Romanian chicken and wild mushroom ciulama

Name: Romanian chicken and wild mushroom ciulama
Ingredients: 10 chicken wings; 5 tablespoons oil; 3 garlic cloves; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 2 bags frozen wild mushrooms (900 g); 1500 ml water; 1000 ml reserved mushroom cooking liquid; 2 medium onions (300 g); 4 tablespoons oil from the wings pan; 1 bay leaf; 1 tablespoon Secretul gustului; 6 garlic cloves; 5 tablespoons sour cream; 5 tablespoons flour; 15 g dill; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Meat - Romanian chicken and wild mushroom ciulama by Cipriana E. - Recipia

Romanian chicken and wild mushroom ciulama has wings cooked in a pan and a thick sauce bound with flour and sour cream. I was inspired by Găbița; I cut the mushrooms a little thicker, so they stay in distinct pieces among the wings, and the cooking liquid goes into the sauce and keeps their woodland flavor. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 88 minutes. Rest: 15 minutes. Total time: 123 minutes. Serves: 5. About 450 kcal and 29 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the wings

10 chicken wings
5 tablespoons oil
3 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

For the ciulama

2 bags frozen wild mushrooms (900 g)
1500 ml water
1000 ml reserved mushroom cooking liquid
2 medium onions (300 g)
4 tablespoons oil from the wings pan
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Secretul gustului
6 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons sour cream
5 tablespoons flour
15 g dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation

1. Pat the wings dry with paper towels and season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 2. Heat 5 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add the wings, 3 chopped garlic cloves and 1 bay leaf. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the skin has golden patches. 3. Put the mushrooms in a pot with 1500 ml water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Boil them for 12 minutes, until almost tender, then drain them and set aside 1000 ml of the cooking liquid. Let the mushrooms cool for 15 minutes. 4. Finely chop the onions and cook them for 8 minutes in another pan with 4 tablespoons of the oil left from the wings, until translucent. 5. Slice the cooled mushrooms, add them to the onions and cook everything covered for 10 minutes, until tender. 6. Pour 1000 ml of the reserved cooking liquid into the pot and add the second bay leaf, 1 tablespoon Secretul gustului, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Boil for 25 minutes. Add 6 crushed garlic cloves 5 minutes before it is done. 7. Mix the sour cream with the flour, then gradually whisk in 150 ml of the hot cooking liquid. Pour the mixture into the pot and stir over low heat for 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Add the chopped dill and another 1/4 teaspoon salt, if needed.

Notes

Frozen mushrooms come in different sizes; I slice the large ones after they cool and leave the small ones whole. If their cooking liquid is too concentrated, replace some of it with hot water so the sauce doesn't turn out too salty or too intense. Meatier wings may need another 5 minutes over low heat, until the meat comes easily off the bone. I don't rush mixing the flour smoothly into the sour cream, because lumps are hard to break up once the mixture goes into the hot cooking liquid. Keep the ciulama in the fridge for up to 3 days; when reheating, stir in a tablespoon of water if it has thickened too much. I serve it with warm polenta. For a gluten-free version, replace the 5 tablespoons flour with 2½ tablespoons starch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water and pour it into the gently simmering sauce. Sour cream contains dairy, and wheat flour contains gluten.