Would I consider baking for a wedding reception? I enthusiastically said yes, when my friend Tricia asked me to bake for her. She knew I had experience with this – earlier I had baked for my son’s wedding.
Eat
Hungarian savory tart with bacon & sour cream – Szalonnás-tejfölös lepény
Delicious savory tart with bacon, preferably with lots of sour cream! It’s so good especially warm on its own (instead of a pizza) or as an accompaniment to a hearty soup. I adapted the recipe from one of my favorite Hungarian cookbooks Mai magyar konyha by Tamás Bereznay.
Hungarian “gulyás” soup – Magyaros gulyásleves
Gulyás, which is a soup not a stew, is probably the best known Hungarian dish, even though other nations, the Slovaks, Czechs, and Austrians, have their own versions of it. Interestingly enough, ”In the United States, someone decided that elbow macaroni with ground beef and tomatoes could also be called gulyas (although the innovator changed the spelling to goulash).” – writes Nicolaus Balla and Corthney Burns in Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes.
Hungarian beef or pork “pörkölt” – Marha- vagy sertéspörkölt
Recently I realized that if I want to stay true to my promise, I need to collect those Hungarian recipes that characterize my everyday cooking and culinary heritage. Let’s start with a meat paprika stew called pörkölt. In my family, we don’t eat too much meat, but when I choose to cook meat, I often go with this, because it’s simple, delicious, and very easy to make.
Hungarian layered potatoes – Magyaros rakott krumpli
Many of you might agree, that there is nothing better to eat on a chilly, rainy day than comfort food. This traditional quintessential Hungarian baked one-pot dish of layered potatoes fits the bill. The true star here is the amazing Hungarian smoked sausage, mild or hot.
Ricotta blueberry pancakes – Áfonyás kis túrópalacsinta
I love fresh blueberries very much, but in the winter I use frozen ones to make healthy and delicious treats, like these warm pancakes for a lazy weekend morning.
Walnut squares – Diós kocka
These wonderful walnut cookies – a tray bake, so it’s incredibly easy to make – were in the box of goodies for two family parties during this past holiday season. They were well loved. The combination of chocolate and walnuts, together with the tanginess of the apricot jam, makes them irresistible. Try to bake them, you might agree with me.
Sweet buttermilk scones – Írós édes pogácsa
Picture yourself in your kitchen wanting to treat your family (or just yourself) to a delicious breakfast, but not wanting to spend too much time there. Yes, the idea for what to make, is in the title: make scones, make these scones. The ingredients are basic, you probably have them at home; the technique is basic, so it’s suitable even for a beginner baker. Serve them with butter and your favorite jam, and add a little whipped cream if they will be treats for an afternoon tea with your friends.
My food moments in 2014 – Ételek, pillanatok 2014-ben
Orange linzer cookies filled with jam – Narancsos töltött linzer keksz
One of the most versatile pastries, that always gives you good results, is the famous linzer. You make the dough, you cut out different shapes from it, and then decorate them reflecting the occasion. It can be a circle, a square with flouted edges, a heart, a star, a tree, or your favorite animal if you happen to have a cutter in its shape – anything you like, really.
Turkey, sage, and pine nut meatballs – Pulykafasírt zsályával és fenyőmaggal
While looking through The Whole Foods Market Cookbook, I came across an interesting recipe for turkey meatballs. These meatballs are very different from those I grew up with.
Thanksgiving/birthday dinner at our house – Hálaadásnapi/születésnapi vacsora nálunk
Thanksgiving, this special American national holiday, is always the fourth Thursday of November. Family members (and often friends) get together over a big feast of turkey (even though in these days turkey meat is not necessarily served) and give thanks for the blessings of the year.