Have you ever experienced the taste of a snack, as mundane as it may be, yet so delicious, from your childhood? That's how I remember the summers spent at my maternal grandparents' home in Dulcești. Every morning, we were greeted with beaten eggs with cornmeal fried in a pan, alongside jumeri and pieces of meat from the jar of lard. It was a savory combination, accompanied by a bit of onion and old telemea cheese. And if it was spring, the meal was complemented with fresh dill, picked from the garden!
This breakfast awaited us patiently every morning, before going to the fields, or on other mornings when we knew a day of hard work awaited us, as it happens in the countryside. Although we didn't have fried pork in lard available, we found an equally delicious alternative: we used dried jumeri and a bit of smoked bacon. We fried them in a spoonful of lard, adding finely chopped onion, letting it soften and release its aroma.
Then, we poured in the two beaten eggs, to which we added a heaping tablespoon of cornmeal and a few pieces of crumbled telemea. If you use coarse cornmeal, it’s good to put less to achieve a finer texture. I omitted the salt because the telemea, jumeri, and bacon already had a salty taste. After the bottom began to cook, I crumbled the mixture with a spoon, turning it to cook evenly on the other side.
If you prefer an omelet like a pancake, you can opt for that style too, but for me, gathered on the plate, these eggs are more appetizing. Of course, something sour is also needed, so I put some pickled chanterelles alongside, but you can use any other pickled vegetables you have on hand, from green tomatoes to bell peppers or sauerkraut. This dish, so simple, is so tasty precisely because of its simplicity! Our grandparents knew how to combine the useful with the pleasant, offering us a meal full of flavor, energy, and economy, reminding us of the beautiful moments spent in the heart of the family. I conclude this recipe with the thought that each bite carries us back in time to those warm summer mornings when everything seemed simpler and fuller of joy.
This breakfast awaited us patiently every morning, before going to the fields, or on other mornings when we knew a day of hard work awaited us, as it happens in the countryside. Although we didn't have fried pork in lard available, we found an equally delicious alternative: we used dried jumeri and a bit of smoked bacon. We fried them in a spoonful of lard, adding finely chopped onion, letting it soften and release its aroma.
Then, we poured in the two beaten eggs, to which we added a heaping tablespoon of cornmeal and a few pieces of crumbled telemea. If you use coarse cornmeal, it’s good to put less to achieve a finer texture. I omitted the salt because the telemea, jumeri, and bacon already had a salty taste. After the bottom began to cook, I crumbled the mixture with a spoon, turning it to cook evenly on the other side.
If you prefer an omelet like a pancake, you can opt for that style too, but for me, gathered on the plate, these eggs are more appetizing. Of course, something sour is also needed, so I put some pickled chanterelles alongside, but you can use any other pickled vegetables you have on hand, from green tomatoes to bell peppers or sauerkraut. This dish, so simple, is so tasty precisely because of its simplicity! Our grandparents knew how to combine the useful with the pleasant, offering us a meal full of flavor, energy, and economy, reminding us of the beautiful moments spent in the heart of the family. I conclude this recipe with the thought that each bite carries us back in time to those warm summer mornings when everything seemed simpler and fuller of joy.
Ingredients
scrambled eggs with lard, onion, green onion, dill, old telemea cheese, bacon/optional lard/optional Quantities to taste