#158 Chicken Paprikash

Before moving to the US, I never used Paprika in my cooking. And I remember the first time I bought a bottle of the spice, it was for the Goulash that I made almost two years ago. Now, thanks to this blog, I learned that there a few varieties, and that the Hungarian Paprika has the strongest flavor of them all, and so I bought a bottle last weekend. This recipe is bursting with flavors! If you have kids or anyone joining for dinner who cannot stand the heat, then I recommend decreasing the amount of this fragrant red spice and the red pepper flakes. If you don't and you like intense heat, then by all means, dump as much Paprika as you can take, personally, I can never really have too much of it! :)

I also omitted the flour from this recipe, but if you need to thicken the sauce, then you can add about 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. It was still definitely delicious without it. :) I also list organic ingredients, but this is optional, it simply means I used the organic variety for that ingredient. I also created Spaetzle from scratch, it's a pasta that is highly recommended as a side dish, since I have eliminated all grains from my diet, my daughter gladly taste tested it and loved it. 

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsps olive oil
•  2 large organic onion, chopped
•  3 cloves of organic garlic, minced
•  1 cup water
•  1 whole organic chicken, cut into pieces
•  1 tsp. crushed
•  red pepper flakes
•  4 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
•  1 8 oz. organic canned diced tomatoes  
•  1 8 oz. organic sour cream
•  2 tbsps. flour (optional, you can do without)
•  salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil, add onion, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and paprika. Stir together until onion is translucent. Add chicken and the water. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour, adding more water if necessary.
2. Stir in tomatoes, reserving liquid. Stir liquid into a medium bowl with sour cream; mix until well blended, then slowly add mixture to chicken, stirring constantly. Cook until well blended. If adding the flour, stir it with the sour cream and diced tomatoes liquid and cook until the sauce is thickened.  Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy it! 

Here are my pre-shopped ingredients  for you, just click on each image and it will take you to Amazon.com :

#49 Hungary's töltött tojás

 

Hungary's  töltött tojás is stuffed eggs. It is known as deviled eggs in many parts of the world. In Hungary, there are many variations, but this recipe appealed to me the most because of it's healthy ingredients, simple preparation and very delicious taste! If you don't like mayonnaise, which is a common ingredient in many deviled eggs recipes, this is a great alternative.

Töltött Tojás 

Ingredients:

5 ounces spinach

Olive oil

4 eggs

salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Boil eggs. 
2. Wash spinach, remove excess water and chop very finely.
3. Drain water from hard boiled eggs and peel off the shells.
4. Cut all 4 eggs in half length-wise, and remove the cooked yolk (yellow part), set in a bowl. Set the cooked egg whites aside.
5. Using a fork or a spatula, break the cooked egg yolks into small pieces,
6. Add finely chopped spinach and olive oil (as little or more as you like)
7. Add salt and pepper to taste, mix well.
8. Scoop a tablespoonful of the mixture (or more if you like) and place in each egg white.
9. Store covered in a refrigerator. Serve cold.

 It's great. Try it!

#30 Hungary's Goulash

Goulash is one of the national dishes and the symbol of Hungary. Part soup, part stew, the meat is unbelievably tender. We devoured the meat, it was THAT good! Gulyas it is called in Hungary,  originates from the word Gulyas, meaning 'herdsmen'. It is a soup made of meat (beef, pork, lamb or veal), noodles, hungarian (sweet) paprika, vegetables and other seasonings. Very popular in many countries in Europe. And now it is very popular in my home.

GOULASH

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon, chopped

3 pounds boneless chuck, trimmed  and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 medium onions( about 1 1/2 pounds), chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons paprika (preferably Hungarian Sweet)

1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1/3 cup all purpose-flour

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup tomato paste

5 cups beef broth

5 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 red bell peppers, chopped fine

4 large russet (baking) potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)

Directions:

1. In an 8-quart heavy kettle, cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp and transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. 
2. In the fat remaining in kettle, brown chuck in small batches over high heat, transferring it as browned with a slotted spoon to bowl.
3. Reduce heat to moderate and add oil. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until golden.
4. Stir in paprika, caraway seeds, and flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. (Mixture will be very thick as shown in the photo above).
5. Stir in broth, water, salt, bell peppers, bacon and chuck and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer soup, covered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes.
6. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add potatoes to soup and simmer, covered, occasionally until tender, about 30 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. Soup may be made 3 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, before chilling, covered. Reheat soup, thinning with water if desired.

 

I used Turkey Bacon instead.

 

Meat is browned.

 

She learned about Hungary, it's capital Budapest, and she said "It's such a beautiful country, Mommy". We spent most of our learning time reading about the castles.  It has about a hundred of castles and ruins of castles all over the country! Read more here 

Recipe adapted from the Gourmet, December 1994