Ciulama de ciuperci/Mushrooms stew with white sauce

Am inceput sa scriu retete pe acest blog din 2010.
Am adunat aici tot felul de retete: mai grele, mai usoare, romanesti sau straine. Am incercat sa pastrez un echilibru insa in scurt timp mi-am dat seama ca retetele cu elemente noi, cu ingrediente mai deosebite sau mai greu de procurat nu vor fi niciodata la fel de populare ca si cele de la mama de acasa. In scurt timp am inteles si de ce.
In 2008, anul in care m-am casatorit si am si inceput sa gatesc, am cautat in primul rand retete pe care mama si bunica mi le faceau acasa. Am gasit diverse variante ale aceluiasi produs si am ales fie o singura reteta, fie o combinatie.
In ziua de azi tinerii considera ca e mult mai simplu sa gateasca orice fel de mancare cu tableta sau laptopul in fata, indiferent ca este vorba de retete traditionale sau din bucatariile altor tari.
Ca si blogger am inteles ca pieptul de rata cu sosul de portocale sau muschiul de vita medium rare, cangurul cu vin si cartofi dulci, gasca la cuptor sau somonul cu piper verde nu intra in meniul zilnic al unei familii obisnuite din Romania. Trebuie sa fii realist si sa iti intelegi cititorii, sa iti dai seama ce isi doresc ei. Echilibrul este cel mai important: vechi-nou, inedit-obisnuit, simplu-complicat.
Pe blogul meu si-au facut loc retete pe care bunica mi le facea atunci cand eram mica si care sunt simple si foarte populare. Probabil ca 80-90% din bloggeri au postat aproximativ aceleasi retete pe blogurile lor. Si ce daca?
A-mi nega originile, felul in care gatim noi romanii, sa ma dezic de tot ce a insemnat bucataria familiei mele, mi se pare inadmisibil.
Am in minte exemplul lui Joseph Hadad (si nu numai) care intr-o emisiune recenta evoca retetele care se gateau in Maroc atunci cand era copil. Si nu, nu erau retete fusion, frantuzesti sau din bucataria moleculara. Si totusi vorbim aici despre bloggeri care gatesc din pasiune si nu despre mari bucatari. Cu atat mai mult!
Sa-mi fie cu iertare daca gresesc. Bucataria franceza, germana, greaca, italiana, nu inseamna numai mancare light, salate si supe de legume. Bucataria romaneasca are si ea mancare sanatoasa (a se vedea multitudinea de retete cu legume din sudul tarii), mancare tip “bomba calorica” (retete din Banat, Ardeal si Moldova) dar si mancare cu un continut moderat de calorii (din toate zonele tarii). Si in cazul acesta de ce bucataria romaneasca este in ochii tuturor Cenusareasa?
Asa ca, dragii mei, adoptati ceea ce va place din bucatariile tuturor popoarelor si sa nu va fie rusine sa gatiti retete romanesti! Nu permiteti nimanui sa va jigneasca spunandu-va ca mancarea romaneasca e de proasta calitate si ca nu avem cultura culinara.
Azi m-am gandit sa va prezint o reteta tipic romaneasca pe care daca ati primi-o in aceasta forma (reinterpretata in principal ca prezentare) nu ati ghici ca ea este de fapt banala ciulama de ciuperci.

I started to write recipes on this blog in 2010.
I gathered here all kinds of recipes: complicated , easier, Romanian or foreign. I tried to keep a balance but soon I realized that the recipes with  more special or hard to find ingredients will never be as popular as those cooked like mothers at home. Soon I understood why.
In 2008 , the year when I got married and I have started to cook , I first searched for recipes that my mother and grandmother cooked at home. I found different versions of the same product and I chose either a single recipe, or a combination .
Today young people think it’s much easier to cook any dish with tablet or laptop in front  of them, whether it’s traditional recipes or from the kitchens of other countries.
As a blogger I realized that the duck breast with orange sauce or the medium rare beef,  kangaroo with wine and sweet potato or salmon with green pepper, or roasted goose  are not included in the daily menu of the average family in Romania . You have to be realistic and understand your readers to figure out what they want . Balance is the most important : old – new , original – regular , simple – complicated.
On my blog there are recipes that my grandmother cooked when I was little and they are simple and very popular. Probably 80-90% of bloggers have posted about the same recipes on their blogs. So what?
To deny my origins , the way as we the Romanians cook, I deny all that has meant something to my family kitchen , I find it unacceptable .
We have in mind the example of Chef Joseph Hadad (and he’s not the only one) in a recent show that evoked recipes cooked in Morocco when he was a child . And no, they were not fusion recipes , French or molecular cuisine. And yet we’re talking about bloggers who cook with passion and not chefs . Especially because of this !
Pardon me if I’m wrong . French, German , Greek, Italian foods are not only light foods, salads and vegetable soups. Romanian cuisine also has healthy food (see the multitude of recipes with vegetables in the south of Romania) , ” calorie bomb ”   food type ( recipes from Banat , Transylvania and Moldova) as well as food with a moderate calories content (from all over the country ). And in that case why Romanian cuisine is the Cinderella ?
So, my dear , adopt what you like in other countries’kitchens  and not be ashamed to cook  Romanian recipes! Don’t allow anyone to offend you by telling you that Romanian food is of poor quality and that Romanians don’t have culinary culture .
Today I thought to present you a typical Romanian recipe which if you’ll receive it in this form ( mainly reinterpreted in the presentation ), you wouldn’t guess that is actually common ciulama of  mushrooms (mushrooms stew with white sauce).

Ingrediente:
– 500 g ciuperci
– 30 g unt
– 1 morcov
– 1 ceapa
– 1 gogosar
– oregano
– sare

Ingrediente sos:
– 50 g unt
– 1 lingura de faina
– 300 ml lapte
– 100 ml smantana
-sare
-nucsoara
-oregano

Ingredients:
– 500 g mushrooms
– 30 g butter
– 1 carrot
– 1 onion
– 1 bell pepper
– oregano
– salt

Ingredients for sauce:
– 50 g butter
– 1 tablespoon flour
– 300 ml of milk
– 100 ml sour cream
-salt
-nutmeg
-oregano

Dupa ce ati spalat si ati curatat legumele, le taiati grosier si le puneti impreuna cu untul intr-o tigaie.
After you wash and peel the vegetables, cut them roughly and put them together with the butter in a pan.

Caliti legumele timp de 7-10 minute, pana se inmoaie.
Temper the vegetables for 7-10 minutes, until they get soft.

Adaugati apoi ciupercutele, puneti cam 100 de ml de apa si lasati-le la fiert. Amestecati din cand in cand in tigaie. Cand legumele s-au fiert, luati tigaia deoparte si incepeti sa preparati sosul.
Then add the mushrooms, put about 100 ml of water and let them boil. Stir from time to time in the pan. When vegetables are cooked, take the pan away and start to prepare the sauce.

Puneti untul impreuna cu oregano intr-o craticioara pe care o asezati pe foc. Amestecati incet pana cand untul se topeste.
Put the butter with oregano in a saucepan and put it on the stove. Stir slowly until the butter melts.

Adaugati apoi faina si amestecati. Atentie – ea nu trebuie sa devina maronie.
Then add flour and mix. Warning – it should not become brown.

Adaugati laptele si nucsoara si amestecati bine pentru a omogeniza compozitia sosului. Lasati apoi sosul sa fiarba, amestecand in continuu. Cand acesta va avea consistenta unei creme stingeti focul. Lasati sosul sa se racoreasca putin dupa care adaugati smantana si amestecati bine pentru a omogeniza.
Add milk and nutmeg and mix well to homogenize the sauce mixture. Leave the sauce to boil, stirring continuously. When it will have the consistency of a cream put the pan aside. Allow the sauce to cool slightly then add the cream and stir well to ensure homogeneity.

Serviti cele doua preparate separat sau amestecate.
Serve the two dishes separately or mixed.

Pentru a avea o imagine cat mai buna despre ce inseamna viziunea despre acelasi fel de mancare a mai multor bloggeri romani, puteti sa ii vizitati la urmatoarele adrese:
To get a better look at what the vision of the same dish means for several Romanian bloggers, you can visit them at the following addresses: