LICHIU (Romanian Cheese Pastry)

Lynn Rizo

Filling:

Scald milk; add butter and sugar. Let stand until lukewarm. Add yeast to lukewarm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Add beaten eggs to milk, then blend in yeast. Stir flour into the milk and egg mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until the spoon and the bowl are clean and the dough is not sticky (you may need to add a little more flour). Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place, until double in bulk. When risen, divide dough in 2 pieces (for 11" x 15" pans), flatten and fit dough into greased pans. Make the edges a little thicker, as for pizza. Spread with filling and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. For filling: Boil milk and cream of wheat until thick. Set aside to cool. Add cottage cheese, sour cream and salt. Stir well. Add egg yolks and mix thoroughly. Beat 5 egg whites until frothy then add sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture. Spread cheese mixture on dough and bake. Cool and cut into squares.

SARMALE (Romanian Stuffed Cabbage)

Lynn Rizo

In a large kettle, scald head of cabbage to remove leaves (use a 4 quart kettle with 2 quarts of water). Keep immersed until leaves are pliable. (You may need to remove the outer leaves as they are cooked and recook the head to get the inner leaves pliable.) Let the leaves cool and cut away the heavy center vein. Set aside. Combine chopped bacon with the minced onion. Place in the bottom of a 6-quart kettle and add ½ can of sauerkraut. Sauté chopped onion and chopped celery in oil until transparent. Add rice, salt and pepper. Mix well and sauté for 2 more minutes. Cool, add ¼ cup of water if this is dry. Mix the meats and add the rice mixture. Knead to mix well. Place approximately 1 large tablespoon of meat mixture in a cabbage leaf then roll and tuck in the ends to seal the meat mixture. Place cabbage rolls on an angle in a kettle. Add ham hocks and continue adding rolls. Cover with the rest of the sauerkraut. Pour V-8 juice into the kettle until it just covers the cabbage rolls (add water if needed). Cover and simmer slowly for 3-4 hours. Occasionally shake the kettle to prevent scorching and sticking.