Paprika Mushrooms

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In Hungary, this dish is served over toasted bread or rolls, or accompanied by dumplings or plain rice. It can also be a rich side dish to accompany roasted chicken or pork. To save preparation time, slice the mushrooms with an egg slicer.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter or lard

  • 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 1 pound fresh mushrooms (champignons, or a mixture of several kinds of mushrooms), cleaned and thinly sliced

  • 1 large garlic clove, minced

  • 1 rounded tablespoon Hungarian mild or medium-hot paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup pure sour cream (containing no additives)

Instructions

Melt the butter or lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic, stirring until they are well-coated with the melted fat.

Reduce the heat to very low, sprinkle the paprika over the ingredients in the skillet, and stir to mix well. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the skillet and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to turn soft.

Stir in the salt and sour cream. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes longer, just until the sour cream is warm. Do not let the mixture boil.

Serve immediately.

 

Csírkepaprikás (Paprika Chicken)

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My husband is an excellent cook of Hungarian foods. Following is his personal recipe for Paprika Chicken, a very refined version of this classic dish. Serve accompanied by egg noodles, plain rice, or boiled potatoes. In Hungary, this dish is traditionally served with small egg dumplings called galuska.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons corn oil*

  • 2 tablespoons butter*

  • 2-1/2 to 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

  • 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 rounded tablespoon medium-hot paprika

  • 2 tablespoons hot paprika

  • 2 rounded tablespoons mild paprika

  • 2 tablespoons brandy

  • 3/4 cup chicken stock

  • 1/3 to cup sour cream

  • Salt to taste

*(Or substitute a total of 5 tablespoons lard or rendered goose fat, for the entire recipe.)

Instructions

Heat the oil and butter (or lard/goose fat) in a large (4- to 6-quart) heavy stove-top casserole. Brown the chicken pieces over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Add the chopped onions to the casserole and saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to very low, stir in all the paprika, and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Add brandy; stir to deglaze the pan. Add the browned chicken pieces and mix well. Add the chicken stock and stir.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Bring the liquid in the casserole to a boil over high heat, and reduce the liquid by about one-third. Turn the heat to low, and slowly stir in the sour cream, until the sauce is smooth. Add salt to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Paprika Fish Soup

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Sometimes called “the bouillabaisse of Hungary,” Paprika Fish Soup is simplicity itself. It originated centuries ago with the fishermen who cooked it in big metal pots over campfires on the embankments of Hungary’s great rivers, including the Danube. In Hungary this fish soup often contains several kinds of local fresh fish—carp, catfish, sterlet, pike, perch, bream, whatever is available as the catch of the day.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds freshwater fish filets or 3 pounds whole freshwater fish (preferably a mixture of 2 or 3 kinds of fish)

  • 2 medium onions, sliced into very thin rounds

  • 3 tablespoons mild Hungarian paprika (or 2 tablespoons mild paprika and 1 tablespoon hot paprika)

  • 2 to 3 crushed dried cherry peppers (or 1 to 2 tablespoons crushed dried red pepper flakes)

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • Water

Instructions

If using fish filets (fresh or frozen/thawed), wash them under cold water and set aside. If using whole fish, clean and eviscerate them, then cut the fish into 3-inch chunks. Save the heads and tails to add to the cooking pot for flavor.

Put a layer of sliced onions on the bottom of a large (6-quart) stockpot. Add a layer of fish and sprinkle it with some of the paprika, crushed cherry peppers or pepper flakes, and salt. Continue making layers of onion, fish, and spices until all of the ingredients are in the pot. Add enough cold water to barely cover the fish.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and let the soup simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Do not stir the soup during this time, but occasionally shake the pot gently from side to side. At the end of 1 hour, taste and add more salt if desired.

Serve hot, dividing the fish evenly among shallow soup bowls for each diner.

Paprika Pork Chops

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My husband is an excellent cook of Hungarian foods. Following is his personal recipe for Paprika Pork Chops, a classic dish from Central Europe.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon mild Hungarian paprika

  • 1 tablespoon medium-hot Hungarian paprika

  • 4 pork chops (about 1/2-inch thick), trimmed of all fat

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced crosswise and separated into rings

  • 4 to 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 3/4 cup medium-sweet to sweet Hungarian white wine

  • 2 tablespoons Hungarian apricot brandy (barackpálinka) or other brandy

  • 2 tablespoons pure sour cream (containing no additives)

  • Garnish: Strips of pickled mild red peppers

Instructions

Mix the paprikas together in a shallow bowl, spreading the powder evenly across the bottom of the bowl. Rinse the pork chops under cold water, then dredge both sides of each wet pork chop in the paprika, making sure the entire surface of both sides is covered with paprika.

Heat the butter and oil together over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and sauté until they are soft.

Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Push the onions and garlic to the side of the pan and add the pork chops in one layer. Brown the pork chops on both sides, about 4 minutes on each side. Add more cooking oil if necessary.

Stir in the wine and brandy. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer the pork chops a minimum of 10 minutes on each side, depending on their thickness.

Remove the pork chops to a serving platter and keep them warm. Stir together the onions, garlic, and juices left in the pan. Increase the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is the consistency of a thick soup. Reduce the heat and add the sour cream, mixing well. Pour this sauce over the pork chops and garnish with the pickled pepper strips.

Serve hot, accompanied by egg noodles or boiled potatoes and a medium-dry Hungarian white wine.

 

Chicken Paprikash

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This is one of the classic paprika recipes from Hungary. But sure to use only imported paprika in this dish, or the flavor will not be the same. It is traditionally cooked with lard or goose fat and served with dumplings. Serve over egg noodles, plain rice, or boiled potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons corn oil

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1 rounded tablespoon medium-hot paprika

  • 1 tablespoon hot paprika

  • 1 whole fresh long red chile , such as New Mexican

  • 2 rounded tablespoons mild paprika

  • 2-1/2 to 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

  • 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 tablespoons brandy

  • 3/4 cup chicken stock

  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup sour cream

  • Salt (to taste)

Instructions

Heat the oil and butter in a large (4- to 6-quart) heavy stove-top casserole. Brown the chicken pieces over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Add the chopped onions to the casserole and saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to very low, stir in all the paprika, and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Add brandy; stir to deglaze the pan. Add the browned chicken pieces and mix well. Add the chicken stock and whole hot red pepper.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Bring the liquid in the casserole to a boil over high heat, and reduce the liquid by about one-third. Turn the heat to low, and slowly stir in the sour cream, until the sauce is smooth. Add salt to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.