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Today, I'm sharing with you something really traditional for me and this dish is Plăcintă! Probably almost none of you knows I've been born in Moldova and this dish is definitely my childhood fast food.
And as I'm not living there anymore, obviously, they are hard to get and I've been craving them so bad...and if you don't know yet what Plăcintă is, they are beautiful dough pockets filled with different sweet or savory, so you can actually create your favorite type but today I'm sharing my favorite types filled with cabbage and with potatoes.
Of course, before we get to the recipe, let's take a closer look at Plăcintă :)
The national cuisine of each country represents a true reflection of its centuries-old traditions, which the inhabitants of every country cherish with praise. The secrets of national dishes are transmitted from generation to generation. The Moldavian cuisine is full of such secrets and mysteries too. Our small and sunny republic is located in a region of abundant natural opportunities. Most people usually associate the country with wine, placinte, delicious fruits, cheese, and corn porridge - mamaliga. For us, Moldavian residents, the national cuisine is really something we can be proud of. Today you will find out more about one of the tastiest, most famous, and delicious treats of Moldova - placinta.
A bit of history
A bit of history of the Moldavian cuisine - it was formed gradually. Like any other cuisine, it was actually influenced by countries in the region with a rich culture. Our country, as you may see on the map, is located on one of the oldest trade routes, between vast and prosperous countries. In the period from the 10th to the 12th century, a large number of Greek dishes entered our cuisine. Moldavian people were skilled enough in adopting the method of cooking butter, puff and puff pastry, which was at the time common in South European and Mediterranean countries. Right from that time, the famous placinte were introduced to our cuisine and remain one of the most notable "business cards of Moldova." One interesting fact: the word placinta comes from the Latin "placenta," which means "cake," - a cake in the Greek language is called "plakount" translating to "a flat cake.” As you could see, the Moldavian cuisine was formed from the integral structure of different cuisines of the neighbor countries, combining diverse and conflicting features: however, it soon got so loved all over the world. *source
Find the recipe below!
Prep: 40 min
Cook time: 30 min
Level: medium
Servings: 4 placintas
Calories per serving: with cabbage - 422 kcal; with potato - 530 kcal
Find the recipe & nutrition facts below :
For the dough:
2 cups of flour
3 tbsp oil
2/3 cup of water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp white vinegar
For the cabbage filling:
half of a small cabbage (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 onions (chopped)
1-2 tbsp oil
0,5 tsp salt
0,5 tsp black pepper
For the potato filling:
3 large boiled potatoes (mashed)
1 large fried onion
1 tbsp dill
0,5 tsp salt
0,5 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic
For the brushing:
1 tbsp oil
Method:
Step 1: First, for the dough, mix all the ingredients together and knead the dough for around 5 minutes. Let it chill for at least 30 mins.
Step 2: Prepare the filling of choice (or both of them by just dividing ingredients in half), for the cabbage filling on a frying pan fry all of the ingredients for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: For the potato filling, mix the mashed potatoes with other ingredients.
Step 4: Preheat a frying pan on low-medium heat, brush it with a little bit of oil.
Step 5: On a floured surface take a small piece of the dough and roll it out into a really thin circle, brush the edges, then put the filling of choice the filling (around 1-2 tbsp, depending on the size of the circle), and cover it with the dough by bringing the edges to the center, forming a letter-like form first, then once again bringing the edges to the center, forming a hexagon. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Step 6: Place one Plăcintă into the frying pan, cover with a lid.
Step 7: Cook on each side for around 5-6 mins or until golden brown.