The day was cloudy and misty with a persistent cold drizzle of rain. However, our spirits were not to be dampened and we decided to set out for a foodie road trip to East Haven, Connecticut. A bit of a schlep, but as it turned out, well worth it! Our destination was a Romanian restaurant, The Transilvania Restaurant and Bar. My husband Paul had read about it in The Daily Nutmeg , an online newsletter.
This cozy restaurant, which opened in 2022, was decorated tastefully with colorful table settings. We were warmly greeted by the friendly owner, Alina Coldarariu.
The unpretentious place does not take itself too seriously; there was a bit of kitsch, with a picture of Vlad the Impaler on the wall and complete with “Bat Rooms”!
We had an excellent lunch. Paul and I shared two lunch specials that included Romanian style chicken paprikash with delicate spaeztle with marinated cabbage salad and a hearty meatball soup.
My lunch included delicious stuffed cabbage with polenta and sour cream and bruchettta with Romanian eggplant salad.
Many years ago, when I was a music student in New York, I had the opportunity to travel to Romania with a group called the Riverside Chamber Orchestra. I remembered eating an eggplant salad that had a smoky delicate flavor and here it was again!
I asked the owner Alina about the dish and she kindly described to me the technique she uses to prepare the eggplant which includes grilling whole eggplants over coals; definitely something I plan to try to make! Even though she was busy getting out other lunch orders, we had a lovely chat about Romania, which at the time of my visit was still a communist country.
The stuffed cabbage had a unique flavor. When I returned home, I read about Romanian style stuffed cabbage; it is called Sarmle and is made with sour cabbage. This is much like the flavor of sauerkraut but whole cabbages are used. One article mentioned that the cabbages can be found in Eastern European specialty food shops (another road trip!)Smoked bacon is also used-I will use turkey bacon for my version.
My husband asked Alina if there are any special Romanian dumplings and she mentioned plum dumplings-galuste cu prune.
My winter cooking projects are all set: Eggplant Salad, Semolina & Plum Dumplings, Romanian Stuffed Cabbage! In the meantime, here is a recipe for irresistible, easy to make crispy oven baked potatoes that I made during the holidays. I scored the potatoes with a fork and this made the surfaces extra crispy. The potatoes taste like a combination of French fries, home fries and baked potatoes and are so good that they could almost make a meal on their own accompanied by plain yogurt or sour cream!
Crispy Oven Baked Potatoes
Ingredients:
4-5 medium Yukon gold potatoes (leave skin on)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
To Make Potatoes:
Pre heat oven to 380 Degrees
Cut potatoes in half (larger potatoes can be cut into 3 pieces).
Score the cut side of the potatoes with a fork.
Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil- with your hands, rub potatoes together to cover all surfaces.
Sprinkle with salt and dried rosemary.
Bake about 20 minutes, cut side down and then carefully turn over with metal spatula.
Bake cut side up until potatoes are brown and crispy. The insides of the potatoes will be very soft.
Eat while piping hot.
ENJOY!
BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!
A Musician's Travels 