Hungarian Dishes

[JohnT]

Any Hungarians Out there? Here are my family recipies.

Goulash -

Note: The trick to great Hungarian goulash (as with most things) is to find the best paprika you can. Rule of thumb is .. buy the paprika that has no English on the label. Try the internet. Believe me, you WILL notice a difference.

This is one of those dishes that love the refigerator and tastes even better the second day.

You will need...

2 lbs stew meat - This can be beef or anything that has a face. This works well with beef, pork, veal, deer, boar, and (I am told) Elk or bear. For you vegetarians, you can use portabello mushrooms.

3 large onions - diced fine
2 large cloves of garlic
1 large tomato - Pealed would be nice
1 large red bell pepper
1 large carot
2 tablespoons of caraway seed
1 packet of button mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 bottle of read wine (the other half is for the cook)
4 cups of water
1/4 cup of good paprika
salt/pepper (to taste)
a little bit of flour
a little bit of olive oil
thyme (optional)

directions...


cut "meat of choice" into 1 - 2 inch cubes. dust the meat with flour. season with salt and pepper. Heat your pot and add oil. Brown the meat on all sides. Remove the meat to a bowl.

WITHOUT CLEANING THE POT - (all of that brown stuff on the bottom is flavor)! add in the oinions and cook untill translucent (do not brown them). add garlic, bell pepper, tomato, carrots, mushrooms, and the caraway seed.

Paprika burns very easily. To prevent this, take the pot off of the heat and add your paprika. The heat in the pot will "cook in" the paprika, but not burn it. Once the aroma of paprika hits you, add your wine and water. Return pot to the heat and bring to a simmer.

Add back in the meat and any juices that occur while the meat was resting. also add your thyme.

Keep the goulash on a low simmer for 3 - 4 hours. If the liquid level seems too low, you can always top off with water or more wine. You know when the stew is done when the meat is tender and falling apart.

When ready, taste and re-season with salt and pepper. serve over spatzel, boiled potatoes, and any pasta of choice.

This goes GREAT with the hunagrian cabbage salad. See my next recipe.

 

[JohnT]

Hungarian Cabbage salad

This is a great contrast to the savory flavors of goulash. This is cool, crisp, and creamy. Not quite like any slaw you ever had. This is one of my favorites.......

You will need..

1 cabbage
1 med onion (sliced thin)

Vinegar
Sour Cream
Mayo


Directions

1) Quarter the cabbage and remove the core. Using a slicer (or knife) slice raw cabbage into very thin "noodle size" slices.

2) Place raw cabbage into boiling water for about 1 minute. Drain cabbage into a strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain completely (even press down on it) to remove as much of the water as possilbe. I would recommend using a salad spinner (if you have one).

3) Peal and cut the onion in half. Remove the root core from both halves by cutting a "V" shaped wedge. Place the onion "cut side down" and slice very thin. combine the onion and the cabbage and mix/toss well.


4) In a spearate bowl, mix about 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 1/2 cup of mayo, and about 1/4 cup vinegar. Taste and adjust. If it is bland, then add more vinegar, if it is not creamy, then add more mayo. Once Satisfied, pour this over the cabbage/onion and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. When the mood strikes you, give it a stir. Enjoy.