Fried Pastry / Plăcintă

Directions

1.  In a small pot, heat ½ c of milk over a low flame until warm.

2.  In a plastic bowl, mix heated milk, 1 Tbs of sugar, and the yeast. Set aside.

3.  In a separate, larger bowl, mix the egg yolks, a pinch of salt and the remaining sugar. Slowly add in the yeast mixture and the remaining milk. Mix until smooth.

4.  Begin adding the flour one cup at a time until the dough begins to form a ball. The full amount of flour may not be necessary.

5.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 6 – 8 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky, add more flour.

6.  Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a cloth towel. Place it in a warm place to rise for 1 ½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

7.  Punch down the dough, and knead a second time for about two minutes.

8.  Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll out each ball into a circle (5-6 inches in diameter). Cover, and set them aside to rise for another 15 minutes.

9.  Heat 2-4 inches of oil in a wide pan over a medium flame. Once it is nearly hot, re-roll the dough circles.

10.   Fry the Plăcintă in the hot oil for about two minutes on each side or until golden brown. (If it’s cooking more slowly, increase the heat).     When done, remove and place them on napkins to absorb the excess oil.

 

Notes: Although the usual translation for ‘Plăcintă’ is ‘pie’, in some areas of Romania, a Plăcintă looks and tastes more like a fluffy doughnut that can be eaten plain, topped with something, or stuffed. The easiest option is to serve these tasty treats warm and coated in powdered sugar, or grated brânză.

 

Variations: The simple way to stuff Plăcintă is to simply fold it around a filling after it’s cooked (sort of like a taco). This is tasty with shredded cabbage, sliced tomatoes, shredded chicken, and grated cheese, followed by a sprinkling of oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Or you can do the stuffing before the Plăcintă is cooked. This works well with jam or the sweet cheese filling below.

 

Ingredients: Sweet Cheese Filling                                                             

U.S.	Ingredients	European
3	Eggs	3
5 ½ c	Sweet cheese	750 g
½ c	Raisins	70 g
1 ¼ c	Sugar	250 g
1	Lemon	1

 

Instructions: Stuffed Plăcintă       

1.  Separate the eggs, and beat the whites in a small bowl until foamy.

2.  In a separate bowl, mix the grated or crumbled cheese, raisins, sugar and the zest from one lemon.

3.  Fold in the beaten egg whites.

4.  To stuff the Plăcintă, after rolling out the dough a second time (see above), add 2 - 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the circles. Fold the circles in half and join the edges. Use a bit of water or the beaten egg yolks to help the dough stick and seal around the edges.

5.  Cover and let rise once more for about 30 minutes before frying. Follow the directions for frying listed above and serve warm.

 

Notes: For sweet cheese, you can use any sort of unsalted brânză, urdă, etc.