Potato Dumpling Soup

A now - forgotten  tradicional soup, what I don't know, where it comes from originally, but it has also become traditional in Hungary. In the time of our grandmothers, when the family was still big, there was little food, but there was plenty of potatoes, so they cooked so that the family wouldn't stay hungry. The other day, I prepared this forgotten traditional soup.

Ingredients: 500g Potato, 200g Flour, 1pcs Egg Yolk,  2tbsp Lard, 250g Chorizo, 1pcs Brown Onion, 2pcs Garlic Clove, 1tsp Ground Cumin, 1tsp Smoked Paprika, 2pcs Bay Leaves, 1pcs Carrot, 1pcs Parsnip, 2pcs Celery Stick, 100g Sour Cream, 2tsp Flour, 1tsp Vinegar, Parsley - to taste.

First make the dumplings. For this, peel the potatoes, cut them into wedges and boil them in salted water until soft, then drain them, crush them while still warm and cool them completely. When it has completely cooled, add the flour and egg yolk, sprinkle with salt and ground pepper, then knead and from balls the size of walnuts. Then set aside. For the soup, heat the lard in a large bowl and fry the diced chorizo, onion and garlic. When they are browned, add the diced or sliced vegetables, add the ground cumin, smoked paprika and bay leaf, pour 3l of water, season generously with salt and ground pepper, then cook until soft. If the vegetables have softened, you can add the pre - prepared dumplings. The dumplings will sink to the bottom of the soup, once they have come to the top of the soup, cook for another 3 - 4min. Meanwhile, mix the sour cream with the flour until smooth, then add a little of the hot soup to balance the heat and pour it into the soup. Finally season with vinegar to taste. 

Meatball Soup

In traditional Hungarian cuisine, soup is eaten with every main meal. At a big weekend, the family lunch is always a bowl of broth on the table. The most popular and world - famous soup is the Hungarian Goulash soup. Since the majority of tourists in Hungary, if they sit in a restaurant, will surely choose the Goulash soup. If you ask a tourist what is their favourite Hungarian food is, they will always say Goulash soup. As a Hungarian, I also really like soup, but this time I didn't cook goulash soup, but meatball soup.

Ingredients: 90gr Pork Lard, 130gr Brown Onion, 3pcs Smoked Garlic Clove, 1tsp Whole Black Pepper, 300gr Carrot, 100gr Parsnip, 280gr Celery Tuber, 150gr Kohlrabi, 2cm Ginger, 3l Water, Salt, Ground Pepper - to taste. 

Meatball: 500gr Pork Mince, 1tbsp Pork Lard, 1pcs Egg, 1tbsp Panko Breadcrumbs, 1tsp Ground Caraway Seeds, 1pcs Garlic Clove, 90gr Brown Onion, Parsley, Salt, Ground Pepper - to taste.

 Heat the pork lard in a pot, add the diced onion, the crushed garlic and the black pepper. Add a pinch of salt and fry until the onion becomes translucent. When the onion has collapsed, add the diced vegetables and the whole ginger and fry for 2 - 3 min on high heat. Cover with water and cook on medium heat for 20 -25min or until the vegetables are fork tender. In the meantime, you can flavour it to your liking. In addition to the vegetables, we can add green peas and a few pieces of cauliflower florets, they also enhance the taste. When we had lunch, I realized what a shame I didn't include it. While the soup is cooking, make the meatball. Put the meatball ingredients in a bowl, don't forget to cut the onion into very small cubes. Season it thoroughly with salt and ground pepper, then shape it into balls the size of a ping - pong ball. They add it to the soup and cook the meatball for another 15 - 20 min.

Spicy Buffalo Fish

After a lot of pasta and meat, I brought a light fish meal. Not buffalo fish, just a simple basa fillet with salad and delicious sauce. I just made corn rice with it, but it's a great little dish for almost any side dish.

Ingredients ( for 4 person): 4pcs Basa Fillets, 15ml Cider Vinegar, 30gr Crispy Onions, 1tsp Dried Oregano, 2pcs Garlic Clove, 2pcs Lettuce, 1pcs Carrot, 1pcs Red Onion, 2tsp Ground Smoked Paprika, 100ml Mayonnaise, 50ml Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce, 8tbsp Cornflour.

Wash the fish and dry it with a kitchen paper, then season and set aside. I have fish spice mix at home, I sprinkled it with this, but it is enough to season it with salt and ground pepper. While the fish is marinating, pick the lettuce leaves, wash them thoroughly and dry them, and finely chop. Peel and grate the carrot, peel the red onion and cut it into strips. When we are done with this, put the salad, carrot and red onion in a bowl, then put it aside until serving. Prepare the sauces. Put 20gr of butter in a small bowl with the sriracha chili and half vinegar, season with ground pepper and sugar, then put it in the microwave for 1min. When the melted, add 1tbsp of cold water and mix thoroughly, and set aside. Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl, the crushed garlic, the oregano and the other half of the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, add 1tbsp of cold water and mix. Put the corn flour and smoked paprika in a bowl, sprinkle salt and pepper and mix. Heat a non stick pan with a little olive oil. When it's hot, roll the fish in the spicy flour, then fry for 6 - 8 min or until it's not crispy. When serving, sprinkle with the dressing and sprinkle with the crispy onion.

Hortobagy Meat Pancakes

This is also a traditional Hungarian dish such as Tomato Cabbage, Bakonyi Pork Slice and Szekely Cabbage, and Creamy Potato Salad with Fried Chicken Wings. It is also very easy to make, not as complicated as it seems at first glance.

Ingredients: 1kg Minced Pork, 40dkg Cheddar Cheese, 2pcs large Brown Onion, 1pcs Tomato, 1pcs White Paprika, 2tbsp Pork Lard, 4pcs Garlic Clove, 4tbsp Sour Cream, 2tbsp flour,  1tbsp Ground Red Pepper, Salt, Ground Black Pepper and Ground Caraway Seeds - to taste.

Pancake: 50 - 60dkg Fine Wheat Flour, 2pcs egg,  About; 500 - 600ml Water, 

Fry the finely chopped onion in a pan, in the hot pork lard with a pinch of salt until glassy. Stir in the ground paprika, add the minced meat, the crushed garlic, sprinkle with salt and ground pepper, and ground caraway, and cook until the meat is browned. Add the diced tomatoes, the white paprika cut into rings, and pour enough water to cover the meat. You can season it with salt and ground pepper, and you can also add 1tbsp of red paprika cream. Cook for 45 min to 1 hour. While the meat is cooking, prepare the pancakes. Put the flour and eggs in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and sugar, pour in a little water and mix until smooth with an electric hand mixer. Slowly add the rest of the water, and just enough to get a thick smoothie - like liquid. Heat a few drops of sunflower oil in a pan. When hot, add 1 ladle of batter and fry the pancakes. ( Put oil in the pan before each pancake.) When our pancakes are cooked and our stew is ready, we fill the pancakes. Strain the juice of the stew - do not throw it away, because you will need it - and grate the cheese. Put 1 - 1-5tbsp of minced meat in  each pancake, sprinkle with a little grated cheese and roll up. Place the filled pancakes in a pan greased with butter. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese, pour a little of the juice on top, put a few cubes of butter on a top, and bake in a preheated oven until the cheese melts on top. Heat up the juice of the stew that we sat aside before. Mix the sour cream and flour until smooth and add to the boiling juice, and cook until the juice thickens. 

Peri - Peri Spiced Fish Cakes with Parsley Potato and Spicy Peas

The fish and green peas go well together. We love them very much.

Ingredients( for 4 person): 4pcs Basa Fillets, 320gr Green Peas, 1tsp Dried Chilli, 2pcs Garlic Cloves, 100ml Mayonnaise, 60gr Panko Breadcrumbs, 2tbsp Peri - Peri Spice Mix, 2pcs Sweet Potato, 6pcs White Potato,10gr Vegetable Stock, Menta and Parsley - if desired.

Peel and chop your sweet potatoes into small bite size pieces. Add to a bowl, then cover the bowl with cling film and put in the microwave for 6 - 8 min, or until the potato are fork tender. Meanwhile cut your white potatoes (skin on) into small bite pieces. Add to a pot with plenty of boiled water, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10min or until fork tender, then drain and cool. Pat your Basa fillets dry with kitchen paper, and chop into small bite sized pieces. Once sweet potato is done and cooling, add the chopped Basa with your vegetable stock and half your peri - peri spice mix and 2tbsp flour and mix it all together. Add your panko breadcrumbs to a plate with a generous drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Divide the fish mixture equally and shape into 1 fish cake per person, then press into the panko breadcrumbs firmly to evenly coat. Heat a large wide based pan with plenty of olive oil over a medium heat. Once hot, add the fish cake in the pan and cook for 12 -15 min or until cooked through. While the fish is cooking, heat a large pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter. Once hot add the chopped parsley and the cooked white potato, season with plenty of salt and everything good mix up. Finally, heat a pot with a knob of butter over medium heat. Once butter is hot add the chopped garlic and your dried chilli and cook for 1 min or until fragrant. Add your green peas and chopped mint with pinch of salt and ground black pepper, and splash of cold water and cook for 10 -13 min, or until the peas is soft. 

Smoky Chicken and Mushroom Spaghetti

 A simple and delicious food for pasta lovers.

Ingredients( for4 person): 500gr Chicken Breast, 2pcs Brown onion,160gr Chestnut Mushrooms, 2tsp sweet mustard, 10gr Chicken Stock, 1tsp Chilli Flakes, 2pcs Garlic Clove, 2tsp Ground Smoked Paprika, 20gr Parsley, 100gr Soft Cheese, 400gr spaghetti.

Heat a large wide - based pan with 2tbsp olive oil, and a knob of butter over a medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and cook for 6 - 8 min or until soft and starts to brown. While the onion is softening, add your spaghetti to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Cook the spaghetti for 8 - 10 min, or until cooked with a slight bite. Once done, drain the cooked spaghetti, reserving a cup of the starchy pasta water. While the spaghetti is cooking, cut your chicken breast to a large bite sized pieces then add it to a bowl. Then add your chilli flakes, the smoked paprika and mustard, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well with the chicken. Once the onion has softened, add the sliced mushrooms and chopped garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 - 5 min or until the mushrooms starts to soften. Add the spicy chicken with half chopped parsley to the pan, and cook for 5- 8 min or until the chicken is beginning to brown. Meanwhile, dissolve your chicken stock in 200ml of the reserved starchy pasta water. Add the stock to the pan and cook for 10 -15 min or until the liquid has reduced by half and the chicken is cooked. When is cooked, add the spaghetti and soft cheese to the pan, and give good mix up.

Szekelykaposzta (Szekely Cabbage)

Traditional Hungarian food that we don't make every day. Its main ingredients are sauerkraut(sour cabbage) and smoked pork.

Important to note that this is my recipe, this is how I make it. There is no set recipe! "As many houses, as many customs." We can spice it up the way we like it, we can add whatever meat we like. If you don't like smoked meat, you can leave it out. We add as much water as suits us. If you don't want to add smoked water(water in which the smoked meat been cooked), then add plain spring water. Feel free to create a recipe which suits your taste. Dare to try, you don't have to be afraid of cooking! Always do it the way you like it.,

Ingredients: 1.5kg Sour Cabbage(Sauerkraut), 60dkg Pork Shoulder, 1 Smoked Gammon Hock or Smoked Pork Ham, 2-3tbsp Pork Lard, 100g Rice, 2pc Brown Onion, 4 Garlic Cloves, 1pc Hungarian Pepper(Sweet White Pepper/white Pointed Peppers), 1pc Tomato, 1tbsp Tomato Purée, 3pc Bay Leaf, 1-2tbsp Sweet Ground Paprika, 1tsp Cumin Seeds, 1tsp Ground Cumin, 1tsp Whole black Peppers, 1tsp Ground pepper.

Cook the Smoked Gammon Hock or Smoked Pork Ham the day before. To do this, put the meat in a pot, pour enough spring water to cover the meat, cover it with a lid and bring it to boil. When it boils, change the power to low(or bring the flame to low if you using gas hob) and cook the meat for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat softens. When ready, take the meat out of the water and put it away until the next day. Keep the water in which the meat was cooked, we need it too later.

The next day, chop the onions into small pieces and steam it in pork fat(pork lard). When the onion is soft, stir in the ground paprika, add the diced pork shoulder, and also the diced smoked gammon hock or ham. Add the diced Hungarian pepper, the diced tomato and the sliced garlic. Pour over 1 litre of smoked water(in which the Gammon Hock or Ham was cooked), season it with salt and ground pepper and cook. Stirring it occasionally, until the meat is tender(Approx. 1 to 1 and half hours).

While the stew is cooking, taste the sauerkraut(sour cabbage). It is advisable to taste it. If it is too sour, you can wash it, if it is not sour, it is not necessary than. To wash the sour cabbage, put it into a small bowl and pour enough water until it covers the cabbage. wash it a little and squeeze the water out thoroughly.

When the stew base is ready, add the washed cabbage, add the bay leaves, cumin seeds, whole black peppers and the tomato purée. Then pour again smoked water until it covers everything. Cook on low setting, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft. Then add the rice. Here we add a little more smoked water, if there is any left. If not you can add spring water too. Cook until the rice is soft.

Serve with sour cream and fresh crispy Root Bread.

Creamy Potato Salad with Fried Chicken Wings

 The family's favorite dinner.

Important to note that these quantities in the ingredients are informative. I cook for 4 of us.

Ingredients: 1kg Chicken Wings, 1kg Salad Potatoes, 5pcs Eggs, 2pcs Red Onions, 150gr Soured Cream, 100g Mayonnaise, 1tsp Yellow Mustard, Salt, Ground Pepper, Lemon Juice or Lime Juice - according to taste.

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until soft. When its done, drain the water and let it cool. Hard-boil the eggs in slightly salted water. This is approx. 10 minutes. When its ready, pour the hot water over it and let it cool with the same amount of cold water. When the potatoes and eggs have cooled down, peel them end set aside. Peel the red onions too and cut them into thin slices. For the salad dressing, put the mayonnaise and soured cream in a larger bowl - it should be the same bowl in which the salad is prepared. Add the mustard, lime, or lemon juice, season with salt, ground pepper, sugar and mix well(Its worth tasting while you are mixing them, you may need to add more seasoning). The point is to mix the dressing to taste. Then add the diced egg, the sliced potatoes and the onions. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve. There is no recipe for breading chicken wings. In general, everyone can bread meat and everyone prepares in their own way. Cut off the ends of the chicken wings, then wash the wings. Wipe dry with a paper towel and salt them thoroughly. Put about 2 handful of flour in a plate, beat 2 eggs in another plate, add some salt and milk, than mix them. Add about 4-5 handfuls of panko breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Roll the chicken wings first in the flour, than in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs(make sure that the crumbs cover the chicken wings everywhere). I usually fry the chicken wings in an oil fryer at an oil temperature of 150C(approx.) for 13-15 minutes. But it can be done in a pan, in a plenty of oil. You can even bake them in the oven.

Bakonyi Pork Slice

A classic Hungarian dish.

Ingredients: 4 Pork Loin Medallions, 500g Mushrooms, 2 tbsp Olive Oil or Organic Pork Lard, 2 tbsp Flour, 1pcs Red Onion, 1pcs Tomato, 1pcs Green Pepper, 1pcs Garlic Clove, 2tsp Ground Paprika, 500-600ml Spring Water, 1tsp Dried Marjoram, 150gr Fresh Soured Cream, 1tsp Salt, Ground Pepper, Flour - According to your taste.

The smaller mushrooms are left whole, the larger pieces are cut in half or quarters. Fry them in a dry, very hot pan and set aside once done.

The smaller mushrooms are left whole, the larger pieces are cut in half or quarters. Fry them in a dry, very hot pan and set aside once done. Tenderize the pork loins, season it with salt and pepper and roll them in flour. Pre-fry them each side for 5 minutes in a little fat or oil in the pan in which the mushrooms were fried. Transfer to a plate then set aside. In this pan, the diced onion is steamed until glassy. Add the diced tomatoes, the diced green peppers, and the crushed garlic clove. Stir in the ground pepper, pour in 200ml water then add salt, pepper the marjoram and cook until it thickens. Once it thickened add the pre-cooked pork loins, pour in 300-400ml of water and simmer until soft. If the meat is soft, mix the sour cream with the starch or flour, stir in a couple of tablespoons of juice to equalize the temperature and add to the meat. Add the previously fried mushrooms and cook until the juice thickens.

Serve with pasta or dumplings.

Watering Kifli

Its name is watery because the dough does not contain milk, but water. It is a traditional Hungarian pastry. It is delicious as a sandwich for breakfast, dinner or on the go.

Ingredients (for 6 to 8 pieces): 370g Fine Plain Flour, 2dl Spring Water, 10g Salt, 5g Sugar or Honney, 20g Fresh Yeast, 4tsp Oil (can use vegetable oil, olive oil etc.)

Add the flour and the salt to a bowl than mix them. Once done, add the yeast, sugar, spring water and oil. Wait until the yeast runs up, than mix and knead it. Knead it until does not stick to your hand and to the bowl, than cover it and let it sit for 40 minutes to 1 hour in a warm place. When time timeframe passes, make 6 to 8 small balls from the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes than form the balls into a crescent. Once done let it sit again for an another 40 minutes. In the meanwhile prepare the oven and the baking process. Fill a temperature resistant cup or bowl with water than place it inside the oven and preheat it for 190C to 200C. Once the 40 minutes pass, take the formed crescents and sprinkle them with water and coarse sea salt(you can use cumin or sesame seed too instead of the coarse salt.) Bake it for 20 min or until golden brown.