
Dishes
BEANS WITH SAUSAGE
“AT TIGĂNAȘI, BEANS WITH SAUSAGE ACCORDING TO GRANDMOTHER’S TRADITION”
The fame of the “Carniceria cu Gust” (Butchery with Taste) tempted us to head to Țigănași to see what delicacies could be found there and why the market at Cârniceni, which starts in the wee hours every Sunday, is so well-known. Historical documents attest to intense economic activity here in the interwar period. Trade thrived due to the proximity to transport routes and the border, thanks to the Jews who once lived in Țigănași and Cârniceni. Today, the Jews are no longer residents, but evidence of their existence can be found here, as in other localities in the GAL Valea Prut. The tradition of trading in all kinds of products continues with the market at Cârniceni, where supply meets demand, much to the delight of many residents from the Prut villages who sell their goods and people from Iași who come here to buy from local producers.
On the road from Iași, we were captivated by the community’s well-preserved and meticulously restored weigh houses. They show that people value both their past and their present, giving importance to cultural heritage. Locals tell us that these wells even gave their name to one of the villages, and they take pride in Costache Antoniu, the great theater and film actor who was born in these lands.
The purpose of our journey is to learn a bit about the culinary traditions of the area, and once we reached Marius’s place, we were sure we would delight our taste buds. After a tour of the butchery and the certainty that we could find quality products here, we asked him to cook us a heartfelt recipe.
In our conversation, Marius told us that he learned to cook from his grandmother and that now, as an adult and an entrepreneur, he wanted to honor his grandmother’s memory and her merits. He attested to traditional products made according to his grandmother’s recipe: smoked ribs, sausages with a grandmother’s touch, and rustic pastrami.
Following his grandmother’s recipe, Marius cooked us bean stew with sausages. For this, we needed pork belly, sausages, beans, onions, vegetables, tomato juice, salt, pepper, thyme, and dill.
The process started swiftly. The pork belly was put in the pan to render its fat so that we could sauté the onions in the melted fat. Sausages were also sautéed there for a bit. All the ingredients were gathered together for easy access. Our skilled cook began by cutting the pork belly into neither small nor large pieces, just enough to leave some after it melts. The onions were softened in the lard without being fried too much, while the smoked sausages were also prepared. These were cut into pieces – not too small, not too large, you guessed it! – and added to the sauté. After everything had softened, tomato juice was added and left for 5 minutes, after which water and the vegetable mix containing peppers, parsley roots, carrots… a bit of everything was added. It was left to boil, and the beans, as Marius’s grandmother called them, meaning beans with small seeds, were pre-boiled separately. After being cleaned and washed, they were added to the pot. The water was changed 2-3 times during boiling to prevent some of the unwanted effects of beans on digestion. When the vegetables were almost cooked, the beans were added along with a few sprigs of thyme and left to simmer together over low heat until the beans were done.
We scooped out two spoons for a taste test to see if it came close to grandma’s taste, and our chef gave his verdict: YES! It turned out almost like grandma’s.
This traditional goodness is served with pickles and homemade bread. During harsh winters, you can sacrifice some sausages from the pantry and smoked pork belly to prepare a traditional lunch, adding a glass of wine from the vineyards on the nearby hills.
At Tigănași, at the Carniceria cu Gust, you can find inspiration for other dishes to prepare using traditional meat products from the region.