Lent dishes
Ștefan Baciu, 12.04.2023, 16:03
Christians in Romania are still observing Lent, a 7-week period during which people traditionally eat only plant-based dishes, with the exception of certain days when fish is also allowed. Popular products at this time are pickled cabbage, prunes, rice, potatoes and leafy greens such as garden patience, spinach, nettles and leeks. They can all be used to make some delicious meals.
One very common fasting dish is soup made with pickled cabbage. To make this soup you need the following ingredients: some 2 kg of pickled cabbage, two onions, 2 big carrots and tomato paste. This dish is very easy to prepare, but it takes quite a long time to cook, a few hours, even, because the veins of the cabbage leaves need to cook well. So, the first thing you need to do is rinse the pickled cabbage leaves in cold water, slice them, not too finely, and put in a pan to boil on a low heat for 2 to 3 hours. After that, slice the onions and the carrots and add to the pan. Optionally, you can also add some finely chopped parsley root, and then pour in the tomato juice and one or two spoonfuls of tomato paste. Leave the soup to cook for another hour and then serve when it has cooled down a bit.
Rice is another Lent staple. It can be used as a filling for vegetarian sarmale, a popular Romanian dish in which pickled cabbage leaves or pickled vine leaves are filled with minced meat. Rice is also very commonly used during Lent in combination with other vegetables to make pilaf, a local version of risotto. To make pilaf, you need two cups of rice, two or three onions, a carrot, one or two fresh tomatoes or a tin of cubed tomatoes, some mushrooms, parsley and oil. Put some oil in a pan and add the sliced onion. When the onion turns golden, add the chopped mushrooms, the sliced carrot and a splash of water if necessary. Rinse the rice and add to the pan together with the cubed tomatoes and cook for about half an hour. When the dish is cooked, add salt to taste and the chopped parsley.
Poftă bună! Enjoy!
