Shepherd's Stew (Tokana)
Ingredients: 1 kg Lamb, off the bone 500 g Onions 1 l Water Salt and black pepper 2 Bayleaves (or 3) 1 kg Potatoes 150 ml Sour cream 1 T Vinegar
Instructions: Cube the meat and trim off the fat. (Save the fat.) Peel and slice the onions. Render the fat trimmings in a casserole or saucepan. Take out the 'scratchings' left after rendering and add the meat and onions. Fry until well browned. Add the water, salt and pepper, and the bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Peel and slice the potatoes and add them to the stew. Simmer for another 30 minutes. After about 20 minutes of this time, remove the lid to allow the liquid to reduce. When the potatoes are soft, stir in the sour cream and vinegar: remove from heat. Serve with good bread. Yield: 4 servings

Sour Soup with Chicken (Ciorba de pui)
Ingredients: 1 Chicken, weighing around -3 lb / 1.5 kg Bay leaf and allspice 3 Med. onions 3 Carrots 1 Celeriac root Parsley root if you can find it Salt and pepper 1/2 Cabbage (optional) 2 Slices old bread, or 150 ml Single cream 1 T Vinegar 3 Egg yolks Dill and savory
Instructions: Clean the chicken well. Put it in the stewpot and immediatel add the mixed vegetables, bayleaf, allspice, peppercorns, and a little salt. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil three times, skimming and adding a little cold water each time to send the cloudy bits to the bottom. Simmer for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until the chicken is tender. Slice the cabbage if you're using it and add 15 minutes before the end of cooking time. Mash the bread (or mix the cream) with 1 T of the vinegar. Beat this mixture into the egg yolks and add a ladle of hot broth to the mixture. Beat in well. Remove the broth from the heat and stir in the egg mixture. Do not allow the soup to boil again. Chop the herbs and scatter them over. Serve the soup with bread and wine. Yield: 6 servings

Grilled Sausages with Peppers (Mititei)
Ingredients: 500 g Green or red peppers 500 g Finely minced meat (beef is usual, other meats will do fine) 2 Cloves garlic Salt and pepper 1 t Summer savory 1/2 t Allspice
Instructions: THE DAY BEFORE: Blacken the peppers under the grill until the skin blisters. Cool, remove the skin, de-seed the peppers, and cut them into strips. Dress with 3 parts oil to 1 of wine vinegar, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Marinate overnight. Pound the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly with the minced meat, the pepper, the finely chopped savory, and the allspice. Leave for an hour or two for the flavors to blend. When ready to cook, make sure the grill is good and hot. With wet hands, form the meat paste into small skinless 'sausages' about 1 inch / 2.5cm thick. Brush the hot grill with oil, and cook the mititei about a hand's width away. They should take about 7-8 minutes to cook, turned once. Eat straight from the grill with marinated peppers on the side, and bread. Yield: 4 servings

Bean Soup (Ciorba de fasole)
Ingredients: 250 g Haricot, pinto or butter beans 100 g Piece of smoke bacon, or bacon bones 2 l Water 1 Cos lettuce, OR some green beans OR 1 Bunch Swiss chard 2 Egg yolks 150 ml Sour cream 1 T Vinegar Salt and pepper Small bunch dill
Instructions: Soak the beans in cold water for 3-4 hours. At the end of the soaking time, cube the bacon. Drain the beans and put them in the saucepan with the bacon. (Make sure there will be plenty of room for the beans to expand.) Pour the water over. Bring to the boil, skim, and turn the heat down. Simmer the beans for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until soft. More time may be needed...keep checking the beans. Shred the lettuce or other greenery and stir into the soup when the beans are soft. Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Mash the beans a little to thicken the soup. Mix egg yolks, cream and vinegar together, and stir into the hot soup. Season. Chop the dill finely and scatter it over the soup. Serve with dark bread. Yield: 6 servings

Duck with Cucumbers
Ingredients: 1 Duck for roasting Salt and pepper 1 T Chopped marjoram 4 T Sunflower oil 1 Glass water 500 g Small pickling cucumbers OR 1 Large cucumber 2 Medium onions
Instructions: Wipe and quarter the bird. Rub well with salt, pepper and marjoram. Heat 1T of oil in a casserole. When lightly smoking, put in the duck pieces and turn until colored. Add the glass of water: cover the casserole. Leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes until the duck is tender. Grate the cucumbers, and drain them. Peel and slice the onions and fry gently in a frying pan with the rest of the oil. Ten minutes before the duck will be ready, add the onions and cucumbers to the casserole. Finish cooking all together. Yield: 4 servings

Carp Roe Paste (Icre Nigre)
Ingredients: 250 g Caviar (carp or salmon) 50 g Fresh breadcrumbs 2 T Milk 6 T Oil Juice of 2 lemons
Instructions: Make the breadcrumbs and put them to soak in the milk, then squeeze out any excess liquid. Pound the caviar with the breadcrumbs, then add the oil slowly, as if for a mayonnaise. Stir in the lemon juice. (This can be done in a liquidizer or food processor.) Serve with quartered hard-boiled eggs, hot toasted bread, a dish of black olives and vodka (if you can get it, the dry Romanian plum brandy, *tuica*, is even better). Yield: 4 servings