The word derives from the Latin for cake, a reminder that Romania was once part of the Roman Empire, and Romanian is a Romance language. The “c” in plăcintă is pronounced like cheat, not seat.
When I married into an ethnic Romanian family, I was exposed to many wonderful pastries. My favorite is plăcintă. But like many inherited recipes, it seems too time-consuming and difficult for me to make the traditional way.
I was inspired to try to make plăcintă because of the outstanding quality of the dairy products at MOON Co-op. I especially adore the local cottage cheese, which comes from Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville, Ind.
Traders Point, which is Indiana’s first USDA-certified organic dairy, is owned by Dr. Peter “Fritz” Kunz and Jane Elder-Kunz. Dr. Kunz, a physician practicing in Indiana, decided to open Indiana’s first organic dairy in order to do something about the connection he saw in his patients between poor health and poor nutrition.
During the past two years that MOON has been open, I have repeatedly encountered resistance to even tasting the local organic cottage cheese. Most people associate supermarket cottage cheese in the plastic tub with the look, and probably taste, of elementary school art class paste.
In contrast, once I convince them to sample one spoonful, people love the local organic cottage cheese. It has a large dry curd, it is packaged in an attractive glass jar, and most importantly it tastes like fresh cheese.
To make plăcintă, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt one-half stick of butter.
To keep it simple, I used a non-GMO pie crust sold at MOON Co-op. Roll out the shell to a 9x13 rectangle and place it in a 7x11 greased baking pan.
In a mixing bowl, use an electric beater to combine until very smooth all of these ingredients: two-thirds of a jar (10 ounces) of Traders Point Creamery local cottage cheese, one-half container (6 ounces) of Snowville Creamery local sour cream, two local eggs, one-half teaspoon vanilla, one-quarter cup sugar, and the melted butter.
Pour the dairy mix into the pan. Bake for one-half hour. Remove from the oven and cool thoroughly. Store in the refrigerator. It tastes better the next day.
As they say in Romanian, poftă bună (good appetite). And as they say in English, happy holidays to one and all.
Traders Point Creamery cottage cheese and Snowville Creamery sour cream are available at MOON Co-op Grocery, Oxford’s consumer-owned full-service grocery featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. MOON Co-op, located at 512 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day. www.mooncoop.coop.
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