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The way we Romanians cook at home is more varied and regional than what you get in the country’s restaurants, which generally serve a pretty standard menu across the country. We have old traditions of preserving and of cooking with seasonal fruit and vegetables, influenced by observing 180 days of fasting annually (fortunately not all in a row). Even when we do cook with meat or fish, our dishes often feature spring onions, leeks, chard, spinach, courgettes, aubergines and tomatoes, and there are constant culinary nods to the Roman empire, too: leeks, so loved by the Romans, are the culinary symbol of Oltenia in the south of the country; we still bake ash bread under a dome-shaped earthenware lid called a testum, known locally as a țest, much as they did in Pompeii; we add vinegar, a Roman favourite, to our soups; and we use lots of lovage and parsley, which flavoured many ancient Roman dishes. But the similarities stop at garlic, which Romans hated, and which we love.
Mâncare de praz cu mӑsline (leek stew with olives – pictured top)
Dishes with leeks have dual nationality in my family. My grandfather, Gheorghe, was from Oltenia, where leeks are considered a culinary symbol, and I now live in Wales, where they play a similar role. What a coincidence! This stew is very popular, especially during Lent (during which event we skip the wine), and I love it for its sweet-tangy notes. It’s usually served with bread, but burghul wheat and rice are also common south of the Danube.
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
Sunflower oil, for frying
2 large leeks, washed and cut into rounds, green tops included
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp coriander seeds
50ml white wine
200ml vegetable stock
2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
250g mixed olives, plain or marinated
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
Cover the base of a large frying pan with a thin layer of oil and heat well. Add the sliced leeks, a pinch of salt and the coriander seeds, and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 15-25 minutes, until nicely caramelised.
Pour in the wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the stock and chopped tomatoes, turn down the heat to medium-low and carry on cooking for 15 minutes; if you like, cover the pan, in which case reduce the heat even more so it cooks at a very gentle bubble.
Stir in the olives, lemon zest and juice, cook for five minutes more, then adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve with bread, burghul wheat or rice.
Papricaș de pește (fish paprikash with egg dumplings)
When people hear the word papricaș, they immediately think of the famous Hungarian chicken dish with tomatoes and paprika, yet you find carp or catfish paprikash in many traditional restaurants in Budapest, the country’s majestic capital city. It is usually served with nokeldi, a German term popular in central and eastern Europe to describe any type of dumpling.
Prep 15 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
Sunflower oil, for frying
2 medium brown onions, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
2 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
300ml fish stock, or vegetable stock
400g tinned finely chopped tomatoes, or passata if you prefer a smoother sauce
100g creme fraiche
1 green bell pepper, or Turkish pepper, pith and seeds removed, flesh sliced, to finish (optional)
For the dumplings
250g plain flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp salt, plus extra for cooking
For the fish
Sunflower oil, for frying
4 medium sustainably sourced cod loins, or similar white fish
Put a thin layer of oil in a saute pan or casserole dish for which you have a lid, and set it over a medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring, for eight to 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Quickly stir in the paprika, so it doesn’t catch and burn, then pour in the stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Combine all the dumpling ingredients in a medium bowl, then mix in 100ml cold water. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a boil, then dip a teaspoon into the hot water and use it to start scooping up small amounts of the dumpling mix and dropping them into the hot water – half a teaspoon is usually a good size, but don’t worry if you make them larger. Put as many dumplings as possible in the pan of water so that they drop to the base of the pan in a single layer, then boil for about three or four minutes, until they pop up to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked dumplings to the pot of paprikash sauce, stir to coat in the sauce, then repeat with the remaining dumpling mixture. Stir the creme fraiche into the sauce and keep warm on a low heat.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan large enough to accommodate all the fish, then pat the fish dry and fry for a couple of minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Break the fish into large flakes, then tuck these in among the dumplings. Serve with the sliced green pepper, if using, on top.
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These recipes are edited extracts from Danube: Recipes and Stories from Eastern Europe, by Irina Georgescu, published by Hardie Grant at £28. To order a copy for £25.20, go to guardianbookshop.com
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The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. Check ratings in your region: UK; Australia; US.
