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Moussaka

Dobrogea is the Romanian region between the Danube and the Black Sea, and has a very colorful history and population, a veritable melting pot of people and traditions. It has a unique history and heritage, and its cuisine reflects that. It is a cuisine rich in fish preparations, as you may guess, especially around the Danube and the Delta, and lots of dishes with sheep milk and mutton, very close to Middle Eastern dishes, if not identical, due to the large population of Turkish and Tartar origin in this area.

Ștefan Baciu, 22.02.2015, 16:52

Due to that heritage, food here is also spicier than in other areas. We thought we would be bringing you today one of the best known and most widely cooked throughout the country.

The recipe we will be focusing on is moussaka, which is well known to people who have perused the menu of Greek or Turkish restaurants. It is a dish widespread in the Balkans, and has been adopted widely in the south and east of Romania, territories that were once firmly under the sway of the Ottoman Empire.

There are a few different versions of this traditional preparation, and we have selected what is maybe the most common, a nice example of winter comfort food. It is a layered casserole type dish, with the name coming from Turkish. Its main versions are that relying on a larger quantity of meat, beef, pork or a mixture, layered with sliced potatoes, and the summer version, with aubergine and courgettes.

However, the Dobrogea version uses mutton. It needs 2 kg of potatoes, one kg minced leg of lamb, one large onion, two large tomatoes or tomato juice, oil, salt and pepper to taste, thyme and sour cream. If you use different quantities, just bear in mind that it is advisable to hold to a 2:1 ratio between the quantity of potatoes and that of meat.

Sautee the finely chopped onion in oil, then mix it with the meat and the tomato juice, seasoning with salt and pepper and with thyme. The potato slices have to be first lightly browned in an open pan, then layered on the bottom of the vessel you use, followed by a layer of minced meat, and so on. It is important for the first and last layers to be potatoes. Set the layered vessel in the oven, and bake for about half an hour.

Towards the end you can grate your favorite melting cheese on top. Alternately, some people cover the top with a béchamel sauce. Once it comes out of the over, you can garnish the portions with sour cream. It is a dish best served hot, alongside your choice of pickles.