They say there is no household in the region of Bucovina that has not cooked such a celebratory, tasty and healthy meal on a Sunday, particularly because in the area, they use mostly mushrooms picked directly from the woods. Preparation shall be performed on stages and the first stage is the polenta, the base to cover the filling.
Polenta–start with 2l of water set to boil, add salt and when simmering, sprinkle 9 cups of maize flour to prevent it from clumping and leave to boil on medium gas, for ½ hrs. Add 100g of butter and 200g of grated ewe-cheese and stir well until the maize flour is mixed in and the paddle (rolling pin/whisk) stays clean. Turn the polenta upside down and cover with a cotton napkin.
Stuffing- ingredients:500 g of mushrooms, 1 onion, 1 glass of white wine, 1 tablespoon of double cream,salt, pepper, thyme and 1 tablespoon of butter. Heat the butter in a pan, add chopped onions, leave to boil down, add the cut mushrooms, wine, double cream, salt and pepper and leave to simmer, mixing to avoid catching on, until the content thickens.
For the curious, bacon or pancetta may be added to the stuffing.
Preparation of dumplings–take the polenta with a spoon and batter, create a hole with the help of the spoon, add from the already-prepared stuffing, cover with another piece of battered polenta and use your hands to smoothen into a circle. Coat the dumplings thus formed with butter.
Frying of dumplings - mix 50 ml of milk with 2 tablespoons of maize flour and 2 egg yolks, whipped. Welter the dumplings in the content obtained, then fry in hot butter or set in the oven. Serve hot, with double cream or cheese grated on top; wine lovers may add a glass of white wine to the meal. Tasty!
Sources and photos:
Elena Radu
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