In this issue
Issue #145
In Transylvania, it's not unsual to be offered a shot of homemade brandy as a gesture of hospitality upon arriving at a home or guest house. This one has a spicy caraway flavor that balances nicely with the rich walnut cake, Chec Cu Nuca.
Flavored with molasses, maple syrup, and rum, this filling bean dish is simple to prepare; all it takes is time. Six hours of cooking yields thick, rich results. Serve it with hearty brown bread to mop up its flavorful sauce.
Ciorbă (from the Turkish çorba) is the Romanian name for a soup that has been soured—in this case, with a generous shot of fresh lemon juice. Pork-and-rice meatballs bring savory flavor and substance to the paprika-spiced broth.
This rustic, rib-sticking chicken stew is full of warming paprika, cumin, and chiles. Pair it with something starchy, like buttered potatoes or Romanian polenta with sour cream.
This polenta-like pudding, a staple across Romania, has a firm texture and a briny flavor from a salty, feta-like cheese mixed in at the end of cooking. A topping of more cheese and sour cream makes this a satisfying side dish.
A crunchy, mustard-laced bread crumb coating makes a particularly delectable contrast to the sweet and tender meat on pork baby backs.
In this elegant take on surf and turf, served as an appetizer at Ai Fiori in New York City, chef Michael White nestles sweet scallops, black truffles, and celery root purée into split marrow bones and broils them under a blanket of bone marrow.
Chef Tom Valenti of Manhattan's Ouest uses the foreshank, a meatier cut than the hindshank, for this recipe for shanks braised in a stock flavored with wine, aromatics, and anchovies.
Made using a batter similar to crêpes, Sri Lanka's crispy-edged rice flour hoppers are formed into edible bowls and filled with toppings ranging from onion sambol to a simple steamed egg.
