This dish gathers the whole flavor of the Golden Moldovan autumn.
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EGGPLANT ROLLS
We call these eggplant rolls “Limba soacrei” or “Mother–in–Law ́s Tongue”. This appetizer, made of thin eggplant slices stuffed with a spicy-garlic filling, resembles the “hotness” of unwanted advice from your mother–in–law. Of course, it’s nothing but a stereotype developed in time. In fact, mothers–in–
law are kind and loving. Even when they stick their noses in your business, they do it with good intentions.
GALETTE WITH BERRIES
The best galette is the one made with seasonal fruits. The combination of thin and crunchy pastry with juicy fruits is simply phenomenal! Peaches, apricots, blackcurrants, raspberries, cherries or sour cherries are the fruits you can use for this recipe.
IT’S FRUIT COMPOT TIME!
Compot [kom’pot] was invented to preserve the sweetness and flavor of summer fruits for the wintertime. It is a non-alcoholic clear juice, made by boiling fruits and sugar in a large volume of water.
THREE HOLIDAYS AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST WITH THEIR SPECIFIC MOLDOVAN DISHES
For almost every holiday, there is a special dish in our culture. And I’m not at all joking when I say that on 2, 3 and 4 August we have three specific dishes for three different holidays.
Let me explain what each dish is and the holiday it represents!
ZUCCHINI PANCAKES
I admit I wasn’t a big fan of zucchini pancakes when I was little, but I came to really appreciate this dish when I grew up. The pancakes are savory and garlicky, ideal for a late night snack with beer, or an early breakfast with sour cream and a hard-boiled egg. You can make these pancakes using other vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes or peas. Sometimes I mix two different types of vegetables for a more fragrant taste.
POTATOES WITH GREEN BEANS
n Moldova you can find several varieties of beans that are good to eat fresh, before they mature and are ready to be dried. These are early- harvested yellow flat beans, consumed in summer. You may cook the beans with garlic, new potatoes or braised with sour cream. My memory tells me that yellow beans with potatoes and dill came top of my summer food list, especially when cooked in the small cast iron pot, which I brought with me to Canada.
STUFFED ZUCCHINI
Similar to our traditional sarmale [sar’male], stuffed zucchini is made with the same filling but in a different way. I prefer sarmale; however, this dish is for those who don’t like the taste of vine leaves or pickled cabbage: a different recipe for those who seek new flavors. Do you know how delicious a stuffed zucchini with homemade sour cream can be?
SPICY CHEESE-STUFFED TOMATOES
This appetizer is particularly delicious when made with sweet and juicy, medium to small seasonal tomatoes. Combined with cheese and spicy garlic, this starter will boost your appetite.
PRESERVED GRAPE VINE LEAVES
In our Moldovan cuisine grape vine leaves are used for making sarmale, those little rolls of grape vine leaves stuffed with rice, vegetables and meat, that we are very proud of. Although, you can easily find these leaves in Arabic stores, in Moldova, women prefer to preserve them at home, especially when every family in Moldova has access to a vineyard, whether it is their own or of a relative.