traditional romanian recipes

Sweet Walnut Roll known as "Cozonac cu Nuca" is a traditional Romanian sweet bread made with raisins and walnuts or pecans enjoyed at Christmas and Easter.

Walnut Roll (Cozonac cu Nuca)

raisins

active dry yeast

water

milk

butter (unsalted, melted)

lemon zest

sugar

all-purpose flour

eggs (separated)

vanilla extract

walnuts

cocoa powder

vegetable oil

egg (beaten, for egg wash)

Add the raisins to a small bowl and pour the rum over them. Let the raisins soak up the rum and plump up while preparing everything else.&nbsp;

In another bowl add the yeast and warm water, stir it a bit and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to activate. The yeast should bubble up. If you don't see it bubble up, then the yeast is old. Do not proceed because your bread will not rise.

In a sauce pan add the milk, butter, lemon zest and sugar. Heat it over medium-low heat just until the butter melts and the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil it, it just needs to be hot. If it gets too hot it can kill the yeast.

Drain the raisins. To the bowl of your mixer add the flour, the 5 egg yolks, vanilla extract, the milk mixture, yeast mixture and raisins. Using the dough hook mix everything for about 5 minutes until everything is well blended together and the dough should come off the sides of the bowl. The dough will be a softer dough and somewhat sticky to your hands. The more you mix the dough the fluffier it will be.

Take a large bowl and oil it with about 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and use the other tbsp of vegetable oil to rub over the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free environment. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size, could take 1 to 2 hours.

Great 3 loaf pans with oil or butter. My loaf pans are 12 x 4.5 x 3 inches, but the regular smaller loaf pans work just as well.

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it in 3 equal pieces. On a big surface where you can work the dough, oil the surface, we will not use flour here, I find that oil works better. Take one piece and roll it out using a rolling pin, into a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch in thickness and the width of your loaf pans. &nbsp;Spread about 1/3 of the nut mixture over the dough. then roll it up jelly style. Place the roll in the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.&nbsp;

Cover the loaf pans with a clean damp kitchen towel, place in a warm, draft free environment and let the loaves rest until doubled in size.&nbsp;

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.

Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown. To test if they are done inside, insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean the loaves are done.

Let the loaves cool for about 10 minutes in the loaf pans. Run a knife around the edges of the loaves, to make sure they didn't stick, then remove the loaves from the loaf pans, transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely before slicing into them and serving.

For Dough

While the dough is rising add the walnuts or pecans to a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are finely ground. Add the sugar and cocoa powder to the processor and pulse a few more times until everything is well incorporated.&nbsp;

In the bowl of your mixer add the egg whites and mix until stiff peaks form. Fold in the nut mixture. Place this in the fridge until ready to use.

For Filling

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls are made with sour cabbage stuffed with pork and beef and little bit of bacon, the best cabbage rolls you will ever have.

Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)

onion

long grain rice (uncooked, I prefer basmati)

pork

parsley (chopped)

dill (chopped)

salt and pepper

sour cabbage leaves

bacon (chopped)

tomato juice

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onions and cook until softened and translucent. Add the rice and cook for another minute.&nbsp;

In a large bowl, add the ground pork, salt, pepper, parsley, dill and the onion and rice mixture. Be careful with the salt, not too much is needed because the sour cabbage is already salty. Mix well using your clean hands.

Remove all the cabbage leaves and cut each leaf in half. Romanian cabbage rolls are traditionally smaller than the Polish cabbage rolls, so that's why I recommend cutting each leaf in half, otherwise you can use the entire leaf for one roll.

Fill each leaf with about a couple tbsp of the meat mixture and roll. Repeat with all the remaining meat and cabbage.&nbsp;If you have any cabbage left over, chop it up and spread it over the bottom of a big pot.&nbsp;

Put all the rolls in the pot, add the chopped bacon in between the cabbage rolls and add the tomato juice over the rolls. Add more water if needed, the juice should cover the cabbage rolls entirely. Cover the pot with aluminum foil or a lid.&nbsp;

Place in the oven and bake for 2 hours, remove the foil or lid and place back in the oven and cook for another 1 ½ to 2 hours. Serve hot with a bit of sour cream on top and with a side of polenta.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/voxviGg8.mp4

Crockpot Cabbage Rolls – try my traditional cabbage rolls with ground pork, rolled in sour cabbage leaves and slowly cooked in a crockpot. So simple and a definitely a favorite!

Crockpot Cabbage Rolls

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Walnut Roll (Cozonac cu Nuca)

Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)

Top 2 traditional romanian recipes recipes from across the web

The most viewed traditional romanian recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Walnut Roll (Cozonac cu Nuca)

Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)

The most viewed traditional romanian recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine