A rainbow of tastes

Moldavian Mucenici - A Traditional Romanian Pastry Dessert Moldavian Mucenici are also a Romanian dessert, from Moldavian region. They are  similar to the Muntenian Mucenici  as they are both eaten traditionally on March, 9 when it is celebrated an old Orthodox tradition: the 40 Christian martyrs that were sentenced to death by freezing in a cold lake.  In this case, the dough shaped like figure 8 is much bigger in size and is baked instead of boiled in water. They are served with crushed walnuts and honey and flavoured with lemon or orange zest. The ingredients below are for 8-9 servings Ingredients for Moldavian Mucenici dough: 500 g all purpose flour 100 g granulated sugar 7 g active dry yeast or 25 g fresh yeast 1/3 cup neutral oil 1 cup almond milk (can be easily replaced with water), lukewarm a pinch of salt 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Ingredients for Moldavian Mucenici syrup : 1 cup water 150 g sugar zest f...

Mucenici Muntenesti – A Traditional Romanian Dessert This nice Romanian dessert is eaten traditionally on March,9 when it is celebrated an old Orthodox tradition: the 40 Christian martyrs that were sentenced to death by freezing in a cold lake. The bowl of sweet and spiced liquid symbolise the lake, while the small 8 shaped figures are the martyrs (mucenic means martyr in Romanian), thrown into that lake. The below ingredients are for aprox. 150 pieces (4 small serving cups). Ingredients for the Mucenici dough : 150 g all purpose flour 80 ml hot water a pinch of salt Ingredients for boiling and serving Mucenici: 2 l of water zest from an orange zest from a lemon rum and vanilla extract 6 tablespoons of caster sugar (or honey if you prefer) 4-5 tablespoons of chopped walnuts cinnamon How to make Mucenici: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, mix flour with salt. Make a hole in the centre and add i...