romanian

Polenta balls with feta cheese and sausages, they are soft on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Baked in the oven and served with sour cream, Greek yogurt or tomato sauce.

Polenta and Cheese Balls

250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 1 2/3 cup coarse or medium cornmeal (See note 1)

liter/ 33.8 fl.oz/ 4 ¼ cups water

salt

300 g/ 10.5 oz fresh sausages of your liking

150 g/ 5.3 oz feta cheese (See note 2)

dill

fine sea salt,

black pepper

grated cheese (Gouda

butter

Pour the water into a large pot. Heat...

Pour the water into a large pot. Heat the water but don't let it come to a boil (it helps against the formation of lumps). Add the salt. Slowly add the cornmeal while stirring or whisking (with an egg beater, not a mixer) all the time.

A word of caution - be careful when...

A word of caution  - be careful when the polenta starts to bubble, if the bubbles are too large you might get burned – so turn the heat down if that happens. When all the cornmeal is incorporated, continue stirring or whisking shortly to make sure there are no lumps. Turn the heat down, place a lid on top but leave a crack open.

Stir every 4-5 minutes or so but there...

Stir every 4-5 minutes or so but there is definitely no need to stir all the time. Read the cooking instructions on the polenta packet just to know for sure how long the cornmeal needs to be cooked. I cook the polenta made with coarse cornmeal for 40 to 50 minutes and the polenta made with medium cornmeal for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430...

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius/ 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the casings from the sausages. Mix the polenta with the finely chopped or crumbled sausages and the crumbled feta cheese. Add the lightly beaten egg, dill, salt to taste, and pepper.

Make about 30 balls about the size of...

Make about 30 balls about the size of a golf ball. Wet your hands after every 3 or 4 balls. Place the balls into a buttered casserole dish and sprinkle each ball with a little bit of the grated cheese. Place a tiny amount of butter on each ball.

Bake for about 20 minutes in the hot...

Bake for about 20 minutes in the hot oven or until golden. Serve immediately with crème fraiche/ sour cream/ Greek yogurt/ tomato sauce and a green salad.

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Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

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Romanian sweet polenta cake or malai dulce soaked with orange syrup: so soft, so moist, so delicious! Definitely the best polenta dessert I have ever had!

Orange Polenta Cake – Malai Dulce

150 g/ 5.3 oz/ 1 cup medium cornmeal/polenta (See note 1)

g/ 1.8 oz/ ¼ cup fine (soft) semolina

baking powder

orange

eggs (medium Germany, large US)

g/ sugar

vanilla sugar vanilla

450 g/ 1 lb/ 1 ¾ cup Greek yogurt, divided

ml/ 3.4 fl.oz/ scant ½ cup vegetable oil

ml/ 1.7 fl.oz/ scant ¼ cup milk

icing sugar

orange to decorate, optional

For the orange syrup:

g/ granulated sugar

lemon juice

Orange Polenta Cake – Malai dulce

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350...

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a casserole dish, 28x18 cm/ 11x7 inches.

Mix the cornmeal, semolina, baking powder, and grated...

Mix the cornmeal, semolina, baking powder, and grated orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until...

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.

In a larger bowl beat the egg yolks,...

In a larger bowl beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, and 50 g/ 1.7 oz/ scant ¼ cup of the yogurt until pale and thick.

Add the vegetable oil in a slow stream...

Add the vegetable oil in a slow stream while beating all the time.

Add the rest of the yogurt and beat...

Add the rest of the yogurt and beat for about 1 minute.

Add the milk and mix shortly.

Slowly add the cornmeal – semolina mixture mixing...

Slowly add the cornmeal – semolina mixture mixing with a regular egg beater/whisk this time.

Fold in the egg whites carefully.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and...

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

In the meantime make the orange syrup.

Juice the oranges until you have about 100...

Juice the oranges until you have about 100 ml/ ½ cup juice. Sieve the juice into a small pot, add the sugar and the lemon juice.

When it starts to boil, remove immediately, you...

When it starts to boil, remove immediately, you should have a rather thin syrup.

When the cake is baked, take it out...

When the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and prick it all over with a toothpick.

Pour about ¾ of the syrup all over...

Pour about ¾ of the syrup all over the cake and let the cake cool completely in the dish. I only needed about 75 ml/ 2.5 oz/ 1/3 cup to soak the cake. Measure this quantity first, use it and take more only if you find it necessary, you might like to add a bit more around the edges, should they be drier than the rest of the cake.

When cool, cut the cake into squares, remove...

When cool, cut the cake into squares, remove carefully from the baking dish and sprinkle with icing sugar. Decorate with orange wedges if you wish.

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Do you feel like baking? Here you will find hundreds of cake, pie, cheesecake and cookie recipes.

Cake, Pie, Cheesecake and Cookie Recipes

Polenta loaf – a fluffy Romanian polenta souffle served with a delicious garlic yogurt sauce.

Polenta Loaf (Romanian Polenta Souffle)

Polenta loaf:

250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 1 ½ cups coarse or medium cornmeal (Note)

¼ teaspoon fine salt

g/ 4.4 oz/ 1 cup grated cheese (Gouda

eggs

Garlic sauce:

250 g/ 8.8 oz/ 1 cup Greek yogurt/ crème fraiche or sour cream

garlic cloves,

mustard

fine sea salt and pepper

Measure the water in a large pot. Heat...

Measure the water in a large pot. Heat the water but don't let it come to a boil (it helps against the formation of lumps). Add the salt. Slowly add the cornmeal while stirring or whisking (with an egg beater not a mixer) all the time. When all the cornmeal is incorporated, continue stirring or whisking shortly to make sure there are no lumps.

Turn the heat down, place a lid on...

Turn the heat down, place a lid on top but leave a crack open. Stir every 4-5 minutes or so, but there is definitely no need to stir all the time. Cook according to packet instructions, medium cornmeal needs more or less 15 minutes, while coarse cornmeal about 40-50 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360...

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the polenta off the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Let cool for about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, separate the eggs and beat...

In the meantime, separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff. Add more salt to taste to the polenta and stir in the egg yolks. Carefully fold in the egg whites.

Butter a loaf pan of about 30x12 cm/...

Butter a loaf pan of about 30x12 cm/ 12x5 inches generously. Pour in the mixture and level with a spoon. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until nicely golden and set in the middle. Serve immediately with garlic sauce or as a side for dishes with sauce, meat or sausages.

Cozonac is a gently sweet bread, a little like challah or brioche, often with a pretty and tasty swirl of nut filling, like in this walnut roll recipe. It&#x27;s traditionally made for Easter but would be perfect with coffee any time.

Cozonac Walnut Roll (Romanian Easter Bread)

milk

sugar

lemon

(75 grams) butter

(350 grams) all purpose flour

Tbsp yeast

tsp salt

tsp vanilla extract

(3 ounces 85 grams) walnut pieces

Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Tbsp sugar

egg (will not use all)

tsp raw sugar (approx)

Warm the milk, sugar and lemon zest in...

Warm the milk, sugar and lemon zest in a small pan over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the butter, in small pieces. Stir to melt the butter in the heat of the liquid. Allow to cool until lukewarm (80-90F).

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add the yeast...

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add the yeast and salt to the flour and mix through. Also, separate the egg whites from the egg yolks into two small bowls. Chill the whites until needed later.

Once the milk mixture has cooled, transfer it...

Once the milk mixture has cooled, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the flour mixture, egg yolks and vanilla. Mix to bring the dough together, then knead the dough for a few minutes. (You can either mix with a spoon, then knead for a couple minutes with a stand mixer, or mix by hand and knead on a lightly floured surface for around five minutes.) Once kneaded into a smooth dough, bring the dough together in a ball.

Lightly oil a bowl and add the dough....

Lightly oil a bowl and add the dough. Cover with plastic or a damp tea towel and allow to rise at a warm room temperature for around an hour, until doubled in size.

Towards the end of the rising time, blend...

Towards the end of the rising time, blend the walnuts, sugar and cocoa powder together in a food processor to form a coarse powder. Separately, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold in the nut mixture. Chill until needed.

Once the dough has risen, remove from the...

Once the dough has risen, remove from the bowl and divide into two roughly even pieces. Take one of the pieces of dough, gently knock it back to reduce in size a little, then roll it into a square/rectangle roughly 11 inches square, or slightly longer in one direction.

Take half of the nut filling mixture and...

Take half of the nut filling mixture and spread it over the flattened dough, leaving around 1/2 in without the filling around the edges. Roll up into a log (as you would a cinnamon roll - you can roll either long or short edge, as you prefer, if you made it more rectangle-shaped). Don't make the roll too tight as you want to allow a bit of space for it to expand. 

Repeat with the other piece of dough and...

Repeat with the other piece of dough and filling.

Grease a loaf tin with butter. Take the...

Grease a loaf tin with butter. Take the two rolls of dough and twist them together all the way down. Carefully, place the twist in the loaf tin, tucking the ends under slightly, if needed. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise until it has almost doubled, roughly an hour again. (It may not fill out the tin but that is fine, it will expand more on baking).

Just before it is ready to bake, preheat...

Just before it is ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Brush the top of the loaf with a lightly beaten egg, then sprinkle some raw sugar over the wash. 

Bake the loaf in the middle-bottom of the...

Bake the loaf in the middle-bottom of the preheated oven for approximately 35-45 minutes, until it is golden brown on top and cooked through. 

Allow to cool slightly before removing from the...

Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan to cool completely.

These 3 ingredient Romanian cheese sticks are an easy spin on a classic Romanian recipe. Known as <em>sărățele</em> in Romanian, they have a crisp exterior and a chewy interior with flakey layers of cheesy flavour. They're truly a crowd pleaser and this recipe makes enough for 6 people to nibble during your next gathering. Or you can keep all the cheesy goodness for yourself and store them in a sealed tupperware for up to a week

Sărățele: 3 Ingredient Romanian Cheese Sticks

flour (or approx. 2.5 cups)

mascarpone (or approx. 1.5 cups)

cheese (or approx. 1 and 3/4 cups)

white and black sesame seeds (optiona)

Mix all the ingredients together by hand or with a paddle attachment of a stand mixer.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out with a rolling pin and cut into 4 equal parts. Take one piece to work on and set the other 3 aside.

Roll the dough out into a roughly rectangular shape until a bit thinner than pie crust - about 2-3mm. Trim the top and bottom edges and then cut the dough into strips approximately 1/2 centimeter thick and 9 cm long.

Lay out the strips onto a baking tray and apply water or eggwash and seeds if using.

Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden.

Repeat with remaining dough. At the end combine then roll out all the scraps and cut them freehand into strips.

A rustic recipe with cabbage and fork-tender pork pieces cooked down in a light tomato broth with caramelized and crispy bits on top.

Braised Pork & Cabbage

2.5 lbs pork (see notes)

olive oil

Salt & pepper

onion,

cabbage

bacon grease

tomatoes

water

pepper

thyme

How to make traditional Romanian Mucenici, a dish served in Spring and made only once every year. It's a traditional recipe with gorgeous 8-shaped dough served in a sugary broth.

Traditional Romanian Mucenici

all purpose flour

+ 1 tbsp water

caster sugar

vanilla sugar

cinnamon

tbsp orange zest

walnuts, ground

In a standing mixer

In a standing mixer with the hook attachment, combine the flour, water, oil and salt. Mix for around 15 minutes until the dough is soft but not sticky.

Let the dough rest

Dust your worktop with

Dust your worktop with a little flour then using a rolling pin, roll the dough as much as you can until it gets to roughly 1/2 cm in thickness.

You will need two

You will need two round cookie cutters, one larger and one smaller. (I used a shot glass and a smaller piping nozzle)

Use the larger cookie

Use the larger cookie cutter and cut rounds into the dough. Remove the excess dough and using the smaller cookie cutter, cut into the circles to obtain rings.

Twist the rings to

Twist the rings to form the number eight. Press a little bit in the middle of the dough to ensure the number stays in place and set aside on parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining circles.

Use the excess dough

Use the excess dough to roll it again and repeat the above process until you have no more dough left. You should have around two parchment papers full of 8-shapes. Sprinkle with a little flour and let the dough dry overnight.

Mucenici Dough

Bring 2 litres of

Bring 2 litres of water to a boil. Add the vanilla sugar and cinnamon sticks. Add the dried mucenici and simmer for around 10-15 minutes until the mucenici start floating. Try one to ensure they are cooked. They should be a bit al dente.

Add the sugar, orange

Add the sugar, orange and lemon zest, rum essence and 2/3 walnuts. Mix with a wooden spoon until the sugar is fully dissolved.

The mucenici are now

The mucenici are now ready to be served in a bowl. Use the remaining 1/3 nuts to sprinkle on the top of the mucenici during serving.

Mucenici Broth

Zacusca is a Romanian vegetable spread made primarily from roasted eggplant and red peppers. It is popularly served as a spread on bread, but also as a relish for meats. Learn how to make it with Chili Pepper Madness.

Top 8 romanian recipes from across the web

The most viewed romanian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Polenta and Cheese Balls

Orange Polenta Cake – Malai Dulce

Polenta Loaf (Romanian Polenta Souf...

Cozonac Walnut Roll (Romanian Easte...

Sărățele: 3 Ingredient Romanian Che...

Braised Pork & Cabbage

Traditional Romanian Mucenici

Zacusca Recipe – Romanian Roasted E...

Top 8 romanian recipes from across the web

The most viewed romanian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Polenta and Cheese Balls

Orange Polenta Cake – Malai Dulce

Polenta Loaf (Romanian Polenta Souf...

Cozonac Walnut Roll (Romanian Easte...

Sărățele: 3 Ingredient Romanian Che...

Braised Pork & Cabbage

Traditional Romanian Mucenici

Zacusca Recipe – Romanian Roasted E...

The most viewed romanian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine