Fokhagymás uborkasaláta (Cucumber salad with sour cream and garlic) <--we love this stuff! 2 cucumbers (approx 1 pound) 1/2 cup sour cream vinegar, sugar salt, pepper, one clove garlic pinch paprika Wash cucumbers (peel only if skin is thick), slice thinly, sprinkle with salt and let stand for 30 minutes. To prepare the dressing: add the crushed garlic, vinegar and sugar to taste to at least 1/3 cup water. Gently squeeze out the cucumber, add to dressing in a large bowl and sprinkle the top with the sour cream, pepper and paprika. Tip: you can omit the water and use 1/2 cup sour cream instead...and for extra garlic flavor add one more crushed clove of garlic. Always serve well chilled! ==================================================================== Paprikáscsirke galuskával (Chicken paprikás with galuska dumplings) (note: Jer doesn't like cooked peppers so she leaves em out!) 1 large or two small chickens for galuska: 2 eggs 1 tbsp oil salt 2 onions 10-11 oz flour 1 tbsp paprika 1tbsp oil 1 large tomato, peeled and quartered 1 green pepper, sliced to rings salt & pepper 1 heaping tsp flour 1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream 1-1 1/2 cups sour cream Clean and cut up the chicken to your liking. Fry the finely chopped onion in oil till transparent. Take pan from heat, sprinkle in paprika, put back on stove and add chicken pieces, the green pepper rings, the peeled and quartered tomato, salt, pepper...cover and stew over low heat until the chicken is tender. (if the chicken doesn't produce enough juice for stewing, add a little water but only as needed!) Combine the flour and 2 to 3 tbsp sour cream till smooth and add to the chicken. Stirring constantly, bring to boil, making sure liquid is substantial and not too thin. Stir in the remaining half of the sour cream, retaining the other half in bowl for serving later on top of each serving of chicken paprikás. To make galuska dumplings, the traditional accompaniment to chicken paprikás: beat the eggs with a pinch of salt, stir in the flour, oil, and enough water to make a soft batter. Boil ample salted water in a large pot and using either a dumpling strainer or a dampened chopping board and a wet knife, "mince" small pieces of batter into the boiling water. Simmer until the galuska comes to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon, quickly rinse in cold water and place in a bowl with a bit of hot oil. Stir and keep warm. Serve chicken paprikás piping hot, decorated with greem pepper rings. ============================================================= Pörkölt (veal, pork or venison) <--one of Jer's faves! It rocks! 2 lb meat of choice cut into cubes 1 large onion 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp paprika salt & pepper 1 green pepper (Jer leaves this out tho!) 1 tomato Cut the meat into small cubes. Finely chop the onion and sauté in the oil until transparent. Reduce the heat, add the paprika, then immediately add the meat to keep the paprika from burning and turning bitter. Salt to taste and brown, stirring frequently. When the meat is browned, add a little bit of broth or stock, put a lid on the pot and let it simmer, making sure to stir it once in a while. Add more liquid if you need to but just enough to keep from burning as full flavor comes by browning not cooking! When the meat is starting to become tender, add the tomato and pepper. Continue to simmer until the meat is tender then take off the lid and let it simmer till it makes a thickish gravy. (many people thin it a bit with red wine) This dish is traditionally served with galuska dumplings. (see the chicken paprikás recipe for galuska dumpling recipe) Note: this method can be used for any kind of red meat but the most commonly used meats are beef, pork and venison. In Hungary, people often make this dish outside in a kettle over a fire and it's really yummy!!! Joey's dad makes great pörkölt outside! ================================================================= Töltött borjúszegy (Stuffed breast of veal) <--This is really yummy! 1 3/4 lb breast of veal salt & pepper for the stuffing: 2 rolls or bread slices 1 1/2 cup milk 2 tbsp oil 1 egg snipped parsley, salt & pepper 1 clove garlic 7 oz mushrooms, finely chopped 2-3 chicken livers, finely chopped oil for frying Wash and pat meat thoroughly dry, then with a very sharp knife make a slit in the meat to form a "pocket"...then carefully stretch that space to make it bigger for the stuffing. Add salt and pepper to taste. To make the stuffing: soak the bread or rolls in milk. Fry the finely chopped onion in a tsp oil till transparent, add the chopped mushrooms and cook over med heat till only the oil remains. Add the livers and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and let cool a bit. Add egg, finely chopped parsley, squeezed out bread or rolls, a dash of salt and pepper and mix together loosely. Stuff the breast of veal and sew the opening together. Lay in fireproof dish and sprinkle with hot oil and add about a 1/2 cup water, the rest of the onion and garlic. Bake covered in preheated medium oven till tender, after about 40 minutes or so remove the foil or lid and bake till the top gets crispy and brown. Serve with potato or rice. ===================================================================== Erdélyi fatányéros (for 4) (Transylvanian mixed grill) <--(we often get this when eating out!) 4 small slices pork chops 4 small slices veal chops 4 small slices sirloin steak salt & pepper 4 oz smoked bacon (the kind in chunks with skin on) 2 tbsp oil 4 oz flour 1 lb potatoes for French Fries oil for frying pototoes tomato green pepper pinch paprika mixed pickled peppers and lettuce leaves for decoration (if desired) Carefully clean then pound the meat slices, and salt and pepper to taste. Cut the bacon into four equal pieces, score the skin and then fry. Set bacon aside and keep warm. Turn the meat slices in flour and fry in hot oil on both sides till red. At the same time prepare the french fries, making sure the fries are done cooking at the same time as the meat. Place the fries in the middle of a large wooden platter (actually that's what "Erdélyi fatányéros" means...wooden platter!) then arrange the meat slices around them. If desired...decorate the edges with lettuce leaves and mixed type pickled peppers as well as tomato slices and green peppers cut into rings. Score the bacon to shape like a cock's comb and sprinkle with paprika, then place on top of the meats. (use one piece of each kind of meat per person) ================================================================ Szilvás gombóc Plum dumplings for dumplings: 1 1/4 lb potatoes 1 1/4 lb plums 2 tbsp. cinnamon sugar l clump butter 1 egg salt for the fried bread crumbs: 2 tbsp. oil or 2 oz. butter 1 tbsp. powdered sugar Thoroughly cook the cleaned pototoes with skins still on, then peel them while still hot. Slit open the plums and remove the pits. If the plums are not sweet enough, put a bit of cinnamon sugar inside. Rice the cooked potatoes, put into a large bowl, add flour, butter, egg and some salt to taste. Add enough flour to make a light but not arunny dough. Stretch dough out to 1/2 inch thickness on a floured board, then cut it into 3 in squares. Put a plum in the center of each square, flour hands, pull the corners together and shape into small dumplings. Make sure the plums are covered completely so they won't fall apart while cooking. Cook the dumplings in boiling water till they rise to the surface and then for about 2-3 more minutes. Remove immediately with a slotted spoon. Brown the bread crumbs lightly in a bit of butter, place dumplings carefully on top of the crumbs and roll to coat them. Remove the dumplings and then sprinkle to taste with powdered sugar. (these dumplings are sometimes made with prune jam or apricots) =========================================================== Somlói galuska <---our favorite Hungarian dessert!! NOT for calorie counters! 4 oz. raisins soaked in rum 4 oz. ground walnuts whipped cream made from 1 cup heavy cream for the sponge cake: (you can use store bought sponge cake) 6 eggs 6 tbsp. powdered sugar 6 tbsp. flour 4 oz. walnuts 1 heaping tbsp. cocoa for the rum sauce: 1 cup water, 5 oz. sugar 1 tsp. grated lemon peel 1 tsp. grated orange peel 2 tbsp. rum for the vanilla cream: (you can use premade vanilla pudding for this) 1 1/2 cups milk 1 vanilla bean 3 egg yolks 3 oz. sugar 1 tsp. cornstarch for chocolate syrup: (you can use store bought dark chocolate syrup) 7 oz. bitter dark chocolate 2/3 cup milk or heavy cream 2 tbsp. rum for decorating: whipped cream made from one cup heavy cream Prepare the spongecakes: beat egg yolks and sugar till stiff, and the flour and then the stiffly beaten egg whites. Divide the mixture into three portions. Fold the grated walnuts into into one portion, fold the cocoa into another portion, and leave the third portion plain. Pour one mixture at a time into baking tin lined with baking paper, the layers should each be about the thickness of a finger. Bake in a pre-heated medium oven. (the sponge cake takes only about 12 min to bake...time it and don't open the door while it's baking or the cake will collapse!) If not using premade vanilla pudding, make the vanilla creme this way: Boil the milk with the vanilla bean for 5 minutes and take from heat. Mix the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch thoroughly and add to hot milk. To prepare rum sauce: cook the sugar, lemon and orange peel in one cup water for 15 minutes. Let cool and add the rum. For chocolate sauce: melt the chocolate, broken into bits, over low flame in 2/3 cup or heavy cream, stir in rum and then let cool. Break the three kinds of spongecake into smaller pieces and combine. Place a layer of spongecake in the bottom of a large glass dish. Sprinkle with rum sauce, the grated walnut, the raisins, and then smooth a portion of the vanilla cream on top. Repeat this procedure until you have used up all the ingredients...but save a bit of spongecake for the top. Sprinkle with cocoa, cover in whipped cream, and drizzle chocolate sauce over the top of the whipped cream. =================================================================== "Pancakes" in Hungary are more like the French crépe...very thin so they can be rolled up. These can be good if fixed without too much oil (too often people use too much oil and they get greasy) palacsinta Basic Pancakes (12 pancakes) 2 eggs salt 2 tbsp. oil approx. 7 oz flour 2 cups milk or 1 cup milk and 1 cup soda water (for lighter pancakes) Whip the eggs with the milk and oil till smooth, add salt, and then stirring constantly...slowly add the flour till the mixture is about the same consistency as heavy creme soup. Pre-heat a thin non-stick pan...and for the first pancake a bit of oil. Pour a ladleful of batter onto the pan and distribute it evenly. Cook on medium heat for about 1 minute till the pancake separates from the pan (about 1 min) then flip over with spatula. If dough is breaking apart, add a bit more flour; if it's a bit too thick, add a bit more milk. While cooking...stir the batter once in a while to keep from settling. Ok...here are two common ways to see palacsintas being used, one meaty and one as a dessert: Hortobágy húsos palacsinta Hortobágy meaty pancakes palacsinta recipe as stated above.... for filling: 1 lb. veal or boned chicken 1 tbsp. oil, 1 tsp flour 1 small onion finely chopped 1 tsp. paprika salt & pepper 1-1/2 cups sour cream Wash and dice the meat. Fry the diced onion till transparent, add the meat and fry for about 2-3 minutes over high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat till tender, adding a little water if it gets too dry. Remove meat from pan and leave the juice for later, and mince or crush with fork. to thicken the gravy: combine till smooth 1 tsp. flour and 1-2 sour cream and add to gravy juice in pan, bring to boil and then add the rest of the sour cream and stir thoroughly. Add 1 or 2 tbsp. of the thickened gravy to the crushed meat to make the meat spreadable. Make the palacsintas. Spread meat stuffing on pancakes one by one and fold over to make flat little "sacks." Place the pancakes in fireproof dish, pour the remaining gravy mixed with the sour cream on top, and heat in pre-heated oven on medium heat till hot. Gundel palacsinta Gundel Pancakes (Gourmet version) basic palacsinta recipe above for the filling: 1/2 cup heavy cream 5 oz. ground walnuts 4 oz. raisins soaked in rum 4 oz. powdered sugar 1 tsp. candied orange peel (cut into thin strips) for chocolate sauce: (you can use ready chocolate sauce) 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy cream 1 oz. chocolate 1 tbsp. melted butter 1 tbsp. vanilla sugar 1 tbsp. rum 3 egg yolks 2 oz. sugar Prepare the palacsintas and stack on a plate. To prepare filling: bring heavy cream to boil over low heat, add walnuts, powdered sugar, raisins, candied orange peel and boil for one minute. Let cool a while, then pile a heaping tbsp. of filling in the middle of each pancake and fold up the four sides or roll up. Place in a fireproof dish and keep warm. Gundel pancakes (The non-gourmet version & what you usually see here!) Make the basic palacsinta recipe,and then add just ground walnuts mixed with powdered sugar,roll them up,and drizzle the top with chocolate sauce! ===================================================================== Korhelyleves Cabbage soup "Hangover Style" (this soup should be kind of sour in taste...but it does help to settle the stomach of a hangover) 1 lb. smoked meat 1 1/4 lb. saurkraut 1 1/2 cup sour cream 1 heaping tbs. flour 1 small stick smoked and spiced sausage 1 bay leaf dash pepper Cook the smoked meat in about 1 1/2 quarts of water. When about halfway cooked ad the bay leaf and the cabbage. (if the cabbage is too sour or salty you can rinse it in water first) When the cabbage is almost done, add the smoked sausage cut into rings and simmer till done. Combine the flour and 2-3 tbsp of sour cream until smooth then add to soup to thicken it. Season a bit more with pepper and salt to taste, and a dash of lemon juice if not sour enough. Bring to boil again and add the rest of the sour cream. There is another thicker version of this soup known as "Székely káposzta"...Székely being a tribe of the Transylvanians, formerly eastern Hungary (now part of Romania) and káposzta the word for "cabbage." In the Székely version...it's basically allowed to become more thick and has a dash of paprika added for color as well as the meat being more big chunks of meat like ham hocks or ribs. ===================================================================== Ok, here's the one you all have been waiting for...goulash! This soup is not eaten nearly as much as it once was...these days it's mostly made when groups get together and often is made outside in big kettles...much the way chili or BBQ is in the USA. In fact...they even have "cook-offs" with goulash just the same way as in the US they do with chili! Gulyásleves csipetkével Goulash soup with csipetke (csipetke are the little noodles made from pinching little bits of a ball of dough) 1 lb pork or beef (thick flank and fillet ends) 1 lb. potatoes 1 large onion finely chopped 1 tsp. paprika salt & pepper 1 green pepper,sliced into thin rings 1 tomato, peeled and quartered 4 oz. carrots, 4 oz. parsnips pinch of powdered cumin for the csipetke (soup pasta): 4 oz. flour 1 egg salt Wash, clean and cube the meat. Fry the onion in oil till transparent, take the pot off the heat and sprinkle with paprika, then add the meat and cook over high heat for a couple of minutes... stir constantly to keep from burning. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and cook, covered, over low heat until meat is about half done. Add the cleaned and quarted carrots and parsnips. At this time make the csipetke: Csipetke: make a stiff dough from the flour, egg and dash of salt. (and don't use any water!) Dip fingers in flour, pinch small bits from the dough about the size of a fingernail, and put them aside on a floured board. (csipetke in Hungarian means something like "pinchiekins") Peel the potatoes, cut into small cubes, add to the cooking meat and veggies and then let cook for a few minutes before adding at least 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil, add the csipetke and the green pepper cut into thin rings, peeled and quartered tomato. Add salt to taste and perhaps the pinch of cumin for more zest. Be sure to add the csipetke at the end of the cooking time as it only takes them about 5 minutes to cook! *many people like Joey prefer their gulyás "csipős" (hot) and usually crushed cherry peppers are served in separate bowls so people can add the preferred amount of "heat" to their soup! *one other note...this soup is ALWAYS eaten with fresh bread!!