ingrediente:
– 1,5 kg carne de vitel
– 3 cepe taiate marunt
– usturoi
– 1 pahar de vin rosu
– un buchetel de frunze de telina maruntite
– sare
– piper
– ulei pentru calit

Mod de preparare:
Carnea se feliaza si se tine in bait la frigider timp 12 ore inainte de a fi gatita. Baitul se face din vin, ulei, bucatele de morcovi, ceapa, piper. Inainte de a fi gatita, se scoate din bait si se scurge.
Se caleste ceapa in ulei apoi se adauga carnea, se sareaza  si se lasa sa fiarba la foc mic adaugand cate putina apa din cand in cand si amestecand cu o spatula de lemn; cand este gata, dupa aproximativ o ora – o ora si jumatate (depinde de carne), se adauga usturoiul zdrobit, un pahar de vin si frunzele de telina si se mai fierbe inca 20 de minute. Se potriveste de sare si piper.
Si se serveste imediat langa paharul de vin 😉

Nu mergem inca la desert pentru ca mai avem si o tocanita de bureti asa cum se spune la Radesti (pe numele lor oficial ghebe, hribi sau galbiori).
Ingrediente:
– ciuperci de padure feliate
– ceapa taiata marunt
– sare
– piper
– putin usturoi
– ulei pentru calit

Mod de preparare:
Se caleste ceapa in ulei apoi se adauga ciupercile feliate; se sareaza si se calesc la foc mic pana scade apa si se inmoaie ciupercile. La sfarsit se adauga putin usturoi zdrobit si se mai calesc 10 minute.
Se servesc cu paine proaspata de casa.

Si la final, desertul: placinta cu branza de vaci.

Ingrediente aluat:
– 1 kg faina
– 3 oua
– o mana de zahar 😉
– 4 linguri iaurt
– 3 linguri smantana
– putin lapte
– ulei
– drojdie
– sare
– o tava dreptunghiulara
– un ou pentru uns prajitura deasupra
– folie de aluminiu pentru copt

Ingrediente crema de branza:
– 1-1,2 kg branza d evaci
– 3 oua
– zahar dupa gust
– stafide
– coaja rasa de la o lamaie
– un praf zahar vanilat
– 1 lingura gris
– o lingura untura

Mod de preparare:
Aluat
Se amesteca drojdia cu putin lapte caldut, cu faina, cu zaharul, un praf de sare si se framanta usor apoi se adauga celelalte ingrediente: cele 3 galbenusuri, smantana, iaurtul, putin ulei si se framanta bine pana se formeaza un aluat moale care se desprinde de pe maini. In functie de textura mai adaugati faina sau lapte. Albusurile se bat spuma si se incorporeaza in aluat apoi se lasa 45 minute sa creasca acoperit cu un prosop.

Crema de branza
Se amesteca branza cu galbenusurile, stafidele, zaharul,  coaja de lamaie, vanilia, grisul si untura. Albusurile se bat spuma si se incorporeaza in crema de branza la final.

Dupa ce a stat la dospit, aluatul se imparte in 3 bucati egale iar fiecare bucata se intinde pe blatul de lucru astfel incat sa rezulte un dreptunghi de lungimea tavii. Se intinde 1/3 din crema de branza deasupra pe blat si se ruleaza apoi se aseaza in tava. Se procedeaza la fel si cu celelalte 2 bucati de aluat.

Se lasa placinta la dospit timp de 30 minute acoperita cu prosopul de bucatarie.
Incigeti cuptorul la 175 grade Celsius. Ungeti placinta cu oul batut si dati la cuptor.
Se coace timp de 30 minute cu folie de aluminiu deasupra pentru a nu se arde. Se scoate folia si se mai coace 10 minute pana se rumeneste.

Acestea fiind spuse, ii multumesc Cocai pentru ca mi-a acceptat provocarea si de abia astept sa ne vedem cu totii. Cat despre felurile de mancare, sper ca v-au placut. Aveti grija!

And now the English version of this story…

I can’t continue this journey without stopping at Radesti by Coca to taste her traditional dishes. Because he didn’t expect me to “come visit”, he only had a few dishes ready, just for the weekend;). An announced visit would have meant about 3 times as much;) because she is hospitable, welcoming and cooks damn well, as she learned it with my mother from my great-grandmother and grandmother. Here you’ll always find a soup or a steak that boils slowly on the wood stove and then she add a miracle ingredient to give the food the final and perfect taste: a little lard, a little celery or a glass of wine or a tablespoon of sour cream.

Any visit to Radesti starts with a tour of the kitchen to discover the goodies that await me, then a tour of the garden to see if the grass is big enough to be mowed or if there are bitter cherries and sweet autumn grapes and continue with vegetable garden and summer kitchen where the real stews are cooked for the winter. My tour then continues to the flowers in the inner courtyard, to the swing in front of the house and in the house itself because I want to remember everything, as when I was a child when I liked to spend hours lying in the big grass in the garden, or in a cherry tree or on the roof to eat the most delicious mulberries. Once all these memories are enveloped in my mind with the smells and sensations of that time, I am ready to sit at the big table in the kitchen, talk to Coca and taste all her goodies. And if I can’t handle everything, don’t worry, I’ll pack them in a doggy bag;).

But enough about me, I wrote about Radesti in this story, now let’s cook with Coca.

Any experienced cook fits the ingredients ‘by hand’ and cooks them as she feels, according to taste. And almost certainly: on low heat, slowly and patiently. That way it never fails. Coca tried to tell me exactly the recipe for each dish she cooked, but for the ‘final touch’ you will have to do the same as her: see if you need a little more salt or garlic or a little wine where appropriate, etc.

We start with a fluffy carp caviar salad. In fact, we should start with the carp eggs that Coca harvests and puts in a jar in the refrigerator with a lot of salt and then uses them all year round.
Ingredients:
– a cup of semolina
– 3 tablespoons of caviar
– a finely grated onion
– oil
– lemon juice
– salt

It’s a very tasty caviar salad, but let’s leave some space for the vegetable pot that looks appetizing and that you can serve with home made toast.
Ingredients:
– 5 finely chopped onions
– 5 finely chopped peppers
– 5-6 peeled tomatoes cut into cubes
– a grated zucchini
– a little tomato juice, milk, flour
– a bouquet of chopped celery leaves and parsley
– oil

Method of preparation:
Fry the onion in oil, then add the pepper and fry together until soft; add diced tomatoes, zucchini and simmer.
When ready, add a little tomato juice and a little milk and flour to thicken the composition. Season with salt and add greens.
I like to serve with fresh bread. So delicious!

Now that we’re done with the appetizers, a veal steak in wine sauce that can be served with natural potatoes would work. And with a glass of red wine next to it, the one you put in the steak.
Ingredients:
– 1.5 kg veal meat
– 3 finely chopped onions
– garlic
– 1 glass of red wine
– a bouquet of chopped celery leaves
– salt
– pepper
– oil

Method of preparation:
The meat is sliced and kept in the refrigerator for 12 hours in marinade before being cooked. The marinade is made from wine, oil, pieces of carrots, onions, pepper. Before cooking, remove from the marinade and drain.
Cook the onion in oil then add the meat, salt and simmer, adding a little water from time to time and stirring with a wooden spatula; when it is ready, after about an hour, an hour and a half (depending on the meat), add the crushed garlic, a glass of wine and celery leaves and cook for another 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
And it is served immediately next to the glass of wine;)

We are not going to dessert yet because we also have a forest mushroom  stew as they say in Radesti (on their official name ghebe, hribi or galbiori).
Ingredients:
– sliced forest (wild) mushrooms
– finely chopped onion
– salt
– pepper
– a bit of garlic
– oil for hardening

Method of preparation:
Cook the onion in oil then add the sliced mushrooms; salt and simmer until the water drops and the mushrooms soften. At the end, add a little crushed garlic and cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve with fresh homemade bread.

And finally, the dessert: cottage cheese pie.

Dough ingredient:
– 1 kg of flour
– 3 eggs
– a handful of sugar;)
– 4 tablespoons yogurt
– 3 tablespoons sour cream
– a bit of milk
– oil
– yeast
– salt
– a rectangular tray
– an egg to grease the cake on top
– aluminum foil for baking

Cheese cream ingredient:
– 1-1.2 kg of cottage cheese
– 3 eggs
– sugar to taste
– raisins
– grated peel of a lemon
– a vanilla sugar powder
– 1 tablespoon semolina
– a tablespoon of lard

Method of preparation:
Dough
Mix the yeast with a little warm milk, flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and knead lightly then add the other ingredients: the 3 yolks, sour cream, yogurt, a little oil and knead well until a soft dough is formed. Depending on the texture, add more flour or milk. Whisk the egg whites and incorporate them into the dough, then leave them to rise covered with a towel for 45 minutes.

Cheese cream
Mix the cheese with the yolks, raisins, sugar, lemon peel, vanilla, semolina and lard. Whisk the egg whites and incorporate them into the cream cheese at the end.

After leavening, the dough is divided into 3 equal pieces and each piece is spread on the worktop so as to result in a rectangle the length of the tray. Spread 1/3 of the cream cheese on top on the counter and roll then place in the tray. Do the same with the other 2 pieces of dough.

Leave the pie to rise for 30 minutes covered with a kitchen towel.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease the pie with beaten egg and put it in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes with aluminum foil on top to avoid burning. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.

That being said, I thank Coca for accepting my challenge and I can’t wait to see you all. As for the dishes, I hope you liked them. Take care!

Categories: Aperitive si gustari, Deserturi, Feluri principale, Romanesc

Tags: #deladistanta, Branza, ghiveci, placinta cu branza, salata icre