Mămăligă

Serves 4

• 1 cup coarse cornmeal
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• A spoon of butter, if you want it softer

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Rain in the cornmeal while you stir so it does not clump. Lower the heat and stir often until it pulls from the side of the pot, about 20 minutes. Rest 5 minutes. Slice with a wet knife or a string. Eat with cheese, eggs, or mujdei.

Mujdei

A small bowl

• 4 garlic cloves
• A pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons oil, or the same of water
• A squeeze of lemon, optional

Crush the garlic with the salt until it is a paste. Stir in the oil a little at a time, or use water for a sharper sauce. Lemon if you like it bright. It should be loose enough to spoon, not a mayonnaise. Good on potatoes, grilled meat, or mămăligă.

Salată de varză

Serves 4

• Half a small white cabbage, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• A little dill, if you have it

Toss the cabbage with the salt and leave it 10 minutes. Squeeze out the extra water. Stir in oil, vinegar, and dill. Taste. It should be sharp and a bit wet, not a dry slaw. Better after a short rest in the cold.

Ouă cu telemea

Serves 2

• 3 eggs
• A handful of telemea, or any salty white cheese
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter or oil
• Salt only if the cheese is mild

Warm the fat in a small pan. Add the onions for a minute. Crumble in the cheese, then pour in the beaten eggs. Cook low, folding once, until just set. Telemea is already salty, so taste before you add salt.

Tocăniță de cartofi

Serves 4

• 6 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt, and a little dill

Soften the onion in the oil. Stir in the paprika for a few seconds, then the potatoes and salt. Add just enough water to come halfway up. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are soft and the liquid is mostly gone, about 25 minutes. Dill at the end. This is weekday food, not a feast.

Fasole bătută

Serves 4

• 2 cups cooked white beans, or one large can, drained
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons oil
• Salt, and a little onion

Mash the warm beans with the garlic and oil until they are thick but not dry. Salt it. A raw onion on the side is traditional and optional. Eat with bread, pickles, or mămăligă. If the beans are canned, rinse them first so the mash is not tinny.

Salată de roșii

Serves 4

• 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Salt, and a little vinegar if you like

Salt the tomatoes and onion and leave them a few minutes so they make their own juice. Add oil. That is the salad. Summer only, and only if the tomatoes taste like something. It sits next to almost every hot dish on this page.

Pilaf de orez

Serves 4

• 1 cup rice, rinsed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil or butter
• 2 cups water or light stock
• Salt

Soften the onion in the fat. Add the rice and stir until the grains look glossy. Pour in the liquid and salt, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook low until the water is gone, about 15 minutes. Rest off the heat, then fluff. Onion rice, not a spiced biryani.

Ciorbă de legume

Serves 4

• 1 carrot, 1 parsley root or parsnip, 1 onion
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• A handful of cabbage or green beans
• 1 tablespoon oil, salt, lovage or parsley
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, or the juice of half a lemon

Chop the roots small. Soften the onion in the oil, add the other vegetables and enough water to cover by two fingers. Salt and simmer until the potato is soft, about 25 minutes. Take it off the heat and sour it with vinegar. The sour note is the point. Lovage if you can find it; parsley will do.