General information
Submitted on Thu, 25-September-2014
Meatballs of various types are an integral part of Romanian cuisine and the word chiftea (pl. chiftele) (pronounced /kif-te-a/ – /kif-te-le/) is clearly an indication of their Turkish origin, the word being a corruption of the Turkish kofte and related to the Middle Eastern kafta.
In the Moldavian region of Romania they are also commonly known as parjoale (/pur-joa-le/) although these seem to be a little larger in size than the standard Romanian chiftea. Due to the preference for pork in the Romanian diet, these meatballs are most commonly composed of pork, perhaps in combination with some beef. Lamb chiftele are quite rare in Romanian cuisine.
These cauliflower croquettes have a moist, light interior and, if cooked right, a crispy coating. Cauliflower is more usually pickled in Romanian or the whole florets are battered and fried.
Method
1. Cut the florets off the cauliflower and cover with water. Bring the water to the boil and boil for 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft and the point of a knife slides in easily.
2. Drain the cauliflower and leave to steam dry for a few minutes.
3. Break the cauliflower up with a fork. You don’t want to smash it into a puree – you should end up with something like large breadcrumbs.
4. Break an egg into the cauliflower. Add salt and pepper to taste, three large tablespoons of breadcrumbs, and a handful of chopped parsley. Mix well.
5. Heat a centimetre of oil in a frying pan.
6. Pour the rest of the fine breadcrumbs into a dish.
7. Take an egg-sized lump of the mixture and form it into a flattened disk. Dip it into the breadcrumbs until it is well covered and carefully place it into the hot oil. It’s probably best to cook them in two batches to save cramping the pan.
8. After a few minutes, carefully turn the croquette over to cook the other side. Cook both sides until golden brown. When cooked, remove to a plate with some kitchen paper on it to soak up any excess oil.
9. Serve with any sauce you like (a homemade tomato sauce, for instance) or simply with a dollop of good yogurt or sour cream.
Source: http://romanianfoodblog.blogspot.dk/