Lavender simple syrup

2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons lavender, a few blueberries

Add all of the ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Turn down the heat to low and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the syrup to cool.
Once cool, strain the lavender buds and blueberries, then pour through a coffee-filter-lined strainer to remove any particles. Pour into a vinegar bottle using a funnel and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Süßkartoffel-Apfel-Suppe

3 shallots, 400 g sweet potatoes, 2 tbsp butter, 750 ml vegetable broth, 2 sour apples, 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 stems of basil, salt, pepper

Peel and dice the shallots. Peel and wash the potatoes, cut into approx. 2 cm pieces. Heat the butter in a saucepan. Braise shallots in it until translucent. Add the potatoes and sauté for about 2 minutes while turning.
Deglaze with broth and bring to the boil, cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
Now wash and peel apples. Cut thin slices from 1 apple around the core. Cut slices into fine pencils. Drizzle with lemon juice. Core the remaining apple and dice. Wash the basil, shake dry, pluck the leaves.
Add the apple cubes to the soup and bring to the boil briefly. Puree the soup with the hand blender. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Stir the apple strips into the soup. Arrange in bowls sprinkled with basil.

Aluat de tarta, dulce sau sarat

Really easy to make, the recipe in romanian is here: Aluat tarta

250 grams of regular wheat flour, 125 grams of butter with 82% fat, 1 pinch salt, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons of very cold water

Put the flour and the salt in the bowl of the robot. Incorporate the butter into the flour, add the whole egg and 3 tablespoons of very cold water.
Wrap the dough in clingfoil and store it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Roll the dough on a flour sprinkled surface in a sheet of 0.6-0.8 mm thickness.
Grease the tart form with butter. Roll the dough on a rolling pin and transfer over the form. Lightly press the dough with your fingers so that it molds to the shape. Perforate the dough from place to place with a fork, then refrigerate for 1/4 - 1/2 hour.
Bake the crust without filling (blind-baking), using ceramic balls put on a baking paper. Bake the tart dough with the weights for 15 minutes, then remove the baking paper with the weights and bake until it becomes a nice golden.

Ciorbă de dovlecei cu iaurt, usturoi și afumătură

Another tasty recipe from Savori Urbane Ciorba dovlecei

1 kg of zucchini, 500 g potatoes, 1 carrot, 200 g smoked bacon, 2 onions, 3-4 cloves of garlic, salt, 2 tablespoons oil, 500 ml of milk

Soup thickener: chopped greens (dill, parsley), 3-4 cloves of garlic, 300 ml fatty yogurt or kefir

Cut the bacon into small cubesc.
Chop the onions and garlic, dice the zucchini and potatoes. Cut the carrot into thin slices.
In a big (4l) pot saute the onion, garlic, carrot and bacon in 2 tablespoons of oil for 3-4 minutes, over low heat, until the vegetables soften a little. 

Add the diced potatoes and sautéed them for 2 minutes.

Pour 2 L of warm water. Bring everything to a boil and checked the potatoes after 15 minutes. Add the milk and zucchini and boil for another 5-7 minutes. Check for salt.

Chop the greens and garlic and mix it with the yoghurt. Add a pinch of salt.

Put 3-4 tablespoons of hot soup, mix it well and then add it to the rest of the soup.

Prăjitură fără coacere cu mere, biscuiți și budincă de vanilie

Yumyy, tasty and easy to make.
You can make your own vanilla pudding or just use a store bought one. Of course is more tasty with the pudding made from scratch.
Here is the version in the romanian language from the Savori Urbane blog: prajitura mere

Apple filling: 150 g sugar, 600 g apples, 50 g butter, salt, vanilla, 20 ml orange liqueur

500 gr vanilla cream
To assemble the cake: 18 petite beurre cookies, 9 covered in chocolate cookies

Wash the apples, do not peel them and cut them into bigger cubes.
Caramelized the sugar in a pan, add the apples over the caramel and mixed gently to get the caramel everywhere. Let the apples brown slightly, then add the butter. Stir occasionally and add the vanilla sugar. After a few minutes add the orange liqueur and wait 1-2 minutes for the alcohol in it to evaporate.
Assemble the cake: use a deeper tray which fits 9 cookies. Put the first layer of cookies, pour the warm apple filling, next the second layer of cookies. On top pour the lukewarm vanilla pudding and leveled again and then place the chocolate covered cookies on top.

Let the cake sit in the fridge for 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Beef Stroganoff with Gherkins

I went to Ruse last weekend and I tried a similar dish and it was quite tasty, so I tried and recreate it.

Here it is:
 

600g topside beef, 150g fresh mushrooms, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 big onions, sliced, 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 2 cups (500ml) beef stock, 1 cup (250ml) cream, 5 small pickled gherkins, 1 pinch salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste, fresh parsley

Cut the beef into fine strips. Clean the mushrooms and cut into thin slices.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sauté beef over a medium-high heat turning from time to time. Remove from the saucepan and set aside.
Fry the onions and mushrooms in the beef dripping. Add the meat, paprika, beef stock and cream. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Let them boil till only half the sauce remains.
Slice the gherkins and add them to the saucepan. Add the chopped parsley and serve.

Greek Lamb Pilaf with Orzo

Found this recipe on the net, tried it and liked it :D

6 lamb neck fillets, about 800g-900g (1¾ lb-2lb) in total, 2-3 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground allspice, 400g can chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 300ml (10fl oz) dry white wine, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp sugar, 1 chicken stock cube, 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 250g (9oz) orzo
To serve: 85g (3oz) feta cheese, 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint, finely grated rind of 1 lemon (optional)
 

Preheat the oven to 160C (fan 140C/325F/ gas 3). Cut each neck fillet in half lengthways, without trimming away any fat, then cut each halved fillet crossways into 6-8 bite-sized pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, nonstick frying pan until hot and sear the lamb in 4 batches over a medium-high heat until browned on all sides. You may need to add another tablespoon of oil. As each batch is seared, transfer the lamb to a large flameproof casserole using a slotted spoon.
Reduce the heat and add the onion to the frying pan. Fry, stirring often, for 3 minutes until golden brown. Add the garlic, cinnamon and allspice and fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the onion mix to the casserole.
Pour the canned tomatoes over the meat and onion. Fill the tomato can twice with water and add to the casserole. Stir, then add the tomato purée, wine, lemon juice and sugar. Crumble in the stock cube and add the thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, stirring, then cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, stirring halfway.
Stir in the orzo, cover the pan again and return to the oven. Cook for a further 20 minutes or until the orzo is plump and tender, stirring halfway. To serve, gently stir the meat and orzo, crumble the feta over the top and sprinkle with the herbs and lemon rind, if using.
Orzo swells quickly to several times its size, so don’t use too much and be careful not to overcook it. Stir after 10 minutes’ cooking or it can clump together and stick to the pan.