Apologies

Sorry about the lack of photos...I really should have remembered my camera!

What's hungarian for fabulous? Sutemeny Rigo Jancsi...

well, close enough:

Hungarian Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe - Sutemeny Rigo Jancsi

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/hungariandesserts/r/rigojancsi.htm

This traditional recipe for Hungarian Chocolate Mousse Cake - Sutemeny Rigo Jancsi - has a delightful history.

Rigo Jancsi was a famous Hungarian gypsy violinist. In 1896 while in Paris, Jancsi played for Prince Josef and Princess Klara. Fascinated by his swarthy good looks, she fell in love. Klara left her husband and children to follow Jancsi who divorced his wife. The affair didn't last but the cake Rigo created with a confectioner in Klara's honor did - Sutemeny Rigo Jancsi. It remains a favorite Hungarian sweet.

Makes 8 servings of Hungarian Chocolate Mousse Cake

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake:

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs, separated

Pinch salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter with 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add cooled melted chocolate and beat in egg yolks one at a time.

2. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and pinch salt until whites cling to the beater. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

3. Lighten the chocolate mixture by stirring in 1/3 of the whites. Then, carefully, fold in the remaining whites. Sprinkle the flour over the batter and, carefully, fold it in without decreasing the volume.

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake 12-15 minutes, or until cake starts to pull away from the sides. Do not overbake. Cool a few minutes on a wire rack and then invert onto the rack. Remove parchment paper and let cool completely.

5. For the filling: Meanwhile, Place 10 ounces chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in the microwave or on the stovetop and pour over chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 10 minutes. Add rum and vanilla and stir until smooth. Refrigerate 1 hour. When cold, whip the filling until volume has doubled.

6. Assembly: Cut the cake in half and place one half on a rack. Spread the filling over the cake and top with the remaining cake half. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

7. For the glaze: Meanwhile, Place 7 ounces chocolate, butter and corn syrup in a microwaveable bowl. Heat on full power 1 minute. Add vanilla and stir until completely melted and smooth. Let cool 10 minutes.

8. Set the rack holding the cake over a pan to catch drips. Holding the glaze 2 inches above the cake, pour the glaze evenly, using a spatula to cover the sides, if necessary. Refrigerate 20 minutes or until glaze is set.

9. This cake is very rich. Cut into 5 by 7 rows for a total of 35 small squares. Refrigerate leftovers.

More Hungarian entrees!

Shredded Cabbage Soup (S'chee )

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons bacon fat, butter or margarine

2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans) condensed beef broth

2 broth cans water

1 small head green cabbage, coarsely shredded (5 cups)

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 stalk celery, with leaves, sliced

2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly-ground black pepper

Dairy sour cream

Dill weed or parsley

Cook and stir onions in bacon fat in Dutch oven until tender. Add beef broth, water, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and celery. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes.

Top each serving with sour cream. Garnish with dill weed.

Makes 12 (3/4 cup) servings.

Source: [ http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com ]www.razzledazzlerecipes.com

And...Hungarian potato dumplings

"Haluska"

Ingredients

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup all-purpose flour I used one cup of potato flour and 1 cup of regular flour

• salt and pepper

fresh dill weed

• 1 large potato, boiled,peeled,and grated (I used three, actually)

• 1 (1 lb) container low-fat cottage cheese or 1 lb of diced and boiled cabbage

Directions

1 boil, peel, and grate a large starchy potatoe.

2 Combine with flour, egg, and salt and pepper to taste.

3 Drop by 1/2 teaspoon into a large pot of boiling water.

4 Dumplings are done when they float.

5 Remove from pot and drain well.

6 Empty water from pot and return dumplings to it.

7 Sprinkle dumplings with dill weed then combine with cottage cheese (I prefer small curd but either works).

8 Re-warm dish to eating temperature (cottage cheese will reduce temperature) and serve.

9 Alternatively combine with boiled cabbage instead of cottage cheese (also very tasty).

Source: [ http://www.recipezaar.com ]www.recipezaar.com

Hungarian entrees

My favs were the paprikash and the dumplings...

Hungarian Sticky Chicken

1/2-cup lard

1 chicken cut up or the equivalent chicken parts, skin on. (Do not use boneless chicken)

1 large onion peeled and chopped

2 cups of raw white rice, washed in cold water and slightly drained

1 heaping Tbs. of Hungarian Paprika

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 small green or banana pepper chopped

1 Bay leaf

1 1/2 cups water

6 peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes chopped -OR- 1 can of whole tomatoes, not drained but pulled apart.

If you have it, use a heavy black iron pot with a heavy lid. If not a dutch oven will do.

Put into pot 1/2 cup of lard and just brown all sides of chicken legs, wings, breasts, backs, etc. If you have liver and gizzards use them also. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.

In the juices and lard in the pot, sauté 1 chopped onion along with the 2 cups of rinsed raw rice. Just sauté rice and onion until onion is transparent. Stir in 1 heaping Tbs. of Hungarian Paprika and 1 1/2 teas. of salt.

Into pot, add 1 chopped green pepper, and one can of whole tomatoes that were not drained but pulled apart. Throw in 1 bay leaf and mix up the rice and veggie mix. Now layer the browned chicken into the rice and veggie mix. I just scoop up some rice mix and lay chicken underneath the rice layer. Give the pot a shake to settle everything.

Now start the pot to simmer on a moderate heat on top of the stove, when it all starts to cook, LOWER THE HEAT and put the cover on and DO NOT LIFT UP THE COVER FOR AT LEAST 60 MINUTES.

You must slowly cook and give it a shake once in a while, but do not uncover.

You will smell the wonderful aroma of cooked chicken when it is done.

If you smell burning, your heat is too high. Use the lowest heat possible; you can hear if it is cooking.

Adjust salt seasoning, this dish should not be sloppy like a stew, it should be moist.

Serves 4 to 6.

Portobello Paprikash

1 1/2 pounds Portobello or large button mushrooms

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced

3 gloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tbsp for garnish

1 ripe red juicy tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice, with juices

1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (or to taste)

1 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika (or to taste)

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup no-fat, low-fat or normal sour cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the ends off the mushroom stems and wipe the caps clean with a damp paper towel.

Cut each cap into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan (or a wok). Add the onion, pepper, and garlic and cook over medium heat until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring a needed with a wooden spoon.

Increase the heat to high and stir in the mushrooms and two

tablespoons parsley. Cook until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook 7until the mushrooms are tender and most of the mushroom and tomato juices have evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Briskly simmer the paprikash until the sauce thickens. Stir in the sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top and serve over rice or homemade pasta.

H is for Hungary...or hungry.

Wow - lots of fresh veggies and paprika in this meal! Here are the apps:

Hungarian Beer Breadsticks Recipe - Sorkenyhenyer Palca

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/hungarianbreads/r/beerbread.htm

This recipe for Hungarian Beer Bread can be formed into sticks - sorkenyhenyer palca - rolls, loaves or pretzels - sorperec.

I think the sticks and pretzels are the best use for this no-knead, one-rise bread that is lots of fun to make with the kids (the alcohol in the beer cooks out). Translate this into a healthier snack by using white whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose. These have such a nice crunch, they would be great with cocktails for the big kids. Click here for a larger image.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen sticks or pretzels, 12 rolls or 1 loaf of Hungarian Beer Bread

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast (not rapid-rise)

4 cups all-purpose flour or white whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup warm water

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup beer, at room temperature

Coarse garlic salt

Preparation:

Note: Using instant yeast means you don't have to dissolve the yeast in water before adding it to the remaining ingredients. There is no salt in the dough because of the garlic salt coating.

In a large bowl, combine yeast and flour. Add the remaining ingredients, except the garlic salt, and mix until well incorporated. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on 2 baking sheets and sprinkle with garlic salt. Punch down dough and, using a cookie scoop, portion out balls on a silicone mat (or a VERY lightly floured surface). Using your hands, roll balls into 8-inch-long by 3/4-inch-wide sticks.

Place on prepared baking pans. Brush sticks with water and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake 20-30 minutes or until golden in color. To make pretzels, take the dough stick ends and loop them in toward the center, crisscrossing the ends.

Hideg cseresnyeleves (spiced cherry soup)

Ingredients

1 lb Sweet red cherries

1/2 lemon rind

6 Whole cloves

1 3-inch stick cinnamon

1/3 c granulated sugar

1/2 ts salt

3 tb quick-cooking tapioca

1 c red wine

4 lemon slices

Commercial sour cream

3 c water

Directions

Day before or early in day: Wash cherries; remove stems. With vegetable peeler remove rind from lemon in strips; stick cloves into rind.

In saucepan combine cherries and lemon rind with cloves, cinnamon, sugar, salt and water.

Simmer uncovered 15 minutes.

Gradually stir in tapioca; bring to a boil; then remove from heat; stir in wine allow to cool. Remove and discard lemon rind cloves and cinnamon; then refrigerate until serving time.

To serve ladle ice-cold soup into individual soup bowls or plates; top each serving with lemon slice and a spoonful of sour cream (or if preferred stir in cream).

June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Liptauer Cheese Spread

http://homepage.interaccess.com/~june4/liptauercheesespread.html

Unless you were rich or were an aristocratic family you did not serve appetizers. Most families ate a Hungarian cheese called Lipto. It was made of sheep milk.

This cheese spread made with sheep's milk was often served in the gambling casinos in Hungary.

My Father often served this cheese spread along with a whole smoked Salami. He hung the Salami by a nail on a tree under which he and his friends would play Pinochle. The knife for cutting the Salami was stuck into the tree. The Liptauer Cheese made everyone thirsty. There would be a little wooden barrel of cold beer sitting in the shade. They played for pennies. But there would always be a lot of slapping down of cards and shouting. My Mother insisted they play outside because she didn't want all that cigar smoke and the incessant spitting that cigar smokers do.

Regards, June Meyer.

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Cream together in a bowl until well blended

8 oz. of Lipto cheese -OR- if you cannot buy Lipto you can substitute 8 oz. cream cheese -OR- 8 oz. Feta cheese

1/2 cup soft butter

3 Tbs. thick sour cream

Mash 2 anchovy fillets

1 tsp. capers and add to bowl with cheese mixture (Optional)

Add to cheese mixture and blend ingredients thoroughly

1 Tbs. finely chopped onion

1 Tbs. prepared mustard

1 1/2 teas. Paprika

1/2 tsp. Caraway seeds smashed or bruised to release flavor

1/2 teas. salt

Shape into a smooth mound and make slight indentations in mound with tines of a fork. Sprinkle with Paprika.

Garnish with chopped parsley on plate.

Let flavors mingle in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Goes well with beer. Serve with Pumpernickle or Rye bread.

Makes1 3/4 cups of spread.

The missing G

Hi all,

Looks like it's been about two months since we updated the site. Sorry for the delay.... In any case, we have been trying to move our way through the alphabet by country thus far. However, we have decided to skip the letter G as we are planning to actually visit Greece instead. More details on that later!