Palm Sunday

This Sunday is Palm Sunday in Romania, the most important feast before the Orthodox Easter. On this Sunday, those who observe the Lent, are allowed to eat fish.

Fish can be used for both appetizers, such as marinated mackerel, and main courses. Here is how you can make marinated mackerel. Cut the fish into round chunks, wash the bits and sink them a mixture of vinegar and water, one measure of vinegar for two measures of water. Add one measure of oil and cover the fish with the marinade. Also add black pepper and two grains of allspice, one bay leaf and a bit of salt, and then place the pot into the oven, on a medium heat, for about 45 minutes. Then, take the pot out of the oven and let it cool. Bone and mince the fish and you can serve it on buttered bread.

For the main course, we would suggest a recipe from beautiful Bukovina, in the north. Sour cream is used a lot in the local cuisine, including when cooking trout.   For this recipe we need four pieces of trout of approx. 300-400 grams each, half a kilo of sour cream, a knob of butter, tarragon, salt and pepper. Clean and wash the fish, add salt, both on the outside and on the inside, and let it  cool for a couple of hours. After that, wash the pieces of fish again and put them in a buttered deep oven tray. Put the tray in the preheated oven and live it there for just a couple of minutes, for the fish to get a bit brown. In the meantime, pour the sour cream into a bowl, with a bit of salt, and warm it until it gets fluid. Add finely chopped dill, several grains of pepper, stir the mix and then pour it onto the trout in the tray. Leave the tray in the oven for half an hour, and then the trout is ready to eat, with a side dish of boiled carrots and potatoes.

During this time of the year, especially in the areas crossed by the Danube, people eat shad, a Danube fish from the mackerel family, which can grow up to 50 cm and weigh half a kilo. It can be grilled or pan fried and served with vegetables. It can also be cooked in the oven. For this recipe you will need several pieces of Danube shad to fit a deeper oven tray. Scale, eviscerate and clean the fish, then add salt and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. In the meantime, cut several tomatoes in small cubes and fry them lightly in a bit of oil. Add a few sliced cloves of garlic and black pepper. Wash the fish, put it in the tray and pour the sauce on top. Leave it in the oven for about half an hour. Sprinkle it with finely chopped parsley and serve with polenta. A glass of white, demi-dry cold wine fits perfectly into the picture, so....Pofta buna!