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.