Hungarian cuisine

29th
July 2011
Comments 33 Comments

MMaybe you have already heard of delights of Hungarian cuisine. The traditional Hungarian dishes abound in piquant flavors and aromas. Dishes are flavourful, spicy and often rather heavy. Flavours of Hungarian dishes are based on centuries old traditions in spicing and preparation methods. The exquisite ingredients are produced by local agriculture and husbandry. Paprika and garlic is to be found everywhere. In the autumn, a fascinating view is the strings of red paprika (unground red pepper) hung on the white walls of the houses in the neighbourhood of Kalocsa, a town along the Danube.

 02/01/2015

Lángos – Hungarian Fried Bread 

Lángos: Hungarian fried bread sometimes called Hungarian pizza, became part of the country’s cuisine centuries ago when it was introduced by the Turks during their occupation.Today it’s a favorite street and fair food and eaten as an appetizer or snack, usually simply, rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with salt. Some incorporate caraway seeds into the mashed potato-yeast dough.Variations are to serve langos with sour cream and dill or shredded Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese, or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or confectioners’ sugar for a sweet version.

Makes 4 Hungarian Lángos

Ingredients 

  • 1 large potato, boiled, peeled, mashed and kept warm
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (same as rapid-rise or bread-machine yeast)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 cloves garlic, cut in half

Preparation method

  1. Place the ingredients in the order  given, except the garlic, in a mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients until well moistened.
  2. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 5 to 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.
  3. Separate dough into 4 portions, shape into a round and place on a lightly floured board. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
  4. In a large skillet, heat 1 inch canola oil to 350 degrees. Flatten and stretch dough to about an 8-inch diameter. Make a slit in the center. This is traditional and also helps to keep the dough from puffing up in the middle and not frying properly. Fry one at a time about 2 minutes per side or until golden. Drain on paper towels.
  5. Serve hot rubbed with garlic clove and sprinkled with salt. Variations include topping with sour cream and chopped dill or shredded Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese. Or, for a sweet version, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or confectioners’ sugar.

 Recipe from: East European Food.about

Photo

11/03/2014

 Pogácsa – Bacon or crackling scones

These savoury scones are often mentioned in Hungarian fables and folk tales as the sustaining food that the young man off to conquer the world takes in his backpack. They’re traditionally served with beef goulash soup too. You can use pork crackling instead of bacon but these make a heavier scone and we think this version is better with the soup.

Ingredients

  • 60ml /4 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp dried yeast
  • 250g/9oz streaky bacon, chopped
  • 500g/1lb 2oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp parmesan, grated
  • 1 tbsp caraway seeds
  • 120g/4½ oz unsalted butter
  • 120ml/4fl oz soured cream
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • beaten egg and a drop of water, to glaze

Preparation method

  1. Gently heat the milk in a pan until it is lukewarm, then pour it into a jug and stir in the yeast. Leave it for 15 minutes or so to get working and froth up.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a heavy-based pan and fry the bacon bits until crisp and golden. Remove them from the pan and leave to cool.
  3. Sift the flour into a bowl and mix with the baking powder and salt. Stir in the parmesan and caraway seeds.
  4. Put the butter in a small pan over a gentle heat and allow it to melt until it is just liquid. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the soured cream and add the beaten eggs – make sure the butter isn’t too hot or the eggs will scramble. Add the cooled crispy bacon and stir in the yeasty milk.
  5. Pour the buttery egg and bacon mixture into a large bowl, then add the flour and other dry ingredients, a little at a time, until everything is combined.
  6. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes or so until elastic. You can do this with a mixer and a dough hook if you like. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film and leave it in a draught-free place for about an 1½ hours until it has doubled in size.
  7. Turn the dough out again and knock it back with your knuckles. Dust the dough with flour and roll it out to about 4 cm/1½ in thick. Cut out rounds with a pastry cutter and place them on a sheet of silicone baking parchment on a baking tray. Using a sharp knife, cut a criss-cross pattern on the top of each one, then leave to rest for another 30 minutes.
  8. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
  9. Brush the scones with the beaten egg and water to glaze and bake them for 25–30 minutes until golden.
  10. Eat them warm, split in half and spread with butter. Perfect with beef goulash soup.

Recipe from: BBC Food

Photo

29/08/2011

… Goulash, stew, paprikash, Hungarian fish soup, paprika potatoes etc. are similar traditional Hungarian dishes. The Hungarians cook stew or goulash on every holiday and family gathering. These foods are included in the main family events: weddings, christenings, birthdays etc. These dishes often are cooked outdoors on fire at the friends gatherings.

Read more (with photos) : Hungarian Cook

 Hungarian pork stew

 Ingredients:

  • 40g/1½oz lard
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2–3 tbsp paprika
  • 1.8kg/4lb pork steak, diced
  • 1 tsp tomato purée
  • 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
  • 3 medium tomatoes, sliced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

  1. Heat the lard in a lidded frying pan, add the onion and fry for five minutes, or until softened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the paprika, adding more or less to taste. Add the pork and a splash of water. Simmer over a low heat for about 5 minutes.
  2. Add enough boiled water to cover the meat, bring back to the boil and add the tomato purée, green pepper and tomatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour or until the pork is tender.
  3. To thicken the sauce, mix the cornflour and two tablespoons of cold water to form a paste, then stir into the stew. Bring to the boil again to thicken. Check the seasoning, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  4. Serve the stew with creamy mashed potato, or macaroni. The dish also goes well with finely sliced cucumber which can be lightly pickled with a splash of white wine vinegar and a sprinkling of caster sugar.

This stew pairs pork and paprika beautifully. Serve with creamy mashed potato and lightly pickled cucumber.

Recipe from: BBC Food

 

06/12/2011

… I found this recipe, when I prepared my very first roast goose as a feast dish for St. Martin’s Day. I was very surprised, when I found a lot of recipes for Red Onion Marmalade or Jam. I thought it’s something special, but very common food in Hungarian or in English cuisine also. It was reccomended as a side dish for goose, but actually great on all kind of roasted meat, steak sandwiches, burgers, pizza, scrambled eggs and even with toast – this last is my favourite one 😀

So, at first it could sound strange, but if you like a little bit onion and sweet-wine-spices taste … please, try it.

Red Onion Jam

Ingredients:

Make 3/4 cup

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

  1. Heat the oil in a medium pan.  Add the onion and cook until soft.  Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves, and some salt and pepper.
  2. Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they’re really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising.
  3. Add the wine, vinegar, honey, and thyme and simmer, until the liquid has evaporated.
  4. Remove from the heat and let cool. The jam can be made 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before serving. … or … can be eaten straight away (yes, we ate it immediately …) It’s so simple. The most complicated is to slice the onions 😀

Tip: Fill the jam to the jar/bottle, it makes a great homemade Christmas (or whatever) gift too.

P.S.: Maybe next time I share the roast goose recipe also, which was the main dish.

Recipe from: Good Food magazine


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