Traditional recipes from Romania

Home cooked pies 

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 kilo of flour

50 grams of yeast

1 egg

100 ml warm milk

1 spoonful of sugar

2 spoonfuls of cooking oil

A pinch of salt

Oil for frying the pies

DIRECTIONS

1. Dilute the yeast in the warm milk and add the sugar.

2. Place the flour in a large bowl and add the salt.

3. In the middle of the flour make a small hole and pour the yeast in it and leave it to raise.

4. Beat the egg in a bowl.

5. When it is raised, pour a little warm water and add the egg and the oil. And mix it well.

6. Batter the dough till it becomes average soft (not to hard).

7. If necessary, add some more warm water while battering the dough, to have the right consistency. Leave the dough to raise in the bowl for approx. 45-60 minutes, or until it doubles its volume.

8. On the working board sprinkle some flour and take a piece of dough at a time, approx. 1 spoonful of it.

9. Roll it till it is a thin sheet of dough.

10. Fill half of it with some cheese or other filling, and place the other half on top of it and seal it at the margins.

11. Then fry it in a pan with little oil.

12. Serve them hot or cold.

Fillings:

1. Stir-fry cabbage: Wash the fresh cabbage and grate it. Mix it with a little salt and leave it for a few minutes to soften. Then press it till it leaves its juice. Place it in a pan with some oil and stir-fry it until it becomes soft. Add some fresh ground black pepper and leave it a bit to cool down before filling the pies.

2. Stir-fry sauerkraut: Wash the sauerkraut and grate it or chop it very finely. Then press it till all the juice is out. Stir-fry it in a little oil. When soft, add some fresh-ground black pepper according to taste. Fill the pies with the mixture.

3. Curds or ewe-cheese with dill and spring onions: Mix the cheese with the finely chopped green onions and the chopped dill and add a little salt, according to taste. Fill the pies with the mixture.

4. Curds with sugar and vanilla: Mix the fresh cottage cheese with

sugar, according to your taste, add one egg, the zest of one lemon and somevanilla sugar or vanilla. Fill the pies with the mixture. Be careful to seal in the filling because the cheese may leave some juice while frying the pies.

5. Potato filling: Boil the potatoes in their peel. When ready, peel them and grate them on the grater with the small orifices. Mix them with a little oil, some salt and ground black pepper, according to taste. Fill the pies with the mixture.

Bon apetit!

Stuffed green peppers 

Ingredients

500 g minced meat (It can be pork, beef, chicken, or any other type of meat, according to taste, or a mixture of several types of meat)

200 g rice2 big onions

100 cooking oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of paprika

Salt, ground black pepper,

Fresh (or dry) dill, thyme and green parsley

Approx. 12 big green peppers or more if they are smaller

2 sliced tomatoes

For the sauce: Some tomato paste, 1 spoon of flour and 1 teaspoon of sugar

Directions

1. Put the minced meat in a large bowl.

2. Wash the rice and add it to the meat. Add a little water, so the rice can swell.

3. Chop the onions fine and fry them in a little oil.

4. Add the paprika and pour the mixture in the bowl over the meat.

5. Mix everything.

6. In another bowl beat the eggs with a fork and add the salt, pepper and add to the mixture.

7. Add a teaspoon of tomato paste to the mixture.

8. Chop some dill, thyme and green parsley and add to the mixture.

9. Taste to see if it needs any more spices.

10. Wash the peppers and take away the seeds.

11. Stuff the peppers with the mixture of meat.

12. Place them in a large and deep pot and pour some water to cover them.

13. Add a little salt.

14. Boil them till the rice inside is done.

15. When ready, prepare the sauce: in a bowl mix 1 spoon of flour, 1 teaspoon of sugar, the tomato sauce and a little cold water.

16. Make a paste of it and dilute it with some water.

17. Then pour it in the pot.

18. Boil it for a few minutes.

19. You can serve it hot, decorated with tomato slices and/or some fresh sour cream.

Bon apetit!

Informer: Daniela Buda, Brandusa Pop

Student: Paula Ianos

Excerpts from 'Ethno treasure hunt – Book of traditional recipes”, published by Velzys Gymnasium, Panevezys, Lithuania, coordinated by Rima Stongvilene, with the collaboration of Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, Domenica Crupi, Italy, Joanna Wilczynska, Poland, Daniela Buda, Romania, Ozgur Boyaci, Turkey, 2011.

Traditional recipes from Bulgaria

Monastery style bean soup 

Ingredients

200g white beans

2-3 carrots

1/2 a celery

1 onion

1-2 tomatoes

1-2 peppers

1-2 chillies (peppers, by choice)

parsley, mint

sunflower oil

salt

Directions

1. Soak the beans in cold water for 3-4 hours

2. Drain and pour fresh water

3. Boil (in an earthware) pot together with oil, finely chopped carrots, onion and celery

4. The sliced peppers, the grated tomatos and mint are added later, when the beans have turned tender

5. Salt and boil for another 15-20 min

Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.

Bon apetit!Bulgaria 

Sirene po Shopski 

Ingredients

400 grams white cheese

150 grams yellow cheese

2 eggs

2 hot peppers

2 sliced tomatoes

2 chopped roasted peppers

oregano, parsley or any other dry green spice

Directions

1. Take two small earthware pots with lids ("gyuveche" pots) and put a layer of cheese

2. Then a layer of peppers and tomatoes later more cheese

3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted

4. Then break an egg on top of each dish and cook till the egg is the consistency you like

5. Serve with salad and beer

Bon apetit! 

Informer: Georgi Ivanov

Excerpts from 'Ethno treasure hunt – Book of traditional recipes”, published by Velzys Gymnasium, Panevezys, Lithuania, coordinated by Rima Stongvilene, with the collaboration of Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, Domenica Crupi, Italy, Joanna Wilczynska, Poland, Daniela Buda, Romania, Ozgur Boyaci, Turkey, 2011.

Traditional recipes from Turkey

Karniyarik 

Ingredients

1 lb eggplant, peeled in stripes lengthwise

1/2 ground meat

2 onions, cubed

1/2 bunch parsley, finely choppped

1 tomato, petite diced (for the stuffing)

1 tomato, sliced in half moons (for the top)

green banana peppers, as many as eggplants

ground pepper

salt

2 tbs olive oil

frying oil

1 cup hot water

Directions

-Peel eggplants leaving lengthwise stripes and then put them in salty water for 10 minutes. Dry them well and fry them as a whole in a deep pot with

canola or corn or vegetable oil, whichever you're comfortable with. (Make sure oil is really hot before you place eggplants, otherwise eggplants will

soak tons of oil)

-Once they're fried, first soak the excessive oil by resting them on a paper towel, and then place eggplants on an oven dish.

-In a deep frying pan, heat olive oil. Add onions and stir for 3-4 minutes.

-Add ground meat. Cook until ground meat soaks all the juice it lets out.

-Add diced tomato. Stir until cooked. Turn it off.

-Add chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

-With the help of two spoons, slit eggplants into two. But leave the tops and bottoms attached.-Stuff eggplants with ground meat mixture.

-Place a slice of half moon shaped tomato and a green pepper on top of each split belly eggplant.

-Pour 1 cup of hot water on top and bake them in preheated oven at 400F until green peppers are nicely baked.

Serve with rice and yogurt.

Bon apetit!

Lentil Balls 

Ingredients

1 cup of red lentils

1 cup of fine bulgur wheat

1 onion finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 cup of parsley, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

lettuce leaves to serve

lemon wedges to serve

Directions

1. Rinse the lentils,put in a pan with 3 cups of water and cook over a medium heat for 10 min. Add the bulgur and continue to cooking for a further 2 min. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 20

min. The bulgur should absorb any surplus water.

2. When cool, add the onion, tomato paste, spices, chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to create a smooth paste and chill the mixture in the fridge for 1 hour.

3. With wet hands shape the mixture into balls the size of large walnuts and with your finger create a small indentation. Cover and refrigerate until required.

4. Serve on a generous bed of lettuce leaves decorated with lemon wedges.To eat, squeeze lemon juice into the indentations and roll up the kofte in a crunchy lettuce leaf.

Bon apetit!

Informer: Ozgur Boyaci

Excerpts from 'Ethno treasure hunt – Book of traditional recipes”, published by Velzys Gymnasium, Panevezys, Lithuania, coordinated by Rima Stongvilene, with the collaboration of Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, Domenica Crupi, Italy, Joanna Wilczynska, Poland, Daniela Buda, Romania, Ozgur Boyaci, Turkey, 2011.

Traditional recipes from Poland

Botwinka Soup

Ingredients

1 kilogram of chicken Two big beetroots

One massive carrot One onion

One parsley Two/three bay leaves

A piece of celery Five grains of pimento

One small leek Five grains of black pepper

A bunch of young beetroots A handful of salt

Directions

1. Take a pot full of cold water and put the chicken in it and cook.

2. When the water boils, turn down the fire so that the flame is small and add peeled and cleaned vegetables.

3. Chop the young beetroots in very small pieces and add them to the soup.

4. Season for taste. Cook the entire soup till the meat and veg become soft. 

Bon apetit!POLAND

Pork chops 

Ingredients

Four slices of pork loin One glassful of breadcrumbs

without bones Two spoonfuls of oil

One egg Salt

One spoonful of flour Pepper

Directions

1. Rinse slices of meat with warm water.

2. Put them on the chopping board.

3. Break these slices of meat into small pieces.

4. You should use two plates. On the first one, put yolk of an egg, on the second one, some breadcrumbs mixed with flour, salt and pepper.

5. Take the previously prepared pork chops and coat them with breadcrumbs.

6. Fry them on a frying pan. 

Bon apetit!

Informer: Joanna Wilczynska

Excerpts from 'Ethno treasure hunt – Book of traditional recipes”, published by Velzys Gymnasium, Panevezys, Lithuania, coordinated by Rima Stongvilene, with the collaboration of Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, Domenica Crupi, Italy, Joanna Wilczynska, Poland, Daniela Buda, Romania, Ozgur Boyaci, Turkey, 2011.

Traditional recipes from Italy

Stuffed Sardines 

Ingredients

(four portions)

700 g sardines 1 handful parsley

white flour olive oil

milk

salt black

2 eggs pepper

2 table spoons grated cheese bread crumbs

Directions

1. Open the sardines, remove the heads and the backbone without separating them.

2. Prepare a stuffing with the chopped parsley, the breadcrumbs dampened with milk, the cheese, one egg yolk, salt and pepper.

3. Place the open sardines on the table, put some mixture on half of the sardines and close with the other half.

4. Stuff all the fish with this mixture, press and dip first in flour , then in the beaten egg (one yolk and two whites) and lastly in the breadcrumbs.

5. Fry them, drain and serve the hot sardines with some slices of lemon.

Bon apetit!Italy

Swordfish in Ghiotta 

Ingredients

(four portions)

800 g swordfish 100 g tomato sauce

100 g olive oil 50 g sliced onions

20 g capers flour

12 green olives black pepper

minced parsley salt

Directions

1. Cut the swordfish into 4 slices.

2. Coat them in flour.

3. Cook in a frying-pan with oil on both sides until nicely browned.

4. Remove from the pan and put them on a dish.

5. In the same frying-pan and using the same oil, brown the onion, add the capers, the parsley, the tomato sauce, salt and pepper and lastly add the

olives.

6. Cook for a couple of minutes and pour over the hot fish.

Serve immediately. 

Bon apetit! 

Informers: Domenica Crupi and Antonina Morabito

Excerpts from 'Ethno treasure hunt – Book of traditional recipes”, published by Velzys Gymnasium, Panevezys, Lithuania, coordinated by Rima Stongvilene, with the collaboration of Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, Domenica Crupi, Italy, Joanna Wilczynska, Poland, Daniela Buda, Romania, Ozgur Boyaci, Turkey, 2011.

Traditional recipes from Lithuania

Kugelis (Potato pudding) 

Ingredients

1/2 pound chopped bacon

1 large onion, chopped

5 large eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup flour

5 pounds peeled and grated (not shredded) red or white potatoes

Directions

1. In a large skillet, saute bacon and onion until lightly browned and

caramelized. Do not drain the fat. Set aside to cool.

2. Place oven shelf in middle and heat to 350 degrees. Coat a 13x9-inch pan

with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, evaporated milk,

salt and farina. Add bacon-onion mixture and drippings. Stir.

3. Using a food processor or by hand, finely grate potatoes, squeezing out

excess moisture. Work quickly so potatoes don't darken. Add to egg-bacon

mixture, combining well. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours

or until top is quite brown but interior is solid but still moist.

4. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Leftovers can be browned in butter the next day.

Bon apetit!Lithuania

Roast duck fillet with caramelized apples, pears and honey flavored with cranberry sauce 

Ingredients

2 breasts of duck with skin

2 tbsp olive oil

paprika

salt and pepper

butter to grease the oven proof dish

250 ml red wine

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Wash and dry the meat. Score the skin with a sharp

knife.

2. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat. First fry the skin to a

golden colour and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Then turn the meat just

once. Crease an oven proof dish with the butter.

3. Place the meat in the oven proof dish, skin face up. Add the red wine and place

in the centre of the oven. Roast for approximately 10 minutes.

Caramelized Apples

Ingredients

60 ml butter

2 apples

12 ml brown sugar

Preparation

Melt butter in a frying pan.

Cut apples into halves.Brown apples in hot butter.

Add brown sugar and cook until it melts and turns a darker brown.

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 tsp minced orange zest

1/4 tsp cinnamon

400 g fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup honey

Informers: Rima Stongviliene and Renata Jankeciciene

Excerpts from 'Ethno treasure hunt – Book of traditional recipes”, published by Velzys Gymnasium, Panevezys, Lithuania, coordinated by Rima Stongvilene, with the collaboration of Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, Domenica Crupi, Italy, Joanna Wilczynska, Poland, Daniela Buda, Romania, Ozgur Boyaci, Turkey, 2011.

Turkish legends: PAMUKKALE LEGEND

The article comes in English and Turkish

PAMUKKALE LEGEND

(THE STORY OF THE WOODCUTTER'S DAUGHTER) 

Years ago there was a poor woodcutter family who were living on the slopes of Cokelez Mountain. They had a daughter who was so ugly that noone wanted to marry her. She decided to commit suicide and she threw herself off the travertine and fell into a natural

pool but did not die. Because of the water in the natural pool, she turned into a very beautiful girl and caught the attraction of the lord of Denizli while he was passing by. At that moment, the lord fell in love with this young and beautiful girl and they soon got

married. Women began to come to the hot spring to become more beautiful after that time.

So, in addition to the curing effects of the water, people also believe in the beautifying power of the water. As the water is useful, this land has been a place where people visit periodically for beauty and health since the ancient times. So the reason for Pamukkale to be an attractive place is not only the natural travertine, but also the healing waters.

The mineral water of Pamukkale helps recovering the high blood pressure, kidney stones, stroke,  rheumatism, nervous and physical exhaustion, eye and skin diseases, circulatory problems, digestive maladies, nutritional disorders and chronic disorders. Pamukkale became a spa resort today and the center of a pagan cult in antiquity.

PAMUKKALE EFSANESİ

(ODUNCU GÜZELİNİN HİKAYESİ) 

Çok çok eskiden Çökelez Dagı eteklerinde yaşayan, fakir oduncu bir aile yaşarmış. Bu ailenin kızı, o kadar çirkinmiş ki erkek çocuk anneleri onu görünce yollarini degiştiriyormuş.

Fakirliği, genç kızın umurunda bile değilmiş ama çirkinliği canına tak etmiş. Çökelez Dagının

eteklerinden kendini boşluğa bırakmış. Su ve tortu dolu havuza hızla düşmüş. Burada uzun süre suların içinde baygın kalmış. O esnada bu su o çirkin kızı güzelliğe boğmuş. Oradan geçmekte olan Denizli Beyinin oğlu, baygın yatan güzel kızı görmüş. Atına oduncu kızı alıp evine götürmüş. Kız iyileşmiş ve evlenmişler. O günden sonra kadınlar güzelleşmek için bu ılıcaları ziyaret etmeye başlamış. O gün bu gündür güzelleşmek isteyen tüm kadınlar bu suyun içine atarlar kendilerini.

Pamukkale termal suyunun tedavi edici özelliği, çok eski çağlardan beri anlaşılmış, yüzyıllar sonra şifa niteliği bilimsel olarak kanıtlanmıştır. Kaynaklar etrafında dini ayinler yapılmış, şenlikler  düzenlenmiş, büyük devlet adamları ve zengin kişiler antik dönemde tedavileri için Hierapolis'e gelmişlerdir.

Excerpts from 'Ethno treasure hunt – Book of traditions”, published by Instituto comprensivo di Santa Teresa di Riva (Me), Italy, coordinated by Rosa Crupi, Linda Cigala, Domenica Crupi, Antonina Morabito, Graphic designer Arch. Tania Consalvo, with the collaboration of Georgi Ivanov, Bulgaria, Domenica Crupi, Italy, Rima Stongvillene, Lithuania, Joanna Wilczynska, Poland, Daniela Buda, Romania, Ozgur Boyaci, Turkey, 2011.