Mushroom stew (Topala de ciuperci)

It's normal for me (like others like me) to have my ego when it comes to our own cuisine. And the Romanian one is not despised at all.
Even if, it was an attribute of  Gypsies and peasants, who wore with pride their national clothes when they were cooked for high society, the  French, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Turkish, Greek influences(or who have been here previously), everything have been contributed to the fulfillment of the kitchen which makes honor to this nation.
Great Master in grilled but in saying with passion of a music that grease your ears and soul too, the Romanian known to take from each what was good and cast it on the base created by ancestors who knew what they have to do. 
Really now '... do you think they would have anyway's with stuffed cabbage or polenta ahead of a chef grown up in the hand of a conservative French Culinary Institute or under the Careme finger's shadow pointing his cheek?
The famous French gourmet critic, Jean-Luc Petritenaud, in a moment of absolute sincerity, said:  "Don't be ashamed of your authentic foods ! Contrary, do everything to promote it! "
Here yes, I like what I hear and how, God forgive me, to be ashamed  with my polenta, cabbage rolls, kozunacs, cakes, Kürtőskalács or  with my magiun, virsli, pies or stews ?
And, for all the meanings, still to the Frenchman's knowledge I must go; no matter how I hanging my words among the world pots, I might be able to say WRONG to his saying: 
"L' humanite se nourrit. Le francais dine"(Humanity feeds, French has a lunch.) but, I won't  do it. And  that's of respect for the world pots in whose bellies and  flavors I stir my spoon.
And, what bigger credit I can give to the versatility of the Romanian cuisine when, Pastorel Teodoreanu said what he said in his culinary writings " De Re Culinaria":

"There's no chronicler, but a parrot 

who shamelessly repeats

prosaic culinary recipes

As we found in the "cookbook's karat."

(Pastorel Teodoreanu - Predoslovenie*)

Mushroom stew & "little fleas"

Mushroom stew or Topala de ciuperci or Ciulama de ciuperci, being a product of Transylvanian cuisine (Western part of Romania) is a white roux sauce used in a variety of meat dishes. I just replaced meat with mushroom. Great taste and flavor. I don't give to you any measurements because Topala is a kind of dish made with soul for soul. So...

Directions:

Saute chopped green onion in heated olive oil. Add chopped mushrooms and stir in for few times till soften, then add milk. Let it boil then add a thick sauce made from 1-2 tsp white wheat flour mixed with 1-2 tbs of thick sour cream.You can add at this level salt and pepper or just can do it at the end.

Let topala to boil till you get a smooth and fine sauce. Remove from the heat and add chopped fresh garlic or, as I used to do, garlic powder. A handful of chopped fresh dill is more than welcomed. It's up on your taste. The original topala has no dill in it.

It can be served with polenta, bread or puricei (little fleas), a kind of thick and cold polenta(mamaliga) what's broken with a fork, poured with salt and garlic and fried in a very small amount of pork fat or oil till golden.

More about puricei...in the next post on World's pot.

Legend: * Predoslovenie = an archaism, an old word meaning "a word before"

Romanian version:

Normal ca eu (ca si altii asemeni mie) am orgoliul meu atunci cind vine vorba de bucataria proprie. Si cea romaneasca nu-i deloc de dispretuit.Chiar daca a fost sub mina tiganilor dar si a taranilor care purtau cu mindrie sortul alb peste portul national, influentele frantuze, austro-ungare, rusesti, turcesti, grecesti sau cele care-or mai fi fost si-au adus contributia la implinirea unei bucatarii care sa faca cinste unei natii.

Mester mare la gratar da si la zicerea cu foc a unei muzici ce-ti unge urechile si sufletul, romanul a stiut sa ia de la fiecare ce-a fost bun si sa-l muleze perfect pe baza creata de ancestorii care stiau ce au de facut.
Zau acu', credeti ca s-ar prezenta oricum cu mamaliga sau cu sarmalele lui in fata unui chef crescut sub mina Institutului Culinar Francez si sub umbra degetului lui Careme indreptata spre obraz?
Celebrul critic gastronomic al Frantei, Jean-Luc Petritenaud, intr-un moment de sinceritate absoluta, zicea: "Sa nu va fie rusine cu mancarurile autentice! Dimpotriva, sa faceti totul pentru a le promova!"
Aici da, imi place ce aud si cum Doamne iarta-ma, sa ma rusinez cu mamaliga mea, cu sarmalele, cu tochiturile, cu cozonacii, cu magiunul, cu placintele sau cu tochiturile ?
Si, pentru ca tot la frantuz ajung, oricum m-as invirti printre cuvintele si oalele lumii, mai ca as putea sa-i contest zicerea: "L' humanite se nourrit. Le francais dine" ( Omenirea se hraneste, francezul ia masa.) dar n-o s-o fac si asta din respect pentru oalele lumii in ale caror burti si arome imi vir lingura.

Si ce credit mai mare pot da versatilitatii bucatariei romanesti cind Pastorel Teodoreanu a spus ce-a spus in a lui Predoslovenie(Cuvint inainte) la De Re Culinaria: 

"Nu este cronicar, ci papagal

Cel ce repeta cu nerusinare

Prozaice retete culinare

Asa cum le-a gasit in manual."

Topala de ciuperci cu puricei

Topala sau ciulamaua , fiind un produs al bucatariei transilvanene este un sos alb folosit in diverse feluri de mincare cu carne. Eu doar am inlocuit carnea cu ciupercile.

Nu voi posta nici un gramaj al retetei pentru ca topala este un fel de mincare care se face din suflet pentru suflet. Asa ca...

Soteaza ceapa verde tocata in ulei de masline incins apoi adauga ciupercile tocate. Amesteca si lasa pe foc pina ciupercile se inmoaie. Adauga lapte si da-l in clocot apoi amesteca in compozitie un sos gros facut din 1-2 l-te de faina alba si 1-2 l-ri de smintina groasa. Fierbe topala pina devine fina si faina e fiarta. Indeparteaza de pe foc si adauga usturoi tocat sau usturoi pudra. Poti adauga si-o mina buna de marar tocat, desi topala clasica nu-l are in reteta.

Se poate servi cu mamaliga, piine sau cu puricei(mamaliga tare si rece, sfarimata cu furculita, stropita cu usturoi pisat si sare si prajita in foarte putina untura de porc sau ulei). Despre puricei...intr-un post viitor.

Enjoy ! 

       Update on 27.04.2012 : Puricei (Little fleas) are here.