4 Recipes for Cold or Hot Romanian Appetizers

Cold or warm Romanian platters are essential for important events, such as family celebrations, weddings, baptisms, birthdays and even Sunday meals where family and close friends gather. Appetizers are traditional dishes, made from meat or vegetables and have the role of stimulating the appetite.

Organizing a party or a meal with all your loved ones can be extremely beautiful, but also demanding. We know how difficult it is to determine the food that will satisfy all the guests, but also to have the necessary ingredients at hand when you are away from the country. No matter how many dishes you prepare, guests will always pay the most attention to the appetizer platters. Thus, in order not to make a mistake, it is recommended to choose the variety, i.e. a little of everything. Precisely for this reason, in addition to all the ingredients you find at one Romanian store, like ASmarket.co.uk, we have also prepared some recipes of the most successful cold and hot appetizers. Before moving on to cooking, we will go through some information that will be useful to you, related to the choice of ingredients for the preparation of appetizers.

Choosing the necessary ingredients

It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to know the culinary preferences of each guest. However, there are a few ingredients that will guarantee your success.

The main categories of appetizers

Appetizers can be grouped according to several categories. If you choose ingredients from several groups, you will be able to ensure a variety, which will satisfy even the most demanding guest. On the other hand, if you do not follow this recommendation and prepare a plate of appetizers from only one category, you risk that your food will be considered boring or even not eaten. Thus, here are the main categories of appetizers:

• Appetizers from the garden: these include vegetables, fruits, potatoes and olives;
• Starch-based appetizers: this category includes preparations such as sandwiches, pizza slices, pastries, bruschettas, biscuits or meatballs;
• Appetizers meat products: meatballs, sliced meat, chicken wings, sushi or egg dishes;
• Refreshments: may include nuts, chips, pretzels, cheese cubes, popcorn;
• Sauces: guacamole, butters and anything goes served with crackers or as a dip.

When preparing appetizers, keep in mind to include at least one item suitable for everyone. This means a simple appetizer, for the preparation of which you do not need to put any effort. Salami, cheese, and cheese are cost-effective and easy-to-serve options. At the same time, you can also opt for fish dishes.

Also, appetizers in general are recognized for not requiring much effort and are more of a comfort item. You can impress your guests by arranging them, but don't forget to include simple things like vegetables, cheese cubes, nuts, crackers or even chips.

Now that we have established what are the main things you must take into account when preparing appetizers, let's present you some cold or warm appetizer recipes, with which you will impress all your guests.

Spinach Roll Appetizer

This appetizer is extremely tasty and is considered the star of festive tables. As complicated as it sounds, it is as simple to make and the ingredients you need are few.

Top ingredients for appetizer roll

• 170 g of spinach
• 3 large eggs or 4 smaller ones
• 100 g of flour
• 30 ml of oil
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 30 ml of milk
  

Ingredients for the filling

• 150 g ham or 6 thin slices
• 340 g cream cheese with greens

Method of preparation:

Preparation of the top:

Separate the eggs and place the yolk over the fresh, washed and tossed spinach. Add the milk and oil. To obtain a homogeneous composition, use a vertical blender or a food processor. Mix the flour with the baking powder, then add them to the spinach mixture and incorporate them with the help of a spatula.

Beat the egg whites with half a teaspoon of salt. Incorporate the foam into the composition gradually and mix with wide movements. Once you have incorporated the entire amount of foam, use a tray lined with baking paper.

Spread the composition over the entire surface of the pan and level the composition. Cover the tray with 2-3 times the mass and then put it in the preheated oven at 160 C for 15 minutes or until the top passes the toothpick test.

Remove the top from the tray with the baking paper. Transfer it to the work surface and place another paper on top. Turn to remove the paper that was on the base, roll the counter immediately and leave it like this to cool.

Preparation of the filling:

Mix a little in the cream cheese and then put it on the counter. Spread it all over the surface of the counter, but put less at the end of the counter.

Place the slices of ham on top of the cream cheese then roll the top.

Starting from the rolled end, roll in the opposite direction with the baking paper. Wrap the roll in cling film and put it in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Then the roulade can be portioned and served, Bon Appetit!

Appetizer with Romanian cheese 'telemea', olives and peppers

The appetizer has a very simple recipe with ingredients that every person has in the fridge. Children love it, and adults love it, both for the wonderful taste and for the simple way of preparation. This recipe can be interpreted and the ingredients can be changed depending on what you have in the fridge.

Ingredients needed:

• 6 pcs eggs
• 150 g of flour
• 150 g chicken Polony
• 200 g of sheep telemea
• 1 pc red pepper or combined with green
• 100 g sliced olives
• 100 ml of oil
• a few tails of green onions
• ground pepper
• 1 pinch of salt
• optional chili flakes
• 1 sachet of baking powder

Method of preparation:

Mix the baking powder with the flour.

Beat the eggs with a little salt. Eggs can be beaten with a fork or with a mixer.

Gradually add the oil and mix gently with a whisk.

Add the sifted flour. It is added like oil, gradually.

Add the onion tails, sliced olives, bell pepper and parsley.

Mix everything and then add cheese.

Put the mixture in the pan.

Put the tray in the oven preheated to 170 C for about 50 minutes.

Good appetite!

Eggs filled with cream cheese and crispy chips

Stuffed eggs are indispensable at festive meals in Romania and will certainly remind you of the holiday spirit. From the simple recipe that grandmother or mother often made, you can customize it to your liking.

Ingredients needed:

• 3-4 eggs boiled for 7 minutes
• 50 g of sweet cottage cheese
• 30 g salted cottage cheese or telemea
• 30 g soft butter
• a few onions or green onion tails
• 3-4 slices of dried raw muscle
• 1-2 leaves of lettuce

Method of preparation:

Boil the eggs for 7 minutes and put them in cold water to lower the temperature. Peel them and cut them in half, then remove the yolk. Mix the types of cheese with the butter and egg yolk. Season with salt, pepper and chopped green onions. Transfer the resulting cream into a bowl and fill the boiled egg halves with it. Optionally, you can fry 3 slices of muscle in a pan with very little oil, just until it browns. For decoration, you can cut 2 leaves of lettuce into strips on which you can place the stuffed eggs. Cut the browned muscle into small pieces, and use them to decorate the eggs.

Mini cones or salami bells with cream cheese

This cold appetizer recipe is quite old, in the 1970s it was in vogue at the parties that were organized then. Here's how easy it is to prepare with few ingredients.

Ingredients needed:

• 12-15 slices of raw-dried salami with black pepper coating
• 75 g sweet cottage cheese
• 75 g of spicy bellows cheese
• 30 g soft butter
• salt to taste
• some capers for decoration

Method of preparation:

Mix the two types of cheese with the soft butter.

Transfer the cream to a piping bag. Twist each salami slice like a cone, and secure the end with a toothpick. Fill the cones with the cream made previously. You can decorate them with a caper, and then leave them in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden the butter cream.

Bon Appetit!

Two recipes for cold appetizers and two for hot appetizers and you can already move on to the main course. In the end, we just tell you that plating is very important. Place the appetizers in a creative way and amaze your guests with the delicacies made according to our recipes. Also, we take care of the best quality ingredients, so we are waiting for you at A&S market.