Chiftele (Romanian Meatballs)

Chiftele are the Romanian version of a meatball and can be flat or round. They’re normally made with ground pork, which is high in fat, but this recipe is made with lean ground turkey. After the patties are formed you roll them in flour and fry them up! Oh yes, they’re fried, so you know they’ll be delicious! Parsley gives them a traditional Romanian taste but you can also substitute in dill and still get a wonderful flavor. These are best eaten with a Dijon style mustard as an appetizer or as the star of your meal. Normal side dishes include mashed potatoes or rice and cabbage salad has always been a favorite in my family.

Yield about 30

Ingredients

• 1 – 20 oz package lean ground turkey
• 1 shredded potato
• 1 small onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour
• Vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl mix your ground turkey, shredded potato, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add your egg and continue to mix. The best way to do this is to get a little dirty and use your hands! Once everything is mixed well you can start to form little balls.
2. Heat up about 1/2 inch oil at the bottom of a large pan on medium heat.
3. Once your balls are formed, roll them in flour and flatten them out but keep them round. Place in heated oil. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until they are browned.
4. Your pan won’t be big enough to cook all of them at once, so continue the same procedure until you are finished.
5. Serve warm with Dijon mustard or with mashed potatoes and a salad!

Romanian Chec Spiced with Cinnamon

Chec has always been a favorite of mine because of its light and airy texture. There’s no butter or oil in this recipe and it’s made with whipped egg whites, so you get more of the texture of a genoise cake rather than a pound cake, which is made with lots of butter. This is the perfect treat with a cup of coffee or tea or as a midnight snack with a glass of milk!

Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 4 eggs (separated)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of one lemon
• Powdered sugar for topping

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whip your egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl cream the egg yolks and the sugar. Add lemon zest, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
5. Slowly add your flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture, alternating with your two tablespoons of warm water. Mix until incorporated.
6. Add a little bit of your egg whites and mix to lighten the batter. Continue to fold the rest of your egg whites into the batter.
7. Pour the batter into greased pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from pan onto rack.
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar once cool.

Romanian Cozonac

I grew up eating Cozonac every year around the holidays so I figured it’s time for me to master this delicious sweet bread so that one day I can pass along the tradition to my kids. I’m determined to perfect this recipe! Thanks to modern technology I used a bread machine for the kneading, but I definitely have to attempt this recipe by hand like my grandma and great grandma used to do. Either way, the flavor is delicious and it satisfies my Cozonac craving!

Yields Two Loaves

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 oz melted butter cooled
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups flour
• 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Zest from one orange
• Zest from half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons yeast

For the filling

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 3 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• Milk (enough to make a paste out of the mixture)

For the glaze

• One egg yolk beaten

Directions

1. Dissolve sugar in lukewarm milk. Add honey, butter, vegetable oil, lemon juice, orange juice, lemon zest, orange zest, vanilla, and whisked eggs.
2. Place your mixture in the bread machine pan. Next measure out your flour and place on top. Add yeast and salt.
3. Turn your machine to the dough setting.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. During the last few minutes make your filling by placing all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing enough milk in to make a paste.
6. Once dough is done, take it out onto a work surface and divide it into two equal pieces. Put some oil on your hands to make the dough easier to work with. Spread dough out into a rectangle the length of your loaf pan and about triple the width. Spread your mixture onto dough. Roll it up and place into a greased loaf pan. If you want a braided Cozonac, do the same process but with three small pieces of dough and then braid them together.
7. Cover the loaf pans with a dish cloth and let dough rest for about 30 minutes to an hour. Right before baking, brush dough with egg yolk.
8. Bake in oven for about 40-50 minutes, testing the dough with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.
9. Let bread cool completely before cutting.

This sweet bread keeps very fresh and gets more and more moist if you wrap the cooled bread in plastic wrap and store in a plastic bag.