Saptamana 1 / Week 1

“Cartea regala de bucate” este o lucrare excelenta. Mai mult decat retetele, care sunt superbe din cate am vazut pana acum J, ideea in sine e geniala. Este o deschidere atat de intima a Principesei, care ne invita in bucataria si sufrageria familiei, care sunt cu siguranta inima oricarui camin, iar in acest caz, Familia capata o dimensiune deosebita.

Am savurat, in saptamana Craciunului, interviul Principesei de pe TVR. Cata naturalete si eleganta fara efort. O schimbare atat de binevenita fata de tortura absoluta la care suntem supusi in fiecare zi cei care mai avem curajul sa pornim televizorul. (Dar despre acest subiect voi scrie putin mai mult saptamana viitoare, cand voi arata cat poate sa insemne diferenta de atitudine!)

Acest atribut, al elegantei, bunului gust, si, in general, al bunului simt este ceea ce imi inspira, in primul rand, respectul fata de Casa Regala a Romaniei!

Am hotarat cu greu care e cel mai indicat capitol sau, concret, reteta cu care sa incep acest proiect… apoi am ajuns la capitolul “Radu si cu mine”.

Pentru mine titlul capitolului a insemnat totul! Acea combinatie intre “persoana iubita” si “mine” m-a facut sa ma gandesc la cat de important este “cel de langa mine” si cat ar fi de neinsemnata viata fara acel cineva! (O persoana draga mie mi-a spus o data ca a pregati mancare pentru cineva este unul dintre cele mai frumoase si naturale moduri de a-ti arata dragostea. Sunt de acord!) Apoi am vazut prima coperta si dilema s-a rezolvat J

Risotto cu ulei de trufe

Am inceput prin a curata ceapa alba, telina si usturoiul, pe care le-am calit la foc domol in ulei de masline si unt, pana cand s-au calit, fara a se rumeni. Nu uitati ca mancam atat cu gura, cat si cu ochii, deci aspectul si prezentarea sunt si ele vitale! Am adaugat orezul la primele ingrediente. Atunci cand a devenit usor translucid am adaugat o portie serioasa de Murfatlar – Eticheta Neagra, Riesling SEC. Mirosul e ceva tare greu de descris, dar cu siguranta starneste interesul in aceasta reteta J. Pasii urmatori sunt delicati si necesita o oarecare rabdare: am adaugat treptat polonic, dupa polonic de supa de carne. Intreaga combinatiie devine tot mai cremoasa, iar orezul absoarbe treptat minunatele arome ale legumelor si vinului. In momentul in care bobul de orez este patruns, am adaugat parmesanul si putin piper negru, macinat proaspat, iar la final am turnat vreo doua linguri bune de ulei de trufe. Acest ultim ingredient, pe care l-am incercat pentru prima oara, a adus o nota savuroasa intregii formule: o aroma care aduce a ciuperci si nuci intr-o oarecare masura …

Rezultatul final a fost mult peste asteptarile mele! In principiu nu sunt cel mai mare amator de orez si, ca regula, pana acum l-am folosit doar ca garnitura la retete care abunda in sos sau condimente, pentru a le echilibra sau a le face mai satioase.

Cu siguranta nu mai incercasem risotto, dar pe viitor sunt sigur ca aceasta reteta va fi folosita sa uimeasca invitatii J.

Un sfat: serviti-l cald, imdiat dupa preparare! Pierde mult din farmec dupa ce sa raceste…

Reteta detaliata se afla in “Cartea regala de bucate”, Ed. Curtea Veche, Bucuresti 2010, pag. 190



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The “Royal Cookbook” is an excellent work. More than the recipes, which are all superb as far as I've seen so far, the idea itself is brilliant. It is such an intimate account from the Princess, who invites us into the kitchen and the family dining room, which is certainly the heart of every home, and in this particular case, the family gets a special dimension.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Princess’ television interview at Christmas: such natural grace and effortless elegance she has. A welcomed change from the absolute torture that we are subjected to on a daily basis – those of us who still have the courage to turn on the TV. (But I'll write a little more about this topic next week when I will try to show how attitude can make all the difference!)

This attribute, of elegance, good taste, and, in general, common sense is what inspires my respect towards the Royal House of Romania!

It was quite difficult to decide the most appropriate chapter or, specifically, the recipe with which to start this project... then I got to chapter "Radu and I."

For me the chapter title meant everything! That combination of "the loved one" and "I" made me think about how important “the one next to me” is and how barren life would be without that special someone!  (A person dear to me once said that to cook for someone is one of the most beautiful and natural ways to show your love. I agree!) Once I saw the front cover, my little predicament was
settled!

Risotto with truffle oil

I started by peeling a white onion, which I finely chopped together with celery sticks and garlic. I sautéed them in olive oil and butter until they became soft, but did not brown. It is worth remembering that we eat with our eyes just as much as we do with our mouth. As a consequence, the appearance of the dish is vital! To all the above ingredients I added the rice, which I cooked until it became translucent. At this point I added a good helping of dry white wine (Riesling). Smell is somewhat hard to describe in words, but I can assure you it is something quite enticing when it come to this particular recipe. The next steps require some patience: ladle after ladle of stock need to be added until a creamy consistency is reached and the rice absorbs all the beautiful aromas of the sautéed veggies, stock and white wine. Once the rice is cooked all the way through, freshly ground black pepper and parmesan cheese can be added, finished off by two spoons of truffle oil.   This last ingredient, which I have tried for the first time, brought a very savory note to the whole dish: a very earthy aroma that resembles mushrooms, but it is also somewhat nutty…

The final result surpassed my expectations! Normally I am not the biggest rice fan and until now, as a rule, I have only used it as a side for dishes that abound in sauce or spices/condiments to balance them out or make them more filling. 

I had definitely not tried risotto before, but for the future I am sure this recipe shall be used to wow guests J

One piece of advice: make sure you serve it immediately, while still warm! It loses much of its charm once it cools down…

The detailed recipe can be found in “Cartea regala de bucate”, Ed. Curtea Veche, Bucuresti 2010, pag. 190.