Mititei Romanian Sausages

When this week’s post theme started percolating in my head, I asked Corina—the charming Romanian lady who’s given me facials for over two decades—if there were one kitchen tool which evoked a memory of her homeland. Without skipping a beat, Corina recounted a story of when she and her husband first immigrated to America back in the 80’s. Her mother-in-law decided to visit and as a housewarming gift brought a Romanian grill pan. This piece of “culinary heritage” was lovingly used to produce many delicious meals for Corina’s growing family in her adopted home.  

What made it unique was the grill pan’s design. Corina used it on her gas stove at home to simulate an outdoor barbecue grill. Her grill pan sat on a metal steel ring with a drip pan underneath where liquids could be added to moisten or to infuse flavors into her food. Another benefit was that the grill unit had holes in it which allowed unwanted fats to be collected in its drip pan. To top it off, it also came with a lid which further helped maintain moisture in the cooking process.

Corina told me after many years of use, she had to toss it out as it had rusted. Newer versions, she explained, now use stainless steel for the ring and a non-stick surface for both the grill and drip pans.

Even though I lacked a Romanian grill pan, I was curious to try out a popular dish from “the old country” which typically would use it in the preparation. My choice? Mititei or mici, meaning in Romanian “little ones” or “small ones.” These are small, cylindrically shaped sausages (without casing) made from a mixture of ground beef, pork and lamb which are then grilled. My research discovered a wide choice of different spices to add such as garlic, black pepper, thyme, coriander, anise, among many others. Clearly, the selection varies from home to home. I arbitrarily added what I thought would make a tasty mixture of seasonings. 

My mici were moist, tender and divinely delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup beef broth or plain water (I used vegetable broth)

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 pounds meat (a combination of equal parts ground beef, pork, and lamb)

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

(You can also use anise, sweet paprika and cayenne pepper)

Cooking instructions:

1.    Dissolve the baking soda in the liquid and set aside. (This will help keep the mici moist.)

2.    Place all three meats in a large bowl.  Add garlic, salt, pepper, and spices. Mix thoroughly, preferably with your hands.

3.    Add in the liquid in stages, mixing well after each addition. Look for the meat mixture to have a smooth texture but not too loose.  (NB: You do not need to add all the liquid.) Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or even better, overnight.

4.    With wet hands, form the mici into 3-4 inches long cylinders, 1-inch thick.  Place them on a tray and cover.

5.    Grill on a high heat (outdoors or on your indoor grill pan) turning once, about 4 minutes on each side.  If you are preparing indoors, you may also opt to only cook for 3 minutes per side then put in an oven at 375°F to finish cooking, 10-15 minutes more. To approximate the Romanian grill pan, I put the browned mici on a small cookie cooling rack which was then placed on top of a square pan in which warm broth was added. Finally, everything was wrapped in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture before putting it into the oven.

6.    Test the mici which should be juicy and tender with a slightly pink interior. Serve on an oval-shaped bread roll with sautéed onions and peppers along with brown mustard.

Serves: This recipe makes 20 mici so it can serve 6-8 people, depending on how hungry they are!

Wine recommendations:  While cold beer is recommended, spicy wines such as Gewürztraminer, Syrah, Malbec, Zinfandel, Petit Syrah, or Grenache are excellent choices as well

As they say in Romanian, Poftă bună!