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Another one of those recipes that bring back childhood memories. The main ingredient here is the farmer cheese. In the US, I can only find it in Publix stores.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 packages (7.5 oz ea.) Friendship Farmer Cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 and 1/3 cup flour
oil for frying
powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

Beat together eggs and sugar.

Add salt and the 2 packages of farmer cheese, and mix.

Spread baking soda in tablespoon, and pour the vinegar on top. Wait until it stops reacting, then mix in with the rest of the ingredients.

Add flour and mix.

Pour oil into a medium saucepan, to cover about 1/2″ of the bottom of the pan. Heat oil on medium-low heat. Add a small amount of the dough to the oil. When it starts to bubble, the oil is hot enough and ready for frying.

Drop the dough by tablespoon into the hot oil. If needed, use another tablespoon to shape dough into a ball.

Fry on both sides, until golden brown. Adjust the heat as needed, so the dough doesn’t brown too quickly on the outside and is raw on the inside.

Place doughnuts on a plate, to cool after frying.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm or cool.

Another way to serve: Mix together a little sugar and sour cream to form a dip for the doughnuts.

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Ingredients:

2 large eggplants
3 garlic cloves
2/3 cups mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions:

Wash eggplants and place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.

Broil in oven for 10-15 minutes on each side, or until the eggplants turn soft and change color.

Take the eggplants out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.
Cut the eggplant in half, and peel off the skin. Use a spoon if needed.

Cut the eggplant in strips lengthwise and chop finely with a knife.

Place the eggplant in a colander and let the juices drain for about 10-15 minutes.
Crush garlic using a garlic press and add to the eggplant.

Add salt and mayonnaise, and mix it together.

Chill in the refrigerator. Serve on bread or crackers, as an appetizer/ snack, or to complement any meal.

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Ingredients:

6 cups flour
2 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
extra flour to work with
oil for frying and to work with
Filling of your choice, recipes found in the “Miscellaneous” category

Directions:

Mix salt with flour in a bowl. Dissolve the yeast in about 1 cup of the water, then pour it on top of the flour, including the rest of the water as well.

With hands, knead the dough until well mixed and firm. If it sticks to your hands, sprinkle with a little additional flour. Also, as you work with the dough, detach it from the bowl and sprinkle the bowl with flour, so the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl.

Shape into a ball, as pictured below. If needed, sprinkle with additional flour to get the surface smooth as in the photo.

Sprinkle the bottom of the bowl with a little more four (to prevent sticking), and place the dough back into the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it sit in a warm place for at least 30 minutes, for the dough to rise. Meanwhile you can prepare the filling you are planning on using for this recipe. I have 3 different recipes you can use for that, found in the Miscellaneous category.

Take the dough out of the bowl and cut/divide it into about 12 pieces of equal sizes.

Shape each piece into a ball, using additional flour to prevent sticking to the working surface or hands.
Set the dough balls aside, on a surface sprinkled with flour.

Spread some oil on each of the dough balls, to prevent it from drying, while you work with it.

Spread some oil on the surface you’re working on. Take one dough ball at a time and place it on the oiled surface. Using a rolling pin, spread the dough into a very thin sheet. Make it as thin as you can, without breaking. Make sure the surface you work on is always oiled, otherwise your dough will stick to it and it will be impossible to get it unstuck without breaking.

Place about 1/3 cup of the prepared filling in the middle of the sheet and spread as pictured.

With a knife, make about 8 cuts around the sheet, each about 2/3 long, from the outside toward the middle, as in photo.

Fold one of the cut sections over the cheese.

Next, fold the opposite side as well, then the rest, as in pictures.

When you’re done folding all the sections, it should look something like this. This is one uncooked Placinta.

Pour some oil in a frying pan, enough to cover the bottom. Heat until hot, then add the Placinta. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until golden brown. You want to make sure the heat is not high, otherwise it will quickly cook on the surface and be raw on the inside.

When done on one side, flip and cook on the other side as well.

And here’s your cooked Placinta.

Pictured below is a stack of Placinte with cheese, cabbage and potato fillings.

Serving Suggestions: Serve hot or cold, as a side to any meal, a snack, or even breakfast. Pofta Buna!

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Typically, Moldovans make this recipe using homemade pickled cabbage, but since not everybody always has that laying around the house, here’s an alternative, using a combination of fresh cabbage and sauerkraut, to create the same taste.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup diced onions
3/4 cup oil
1 small cabbage, or about 5 cups shredded fresh cabbage
2 cups sauerkraut
1 egg

Directions:

Heat oil in a frying pan. Add onions and saute until lightly brown.

Add the fresh cabbage and fry until it starts to soften, then add the sauerkraut and continue cooking until lightly brown.

Add the egg to the pan and mix well. Continue cooking until the egg is fully cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.

This recipe is to be used for the Placinte recipe found in the Breads category.

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Ingredients:

4 potatoes
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cut potatoes in cubes and boil in water until soft.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in frying pan, add onions and saute until lightly brown, set aside.

When potatoes are fully cooked, mash and mix in the onions.

This recipe is to be used for the Placinte recipe found in the Breads category.

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Ingredients:

4 cups feta cheese
1 cup farmer’s cheese or small curd cottage cheese
3 eggs
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped. If you don’t have fresh dill, don’t use any at all

Directions:

Grate or finely crush the feta cheese.

Add the eggs, chopped dill, cottage cheese and mix well. If you prefer a milder taste of the cheese, you can decrease the feta cheese amount and increase the farmer’s cheese or cottage cheese amount.

This recipe is to be used for the Placinte recipe found in the Breads category.

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This is a very popular rice dish in my home country and the surrounding area, and has also a lot of variations. Here I am going to share mine, or basically the one I grew up with.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1 and 1/2 large onion
2 carrots
1 lb beef for stew, cut up in bite-size pieces.
3 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 lb. (16 oz.) medium grain white rice
8 cups of water
2 dry bay leaves

Directions:

In a bowl, add water to the rice, just enough to cover, set aside and let it soak.
Meanwhile, chop the onions and the carrots.

Heat oil in a deep pan, add the onions and cook on medium heat until tender.

Add the carrots and continue cooking until carrots are tender as well. Add salt, black pepper and beef, and cook until meat is browned.

Add tomatoes, cook an additional 2 minutes or so.
Drain the water from rice and add rice to the pan along with the 8 cups of water and bay leaves. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Do not stir the rice, just don’t forget to cook on low temperature, otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
When done cooking, place in serving bowl and serve.

Note: I used shredded carrots, black peppercorns and Brussels sprouts to garnish.

Serving Suggestions: serve with a fresh salad or pickles, feta cheese and fresh tomatoes.

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A very easy and quick recipe, yet very delicious and nutritious.

Ingredients:

5 cups dried pitted prunes
about 2 and 1/2 cups walnut halves
3/4 cup wine. I used the cooking type
powdered sugar to garnish

Directions:

Take one prune at a time and stuff with the walnut halves, trying to keep the prune whole as much as possible. To make it easier, I broke the walnut halves in half and stuffed them one at a time. You can also use a butter knife to help open up the prune.

When all the prunes are stuffed, place in a medium size pan. Add the wine and cover. Cook on medium low for about 15-20 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until the wine is evaporated.

Remove from pan and spread on a large plate, so they don’t stick together. Let cool.

Place on serving plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve!

Note: I used pear slices and grated orange peel to decorate with.

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Ingredients:

2 large eggplants
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves
3 cups oil. Could use less, but will take longer to cook.

Directions:

Slice the eggplant lengthwise, about 1/2″ wide, as pictured.

Cut slices into strips, about 1/2″ wide as well. If the strips are too long, you can cut them in half.

Place the eggplant strips into a strainer/colander. Add salt and mix gently, then let sit for about 30 minutes to let some of the eggplant juice drain.

Meanwhile, place the red pepper and the garlic in a blender and blend until everything is crushed.

Pour the crushed pepper and garlic into a bowl and drain the juice. Set aside.

In a medium size pan, heat the oil on medium-low temperature until hot. Add the eggplant to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. If you want to use less than 3 cups of oil, you can do so, but you will be able to fry less eggplants at a time, therefore it will take longer to cook.

Remove the eggplant from oil, and set o a plate lined with a paper towel, in order to absorb the oil.

Gently mix the eggplant with the crushed pepper and garlic, and serve.

Serving suggestions: Serve warm or cold, as an appetizer or as a side to complement any dish.

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Ingredients:

3 medium red beets
3 large potatoes
1 large carrot
3 medium dill pickles
1 can (15 oz) sweet peas
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Wash the beets, potatoes and carrot. Place in a large deep pan and cover with water. Boil until tender or until you can easily insert a fork into them. Carrot will cook faster. Do not overcook the vegetables.

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, as pictured below. Set aside.

Finely chop the dill pickles and set aside.

When carrot is cooked, chop finely.

When the beets are done, chop as pictured below and place in a large bowl, together with the carrots. (Note: Beets stain, so use a metal bowl rather than plastic if you don’t want your plastic bowls pink colored.)

Chop the potatoes as well.

Add potatoes on top of the beets and carrots.

Add the chopped onion, the pickles, sweet peas, oil, salt, and black pepper. Mix until well blended.

You can serve the salad immediately, but I prefer cooling it a bit in the refrigerator beforehand.

Serving suggestions: You can serve it with same dishes you would normally serve a typical potato salad.