Cozonac - Romanian Traditional Cake

I have been craving for a long time to cozonac. I was missing my mom's sweets, so one day I decided to bake it myself after previously failing about two times.

 

Cozonac is a sweet bread, to which milk, sugar, eggs, butter and raisins are added. Cozonac (Romanian pronunciation: [kozoˈnak]) or Kozunak (Bulgarian: козунак, Bulgarian pronunciation: [kozuˈnak]) is a traditional Romanian and Bulgarian sweet bread. It is usually prepared for Easter in Bulgaria, and mostly for every major holiday (Christmas, Easter, New Year, Pentecost) in Romania. A similar dessert can be found in the Italian cuisine, panettone.

 

I have promised to a friend that I will post this recipe although I am not expert in doing it. So here you go Nada , this is for you sweetie !

Ingredients

1kg  flour

200 gr sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 sachet of instant yeast

650 ml milk

4 yolks

1 egg

5 tablespoons butter

lemon / orange zest

Vanilla essence

For the filling

Filling is upon desire in any combination : walnuts, raisins, dry fruits, cacao, cinnamon ,

sugar, Turkish delight. Sesame and sugar for the final touch on the top !

 

First , heat the milk with the sugar and the instant yeast ( do not boil it ). Let it aside in order for the yeast  to start working. In a deep bowl put the flour , add the milk composition and the yolks.  Start kneading until the dough becomes smooth. Add the lemon/orange zest plus vanilla and the melted butter and keep on kneading until incorporated. Let it rise covered in a warm place until double the volume.

For my filling I used raisins, dry apricots and cinnamon with sugar. In this case , mix the cinnamon with sugar and melt some butter before starting working with your dough again.

On a clean surface sprinkle some flour and put your dough dividing it in 6 equal balls. Each ball spread it in a rectangle about 1 cm in height and long as your pan. Start with 3 balls only. After the dough is spread put the melted butter and add the filling then roll the dough. Take the 3 rolls and interweave them , arrange them in the pan and let them rise for about 1 hour.  Continue with the next 3 balls in the same manner.

Pre-heat the oven for about 15 minutes before putting the cozonac to bake. Right before putting them in the oven beat an egg and then brush it all over the dough . Sprinkle some sugar and sesame on top.  Now they are ready to go in the oven. The first 10 minutes let them bake at the highest temperature then decrease it to medium . I baked mine for about 40 minutes to  180°C. They are done when they pass the test of the tooth pick. Let them covered for about 15 minutes then remove them from the pan. Keep them cover until serving !

 

 

 

Cinnamon Rolls

I was not aware of how good the cinnamon rolls are, until one day, when my colleagues took me out to just eat cinnamon rolls from Cinnabon. Although that time I ate a cheese cake , my colleagues let me try their cinnamon rolls. I have been planning to make them for a long time as the price seamed to be expensive for a roll. So, here is what you need:

 

 

 

For the dough

3 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package instant yeast

half cup water

quarter cup milk

2 and half tablespoons butter

1 egg

For the filling

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

5 tablespoons sugar

For the glaze

powdered sugar

milk

 

Before starting to make the dough , set aside half cup of flour. In a large bowl , mix all dry ingredients : the 2 and half cups of flour, the sugar, the salt and the yeast until evenly dispersed. Separately heat the water, the milk and the butter until the mixture is hot to touch. Stir the dry ingredients with the wet mixture , add the egg and start kneading. Add only enough of the reserved flour until the dough will pull away from the side of the bowl and has a soft , elastic consistency. You might not need all the reserved flour. Keep on kneading for about 5 minutes and after let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. Mean time combine de cinnamon and the sugar and soften the butter ( I use to put it on fire until it melts) .

 

  

After the dough rested for 10 minutes roll the dough out in a rectangle. Spread the softened butter on the surface of the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon with sugar all over the dough. Roll up the dough very tightly.

 

Cut into even pieces and place them in a greased pan. Depending on how big/tall your rolls want to be you can cut up to maybe 15 pieces. Arrange the rolls in the pan and let some space between them because they will double in volume.

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

Cover the rolls with aluminum foil and let them rise in a warm place for 1 hour or so. Preheat your oven! After the rolls doubled in size, bake them for 25 minutes on about 200 C until browned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The glazing vary , can be caramel sauce , chocolate sauce or the simple one made from powdered sugar and milk or water. For the caramel sauce you can see the recipe here.

 

For the sugar one just combine the powdered sugar with milk until you reach the desired consistency.

 

Glaze the cinnamon rolls right before serving ! 

Enjoy !
 

Pastas with Tuna and Mayonnaise

Pastas, tuna and mayonnaise ?!? I have been cooking this salad for quite a while with a lot of success. Last time I made it for a charity where the money collected were donated  to the 57357 Hospital ( for children with cancer). Some people buying were circumspect  because the association between these 3 main ingredients but I'm guaranteeing you that is delicious.  The recipe I received it long time ago from a  nice lady and I am very thankful to her for that !  Here is what you need :

v  1 package of pastas ( I prefer small ones)

v  1 or 2 cans of tuna chunks

v  cucumber pickles ( as much as you like )

v  1 can of corn

v  mayonnaise ( as much as needed )

v  pinch of salt ( if needed )

v  some vinegar ( if you feel you need more sour taste)

 The pastas are boiled as instructed on the package.   After boiling , must be well washed with cold water and drained very well. Let pastas aside to cool. Mean time , cut the cucumber in small pieces ( be sure to be well drained too). Remove the oil from the tuna. In  a big bowl add your cucumber , the cans of tuna and the can of corn. When the pastas cooled add them in the bowl.  Now is time to incorporate your mayonnaise. About the mayonnaise I didn't specify any quantity because I am making my own mayonnaise and I don't know the exact quantity. I am making my own mayonnaise using a hand mixer , the so called "1 minute mayonnaise" in which  I add some garlic too. I shall post the recipe later on . Is perfect ! So,  add mayonnaise as much as needed for your salad and add the salt or vinegar only if needed ! 

This recipe is dedicated to Ms. Ola who specially requested it ! 

The salad taste even better the next day !

Enjoy !

Orange and Chocolate Chips Ice-Cream

This ice-cream is really exquisite ! It has a nice flavor , is refreshing and very easy to cook from scratch. Based on this plain ice-cream all you need more is some oranges and chocolate chips.

Grater some orange zest ( about 1 full spoon , more if you like but take care because in large quantities it makes your final product kind of bitter). Squeeze about a glass of orange juice. As the pictures are showing , you can make full use of your oranges so do not throw your halves of oranges.  

After your plain ice-cream base is ready , add the zest and the orange juice along with the chocolate chips and mix everything together.

Pour the ice-cream in a bowl then put it in the freezer. To avoid the ice formations , the ice-cream must be mixed occasionally at an interval of 30 minutes until hardens. From this quantity serves 3-4 persons a nice rich big cup each !


 If you want to impress your guests or family now is time to use your halves from the oranges. You can store them in the fridge over night and use them the next day with no problem. Add some ice-cream scoops in your halves and grater some chocolate on top !

Enjoy !

Pizza Pancake

The combination may sound weird , pancake and pizza in the same plate but it turned out a nice dish and very easy to cook. The inspiration came from Pannekoek the Dutch style pancakes , the ones topped with bacon. The dish can be served for breakfast and dinner , both hot and cold. Actually I liked it better cold !

Ingredients

 

For the pancakes you will need :

Eggs

Milk

Flour

Salt & pepper

 

For the topping you will need:

ham

onion

mushrooms

olives

tomatoes

mozzarella

( any other ingredient that you like : pepperoni , chicken, sea-fruits, corn, salami or fresh herbs etc.)

Preheat the oven !  The ingredients for the pancake are beaten into a batter of a fairly liquid consistency , thicker than the one for normal pancakes. I didn't specify the quantities because it is up to you. For three persons I  used 3 eggs, about 1 cup of milk and flour till the batter got thick. When the batter is ready pour it into the pan which was previously coated with oil.

 

Add the toppings and put it in the oven. Simple !

Bake it  for about 25 minutes on 250°C. When is ready let it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it.

 

 

 Serve it hot or cold for breakfast or dinner !

Enjoy !

Banana, Caramel and Walnuts Ice-Cream

Continuing the ice-cream series , I am adding another flavors combination. Craving for more ice-cream and having some ripped bananas I have decided to make a banana, caramel and walnuts ice-cream.

For this recipe use the Plain Homemade Ice - Cream and three more ingredients :

• Bananas
• Caramel Sauce ( see recipe here )
• Walnuts

Puree the bananas  and stir them gently with the Plain Homemade Ice - Cream .

Add the Caramel Sauce  and the walnuts and incorporate them in your mixture.

Pour the ice-cream in a bowl then put it in the freezer. To avoid the ice formations , the ice-cream must be mixed occasionally at an interval of 30 minutes until hardens. From this quantity serves 3-4 persons a nice rich big cup each !  

Before serving take the ice-cream out of the freezer by 10-15 minutes so it will be easy to scoop it. Top it with some more caramel sauce and walnuts !

Enjoy !

Plain Homemade Ice - Cream

This ice-cream recipe can be used as a base for any other ice-cream adding  your favorite ingredients and flavors. It is a very creamy rich ice-cream and here is what you will need:

 

§  3 eggs

§  300 ml whipped cream

§  about 6 spoons of sugar ( more or less depending what flavor will be added )

§  a pinch of salt

The eggs, separate the whites from the yolks. Mix the yolks with about 3 spoons of sugar.

Mix the egg whites with the remaining sugar  ( remember that if you add ingredients that already are sweet enough , there is no need to add the rest of the remaining sugar) and a pinch of salt until obtaining a very thick foam.

Mix together the whipped cream , the yolks and egg whites foam.

Now it is up to personal choices what flavors and mixes to add for this ice-cream base! Later on, I am going to add different combinations recipes ! For now you can see maybe you would like Vanilla Ice Cream with Walnuts and Dried Plums !

Pour the ice-cream in a bowl then put it in the freezer. To avoid the ice formations , the ice-cream must be mixed occasionally at an interval of 30 minutes until hardens. From this quantity serves 3-4 persons a nice rich big cup each !  
Enjoy !

Caramel Sauce

"Caramel is sugar that has been taken just to the edge of burning.   

   Caramel's color reveals the extent to  which it is cooked.

The palest form is just concentrated sugar syrup. 

 The next stage is golden, followed by amber and dark." 

Martha Stewart

 

Probably you will read lots of recipes that state "do not use white sugar", " use only heavy cream", " do not use a spoon" etc., etc. , etc. Believe me, not everything must be that strict and this caramel sauce can be done exactly with just three main ingredients and is very delicious. Here is what you will need :

Ingredients :

 

 Half cup of sugar  ( any sugar )

2 spoons of butter

4 full spoons of whipped cream

  pinch of salt

 

 

Melt the sugar over high heat. It's very important to carefully watch the stove, as soon as the edges of the pan start caramelizing, immediately lower the heat to a medium low.  

 

 

 

 

Lower the heat to the lowest setting when there are only a few remaining non-caramelized pieces. Don't let the sugar get brown, otherwise you'll get a burnt taste.

 

 

 

When all the sugar is an amber color, remove from the heat, pause for about a minute, then slowly add the butter and salt. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Do not worry when the sugar hardens and keep on stirring.

 

 

 

Bring back to the stove using the lowest setting and add the whipping cream spoon by spoon.

 

 

When all the ingredients are well mixed , stop the stove and  let the sauce cool down.

 

 
 

From these quantities you will get a jar with caramel sauce.

 

 

It can be serve hot over ice cream although it will be thin, but thickens as it cools or refrigerate it overnight or up to several days.

 

 Enjoy !

Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have received some Chinese chopsticks about one week ago ( thank you Jana ! ) so I had the urge to cook some Chinese food in the attempt to use the chopsticks. So I was searching for a recipe that contains chicken and easy to find ingredients. I found a very easy recipe so I decided to give it a try. The chicken bites have a crisp exterior and are tender on the interior.

 

Here is what you will need :

The Chicken Bites

v  500 grams boneless, skinless chicken cut into small chunks ( bite size)

v  salt and pepper to taste

v  about 3 spoons of cornstarch

v  1 large egg ( must beat it )

v  oil for frying

The Sweet and Sour Sauce

v  half cup of white sugar

v  half cup of vinegar ( preferable apple cider)

v  quarter cup of tomato paste

v  1 tablespoon of soy sauce

v  half teaspoon of garlic powder ( no worries if you do not have , I also replaced it with fresh garlic as I do not like the garlic powder in my food)

 

For the sauce , whisk the sugar, the vinegar, the tomato paste, the soy sauce and the garlic and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 Put your chicken bites in a bowl and season with salt and pepper then add the cornstarch and gently combine it. Beat your egg and soak the chicken bites into the egg mixture.

 

 

 Take each chicken bite coated in egg and fry it until golden brown. Take the chicken bites out on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

 

Put the chicken bites into a pan , top  with the sauce and place into the oven.

 

 Bake until the sauce becomes thick ( it took for me about 40 minutes on 250 degree ). From time to time turn over the chicken bites to bake evenly and coat in the sauce.

 Serve it hot on a bed of rice ( or noodles in my case ) !

Enjoy !

Koshari - Mancare Specific Egipteana

Koshari  este o mancare cu  specific egiptean, pregatita din orez, macaroane si linte ornate cu sos de rosii , ceapa prajita si optional boabe de naut.  Acest fel de mancare este foarte popular in Egipt si se gaseste peste tot. Exista restaurante care vand doar Koshari , de exemplu lantul de restaurante Tahrir.

Este foarte usor de pregatit iar componentele sunt la indemana. Am atasat poza cu ingredientele asezate unul langa altul pentru o mai buna identificare a acestora.

-macaroane - o punga (250gr)
-orez (roz )- 2 pahare
-linte ( atz ) - 125 gr
-fidea (shaaria )- 3 linguri mari
-cub de supa - 1 buc
-rosii proaspete (tamatem )- 1/2 kg
-usturoi ( tom)- 4 catei
-ceapa (basal )- 3-4 cepe mari
-otet ( hal )- 1/4 pahar
-sare , piper
-ulei

Toate ingredientele se prepara separat, fiecare in vasul lui in acelasi timp.Pastele se pun la fiert iar dupa ce s-au fiert se scurg bine de apa, se adauga 1 lingura de ulei si un praf de sare.

 

Fideaua se prajeste in ulei intr-un vas incapator  pana devine maronie .Cand fideaua este gata se adauga peste ea orezul si se acopera cu apa deasupra orezului cu un deget.Orezul se fierbe pana scade apa de deasupra apoi oala se pune pe o table, se acopera cu capac iar focul se da la minim.Se fierbe asa mocnit pana orezul este fiert si se aude trosnind.

 

Lintea se fierbe in apa iar dupa ce s-a fiert se scurge bine de apa .

 

Sosul de rosii se prepara in felul urmator:usturoiul se prajeste in ulei pana devine foarte putin maroniu apoi se adauga rosiile mixate, se adauga otetul,cubul de supa si un praf de piper negru.Se lasa pina da in clocot apoi se adauga o jumatate de pahar de apa.

 

Ceapa se taie rondele apoi se prajeste in ulei pana devine maro spre negru.

 

Dupa ce toate ingredientele au fost pregatite se pune pe rand un strat de paste , unul de orez cu fidea,se presara deasupra lintea si ceapa prajita apoi se adauga sosul de rosii dupa cit se doreste .

 

Sa aveti pofta !