"Cooking with love means never having to feel chained to your stove, never feeling that getting dinner on the table is a teeth gritting experience rather than a charming interlude. " (Francis Anthony, Chef)

Lecsó

• 3 tablespoon cooking fat
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 lb sweet banana peppers
• 2 teaspoon paprika, Hungarian
• 2 large overripe beef steak tomatoes; cut into chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash and dry whole peppers on paper towel. Remove stem and core by cutting around the leaf-like collar with knife pointing to the tip of the pepper. Run the knife around the inside to remove the long white veins. In the meantime sauté the diced onion in the cooking fat on medium high heat until it begins to look transparent. Add the peppers, continue to sauté stirring often. If the peppers give off more than 1-2 tablespoons of water, increase the heat a little. Remember you are stir frying not boiling the food. Never cover the pot. In a few minutes the peppers collapse and are tender. Stir in the salt, paprika and the tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes turn mushy. Serve with boiled rice or boiled potatoes. You may also add chunks of wieners or sausage to the lecsó or use it as a sauce with broiled pork chops.

Jó étvágyat! - Bon appetit!

Chicken Papricash

Csirke Paprikash (cheer-ke pah-pree-kahsh)
Serves: Six to eight
Prep Time: 45-60 Minutes
Cooking Time: 2 Hours

• 4-5 lb. Assorted chicken parts (Breasts, legs, thighs, etc.)
• 3-4 lb. Onions
• 1 Green Pepper
• 2 Carrots
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper
• 3 tbs. Paprika
• 2 Cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbs. Cooking fat (or butter)

1. Chop the pepper and onions. (Three to four pounds of onions may seems like a lot, but they will be reduced by about 50%. They are at the heart of this recipe). Mix the onions, pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic in a bowl.
2. Wash and dry the chicken. Remove the skin if you wish.
3. Add the cooking fat and about one inch of the onion mix into a large pot. Wash and halve the carrots (don't peel), slice them lengthwise, and add to the mix. Place a layer of chicken on top, sprinkle liberally with paprika, and then add another inch of onions. Continue until the pot is full. Depending on the amount of chicken, you may need a second pot. (For even cooking, place breasts and thighs in the bottom of the pot, wings and legs toward the top.)
4. Cover and cook on the stove top at a low heat for about 2 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. You really can't overcook this dish. Rearrange chicken pieces at least once and add more paprika if you wish.
5. Reserve the onions and broth when done cooking to serve as a "gravy". - Serve on or with Nokkedli (Hungarian dumplings) or wide egg noodles, smothered with the onion broth.

- You can add chicken backs, necks, wing tips, gizzards, and hearts (no livers) to the pot for added flavor.

Stuffed Cabbage

Töltött Káposzta (tul-tot kah-poh-sta)
Serves: Six (approx 20 rolls)
Prep Time: 45-60 Minutes
Cooking Time: 1 1/2+ Hours

• 1 Large head of cabbage (or 2 Small)
• 2+ lbs Ground beef (with Pork and/or Veal optional)
• 1 cup White instant rice
• 1 can Diced peeled tomato's (28 oz.)
• 1/3 cup Tomato puree (or 1 cup tomato sauce)
• 1 package (32 oz./2 lb.) Sour kraut, drained, not rinsed
• 1 Small Green Pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cup Onions, finely chopped
• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups Water
• 2 tps. Salt
• 1/4 tps. Pepper
• 1 tbs. Paprika
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Parsley, chopped fine

1. Fill a pot large enough to accommodate the head of cabbage with water (about 1/2 full) and heat high. Discard the outer, dark green leaves from the cabbage and core the stalk. Parboil the cabbage in the water until the leaves to begin to soften, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, finely chop the onions and fry in butter or oil until transparent.
3. Use tongs to remove the cabbage leaves one-by-one as they become soft. Place in a colander or on paper towels to cool and drain.
4. Chop the green pepper finely. Combine with the ground beef, rice, salt, pepper, paprika, egg, onions, and half the garlic and parsley in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
5. Heat the tomato puree, water, and sugar in a pot until warm.
6. Take about a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture and roll in the cabbage leaves, folding the sides of the leaves inward toward the end. Alternatively you can cut the leaves in half which will produce more, but smaller rolls. You will need to shave the spines of the larger leaves so they roll easier.
7. Line the bottom of a large frying pan with half of the thoroughly drained, but not rinsed, sour kraut. Arrange the finished rolls in the frying pan one layer deep and pour in enough of the heated tomato mixture to cover the rolls about half way. Liberally sprinkle with paprika. (You can never use too much!) Add the rest of the garlic and parsley. Cover the cabbage rolls with the peeled tomatoes and the remaining sour kraut and any of the left over cabbage leaves (chopped or whole). Let the paprika flow again!
8. Cover and cook on the stove top at a low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add additional tomato/water mixture as needed to maintain the liquid level.

- There is no Hungarian dish that I have personally experimented with more than this one. The beauty of stuffed cabbage is that no matter how you play with it, the results are always delicious. It is very forgiving so go ahead and have fun with variations.

Cucumber Salad

Uborka Saláta (u-bor-ka sha-lah-ta)
Serves: Six
Prep Time: 20 Minute

• 3 Cucumbers
• 1/3 cup White vinegar
• 2/3 cup Water
• 1 tbs. Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper (Fresh ground, if possible)
• 1/8 cup Onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced

1. Peel the cucumbers and slice thinly. (The slices must be almost paper thin to fully absorb the dressing).
2. Combine all the ingredients, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Add the dressing to the cucumber slices and mix well. May be served warm or chilled.

- The real secret for success with this salad is thinly sliced cucumbers, They provide better taste and overall texture. I use a rotary hand slicer made by Mouli which I heartily recommend. There are some cheap knockoffs available but the results are terrible ( I know; I've tried them). I don't own a food processor but I suspect such a devise would also be capable of thin slicing.
- Avoid using really large cucumbers. They tend to be seedy and not as tasty as the smaller variety.

- Remember that the water content of the cucumbers will be drawn out, so don't base your final assessment of the taste or volume of dressing until the salad has had a chance to set (about an hour).

Tarhonya - Egg Barley

Tarhonya (tahr-hohn-yah)
Serves: Six to eight
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cooking Time: 45 Minutes

• 16 oz. Pre-made Tarhonya
• 3 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 tbs. butter or lard
• 1/8 tsp. Pepper

1. Heat the tarhonya and butter in a pan until the tarhonya is lightly browned. Keep the heat setting low and stir frequently, avoiding burning.
2. Add the chicken broth and the pepper, cover, and simmer. Stir occasionally and check for tenderness. Add additional broth as necessary to maintain moisture. The tarhonya is ready when it is slightly firm, not mushy.

If the grain is still crunchy after all the broth has evaporated, add water a little bit at a time and continue to cook until the it has the consistency of rice. Avoid too much water which will make the grain soggy.

Hungarian Dumplings - Nokedli

Galuska (gah-lush-kah)
Serves: Six to eight
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 15 Minutes

• 3 cups Flour
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup+ Water (cold)
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Pepper
• 2 tbs. Oil or butter

1. Beat the eggs lightly with the salt and pepper. Add cold water and oil and blend.
2. Add flour in small amounts until a fork can just about stand upright in the dough. Add additional water as necessary. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
3. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Place the dough in a Spatzle machine and drop into the boiling water. After the noodles rise to the top wait about 2 to 3 minutes and then skim them off the surface with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain. Add a teaspoon of butter or oil if you wish. Serve immediately as they cool quickly.

- If you will not be serving the noodles immediately, skim them off the surface as soon as they rise and rinse in cold water. When ready to serve, place them in boiling water again for a minute or two, drain and serve.

Fisherman's Soup

Halászlé (ha-lasz-le)
For 4 persons
Preparation
Place 500 g of small fish together with head and tail of a 1.2 kg sliced carp in the bottom of a deep iron pot. Sprinkle with a large, finely chopped onion, add the salted carp slices, a sliced tomato, a teaspoon of mild to hot paprika then pour in 1.2 liter cold water and boil over a strong heat for 30 minutes without lid and without stiring.
Five minutes before the end of cooking add another teaspoon of paprika and salt to taste. Serve decorated with rings of green pepper and accompanied by cooked vermicelli in a separate dish.

One should not miss the fish dishes and primarly the fish soup. It may happen one cannot suffer fish bones then can eat pike if one prefers.

Sour Cherry Soup

Meggyleves (megy-le-vesh)
Every Family has their version of Sour Cherry Soup. It is a special seasonal treat in Hungary when the cherries are ripe. Sour Cherries have a wonderful flavor when cooked. Some families like to make their soup with sweet cream instead of sour cream. Some add a little sherry. How ever you make this soup, you will enjoy its refreshing flavor.

• 1 1/2 Quarts of water
• 3 Tbs. flour
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 1/2 Tsp. of salt
• 1 Pound of fresh or frozen pitted sour cherries (Do not use canned)
• 3/4 Cup granulated sugar

Into a soup pot containing 1 1/2 quarts of boiling water add fresh or frozen sour cherries and granulated sugar. Stir and cook.
In a separate bowl mix flour, sour cream, salt and beat until smooth.
Add to flour mix, 1 cup of hot cherry sugar mix. Stir vigorously.
Now add the flour, sour cream and hot cherry mix into the pot of hot soup, stir well and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes until it thickens.
Cover the soup and let cool. Keep cover on while it chills in refrigerator and it will not form a thick skin. Serve very cold.

Note: to make Cherry Soup with Sweet Cream or Meggy Leves Mas Modon Cook a 1 inch stick of cinnamon with the cherries, and substitute sweet cream for the sour cream. Discard cinnamon stick when done cooking soup. Chill as above.

Split Pea Soup

Sargaborsoleves (shar-ga-bor-shol-levesh)
Hungarian pea soup is so thick and hearty you can spoon it up like a porridge. Sweet and flavorful, I have tasted many other pea soups, but this family recipe is most satisfying and memorable. This soup or porridge is full of sweet carrots, parsnips and parsley leaves and roots, onions, yellow peas and ham. Winter and spring were always the times to make hearty pea soups. All the dried peas stored from the previous harvest were dwindling in number and the stored carrots, parsnips and parsley root were becoming sweet as they lost moisture in the root bin. As a child I can remember dreading having to go down into the root cellar which was cold and dark, and full of spider webs, to collect the roots for peas soup. My father had dug out the root cellar under our house in a neighborhood of Chicago bungalows that were built right after the Chicago Fire. It was inconceivable to any European immigrant not to have a dark, cold place to store food. Besides, roots and potatoes, we stored bushels of apples, squash, onions, crocks of sauerkraut, and home canned food and dried smoked Hungarian sausage.

• 1 lb. Of split yellow peas
• 1 Small ham shank or smoked pork butt
• 1 Large onion chopped
• 4 Med. carrots sliced
• 3 Ribs of celery
• 1 Parsley root diced
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 Parsnip root diced
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 Whole cloves
• 6 Whole peppercorns
• 3 Quarts of water
• 1/4 cup of pearl barley -optional-

Wash and drain yellow peas and place in soup pot with 3 quarts of cold water.
Add ham or pork butt, along with vegetables and spices and optional barley.
Bring water to a boil, turn down heat and slowly cook until all veggies and peas are soft.
Taste for seasoning, and now add required salt. (Ham and pork butt are salty, do not add salt at the beginning of cooking).
Cooking will take about an hour and a half.
If the soup is not as thick as you like it, cook it a little longer. The soup should be thick, like a peas porridge.

Serve in a large bowl with a slice of ham or pork butt in each serving. Add a crusty bread and salad for a satisfying one dish meal.
Makes 6 servings.

Goulash

Gu-lyas-le-ves

• 2 lb. beef chuck
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 onions, white or yellow
• 2 Tbsp. lard or shortening
• 2 Tbsp. imported sweet paprika (most important to use real hungarian paprika for ultimate flavor)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Qt. water
• 4 peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cut beef into 1 inch squares, add 1/2 tsp. salt. Chop onions and brown in shortening, add beef and paprika. Let beef simmer in its own juice along with salt and paprika for 1 hr. on low heat. Add water, diced potatoes and remaining salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done and meat is tender. Prepare egg dumpling batter:

• 1 egg
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Add flour to unbeaten egg and salt. Mix well. Let stand for 1/2 hour for flour to mellow. Drop by teaspoonful into Goulash. Cover and simmer 5 minutes after dumplings rise to surface. Serve hot with dollops of sour cream.

Serves 6.

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