Pampering her friends with delicacies, N. Narmontaitė shared a recipe for a quick plum cake.

So, in the book “Actors and delicacies: what the public did not like”, recently published by Alma littera, Nijole added what is delicious: funny theater stories and recipes of dishes served by the hero of the book.

Nijole interviewed the hero, fellow actor, director, and setting for all six of his books at his home. Before that, they asked what someone likes.

“Most of the fish fans gave me among the guests, so I prepared it with all my ingenuity,” says the actress, and admits that without the praise of the guests, she would hardly have decided to put her recipes in the book.

By the way, not only they, the readers of the book will find the most memorable recipe for Nijole’s interlocutor in each chapter. There are 46 of them in the book.

The dishes prepared by Nijole were photographed by the food photographer Ramūnas Astrauskas, who came especially from Luxembourg. “He is a tremendously talented person,” praises the book’s co-author, saying that the photos capture not only the food, but also the childhood utensils and objects that have become important to Nijola, which have become photographic decorations. Necklaces, flower rings from the kindergarten of her husband Paul and his cousin, now donated by actress Gražina Balandytė, have now left the jewelry box.

The author, who included the stories of actors and people in the sixth book, does not hide that the last book cost her almost twice as much time and work: There was, I wrote, then I try again, already according to the recipe, and takes the palm and does not come out. I cooked and refined until the dishes tasted flawless. “

There is plenty of room in the book for the kitchens of the actors and the stories that float in them. Nijole says that the actors not only produce to perfection, but are also famous for their fantasy of creating dishes from scratch. Back then, in times of deficit and poverty, on Theater Day and before the New Year, actors received holiday packages. They found mayonnaise, peas, servelato sausage, and some other delicacy. They saved them for the holidays and they definitely came up with something special.

Especially during the festivities, the tables were decorated with handrails from the theater’s warehouse, decorated with tree branches or dried leaves instead of napkins, and beautifully lit by the theater artists.

“It seemed that we were sitting at the real tables,” recalls the actress, saying that at that moment, after the premiere, the actors were not divided, they were necessarily celebrating. Sometimes the post-premiere “captains” outnumbered the premiere itself – there was so much improvisation, jokes, and fun. And the tables were laden with food for a long time, because there was no time to eat.

During the scores, women were responsible for food and men for alcohol. Nijolė used to bring her own herring and necessarily some original salads to those after-premiere parties: juice and olive oil, which I sprinkled over still toasted nuts. Now such a salad is not surprising, and then they said: “What nonsense did you come up with here ?! But how delicious! “

Obsessed at first, eat seriously, he says, craving for the morning. Later, in their passage through the kitchens of the companions, no one was much surprised if a group of companions knocked on the door on the sixth or seventh morning and asked for an egg, chips or at least a sandwich with doctor’s sausage. The two most sincere conversations took place in those kitchens, and the relationship was clarified and love was confessed. There was enough space for everyone.

“In Šiauliai, once during my birthday, 75 people were able to stay in a one-room apartment. “

Actress G.Balandytė told Nijole about one of those parties she had under the piano: it was the quietest place there. “Come on, we’ll talk,” they called out to colleagues, filled the cup, lay down on the floor and talked, talked. As if they were confessions of some kind, after which it became easier for everyone.

“And this is not itchy, as it may seem to someone, it was bohemian in a good way,” says Nijole. – Bohema, full of zeal, openness and willingness to help each other. Even if it required a fight. Today, the relationship is completely different, lukewarm, if someone thinks what it is, they will never say or speak. They are all like diplomats and half go to psychologists! “

The actress must think carefully about where she learned to produce herself. “Dad used to cook at our house,” he says, “but we usually ate very simple foods.” Boil the soup for two days, and so on. Back from school, I smelled from afar that the cabbage would be bitter. He couldn’t stand that soup, a real beggar. The basement of our house was full of goodies: sauerkraut, pickles, jams, and compotes, but we didn’t eat meat as often. So now pressed mushrooms are a delicacy, and then you think: again, same thing! “

As a child, as a teenager, Nijole admits that she had nothing tastier than zeppelins, kugelis, and potato pancakes. During my studies, the menu was simple: potatoes, potatoes and potatoes again.

“Then I ate what I wanted, I didn’t think about the kilos,” he smiles. – I thought that when I was approaching 40, I really didn’t like those extra pounds. Then, both diet and sport. And now, the next stage again. Wondering if torturing yourself is really worth it? Maybe if I hadn’t walked through the door … Food gives a lot of joy, savoring it, savoring it, enjoying it, so much happiness. Well, what do we know, how long we have left here … Today I eat everything that tastes good to me. I don’t like cakes, I only have coffee for breakfast, make sure you have lunch and dinner. We like to dine with Paul for a long time, all our ideas come to the table and all the plans are made. “

Nijole’s mother kept asking herself, “I didn’t cook for you, how are you doing so deliciously?” The guilty curiosity of the actress: Food is a form of communication: eating, talking. For a delicious meal, speak well. “

Nijole confirmed this theory by writing his theatrical stories. This is why the conversations at the table and at meals in his books are so open, warm and very sincere.

As plum season approaches, Nijole shares a plum cake recipe.

One, two, three plum cake

The cake will need:

First, Nijole mixed flour, baking powder, salt. In another bowl, add the butter, sugar, and eggs and beat with an electric mixer. Stir the flour into the resulting dough and mix everything well.
Grease the baking dish with butter and pour in the batter. Place half-cut plums without the pit. Sprinkle with brown sugar (sometimes still cinnamon with ginger). Bake in a 25 cm diameter silicone mold for 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Nijole says that this cake is made fast: one, two, three and that’s it. When there are no plums, bake with apples, pears.