Hungarian Goulash Soup (Gulyás leves)

I took this picture when we made the soup in the cooking class

Recipe as written from Culinary Hungary (with permission):
Ingredients for 4 people:

For the goulash soup:

400 grams of beef shank (14.1 ounces) – cut into 1-inch cubes

3 medium or 2 large onions – diced 

2 tablespoons lard or 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil (sunflower)

2 tablespoons of sweet Hungarian paprika powder

2 bay leaves

2 medium carrots – peeled and cut into 1⁄4 inch slices

1 medium parsley root– peeled and cut into 1⁄4 inch slices

1 medium fresh tomato – chopped

1 sweet yellow pepper (or wax or banana pepper) – cut into small pieces

2-3 medium potatoes – peeled and cut into medium size cubes

1 clove of garlic – minced

1 teaspoon of ground caraway seeds

10 black peppercorns

Salt to taste

 

Cutting meat into cubes and dicing the yellow pepper in cooking class

Directions:

In a large soup pot, sauté the onions in vegetable oil or pork lard over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them burn. Salt lightly to help tenderize them. The onions should be cut into very, very small pieces. This is essential in order to achieve the “stew consistency”. Add a small amount of water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to the pan.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the sweet Hungarian paprika, stir. Add the tomatoes, the sweet yellow pepper and the meat, and stir again. Do not burn the paprika, or it will become bitter.

Add the bay leaves, the peppercorns, and about 7-8 cups (2 liters) of water. Salt to taste. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is almost tender, adding water as necessary. It takes about 1.5-2 hours. If you use a pressure cooker add only 6 cups of water and cook for about 35-40 minutes or until tender.

Add the carrots, the parsley roots, the ground caraway seed, and the garlic. Salt to taste. Cover, bring back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer.

Add the potatoes and the Csipetke (pinched noodles) when the vegetables are half tender and cook until the vegetables (including the potatoes) are tender. It takes about 5-8 minutes.

Patti’s Notes:

Andrew (our chef at Culinary Hungary) said if you can’t find beef shank you could substitute chuck roast.  I used chuck roast.  I used oil, not lard.  For the parsley root he said not to substitute parsley, it will be too bitter.   You could sub parsley stock or just leave it out.  My store was out of parsley root so I left it out but I will try to find it next time.  I was actually able to find Hungarian Sweet Yellow Pepper in the grocery department at Walmart.  My store only had whole caraway seeds so I ground them myself.  They smelled SO good.  He put the black peppercorns in a tea infuser before adding them to the pot.  Then removed them prior to serving.  So I did that too.  And don't forget to remove the bay leaves.  We made the pinch noodles in class but I did not make the pinch noodles when I made it at home.

Csipetke (pinched noodles) can be cooked directly in the soup broth, or in plain water. It is a great accompaniment for goulash soup. Their name comes from the way they are formed.

For the Csipetke (pinched) noodles:

1 egg – beaten *(the amount of dough you can make with one egg is enough for a recipe for 12 people. I always use only about 1/3rd of one beaten egg.)

Pinch of salt

White flour – as much as necessary to create a firm, smooth dough

In a medium bowl mix together the egg, the salt and the flour, and knead with your fingertips until a firm, smooth dough forms.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. You can use it immediately if you are in a hurry.
Pinch off small pieces of dough about the size of a lemon seed and roll them. 

Making pinch noodles in cooking class

Drop them into the soup and cook for about 5-8 minutes.

Enjoy!

~Source - Recipes are from a cooking class Connie and I took in Budapest Hungary at Culinary Hungary

Poppy Seed Bread Pudding (Mákos guba)

I took this picture when we made the Poppy Seed Bread Pudding in cooking class

Recipe as written from Culinary Hungary (with permission):
Ingredients for 4 people:

5-6 pieces of 1-2 day old bread rolls – cut into ½ inch slices

800 ml of lukewarm milk (3 1/3 cups)

6 tablespoons of ground poppy seeds

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (to mix with the poppy seeds)

2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar (mix with the milk)

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar (mix with the milk)

Butter

Preparation:

Heat the milk until lukewarm with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar. (You can use regular sugar and vanilla extract.)

Mix the ground poppy seeds with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.

Butter a baking pan, lay out half of your bread slices and pour half of the milk over it. Sprinkle with half of the poppy seed-sugar mixture. Place the remaining bread pieces in the pan – this is the second layer - pour the remaining milk over it and sprinkle with the rest of the poppy seed and sugar mixture and some more powdered sugar.

Bake in preheated oven (180°C/355°F) for 10 minutes

Picture taken during cooking class

Patti's Notes: When we made this in the cooking class Andrew sliced the bread and toasted it in the oven (single layer), then let it cool completely before assembling the bread pudding.  

I used a baguette when I made this at home.  I sliced it in the morning and let it dry out on its own for a few hours prior to assembling.

  

I also used a 8" x 10" baking pan instead of individual ramekins.  

I ground my poppy seeds in a spice grinder.

~Source - recipes from a cooking class Connie and I took in Budapest Hungary at Culinary Hungary.

Hungarian Cucumber Salad (Uborka saláta)

Recipe as written from Culinary Hungary (with permission):

"Hungarian cucumber salad (Uborka saláta) is typically eaten with many heavy, meat-centric meals (like most Hungarian meals) and we eat this salad a little differently than other nations typically do.

Usually, instead of eating a salad as an appetizer, we eat this right along side our main meal, alternating bites to get something heavy and something light at the same time.

There are variations on this salad that include raw, minced garlic, and some don’t use sour cream. My family makes this salad without sour cream; my husband’s family always mixes it with sour cream. It is up to you. You can have it both ways.

Also, make sure to slice the cucumbers thin enough. To get the thinnest possible see-through slices, use a mandolin slicer."

Recipe

Ingredients for 4 people:

2 large English cucumbers

250 ml (1 cup) of water

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of 10% white vinegar

sweet paprika powder (to sprinkle)

ground black pepper (to sprinkle)

salt

Directions:

Peel the cucumbers and, using a mandolin slicer, slice both cucumbers as thinly as possible into a bowl. Add the salt and mix the cucumbers slices to lightly and evenly coat them. Let sit for 30 minutes to draw out the water from the cucumbers.

The cucumbers will release about ½+ cup of liquid. Then, take large handfuls of cucumbers and, with your hands clenched, squeeze out as much liquid as you can and place the balls of squeezed cucumbers in a bowl. Discard the liquid.

In a cup, combine the sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add this mixture to the squeezed cucumbers and mix thoroughly. Add the chopped garlic, sprinkle with paprika powder and ground black pepper.

The vinaigrette is so light and refreshing, that you will be tempted to drink it after you eat the cucumber salad.

Enjoy!

Patti’s Notes

I put the sliced cucumber in a strainer over a bowl.  It’s amazing how much liquid comes out!

I did not squeeze the cucumber into balls.  I just gently squeezed them between the palms of my hands and left them in circles.  My vinegar was only 5% so I doubled the amount.  (I didn’t even know vinegar came in percentages!  And I don't know if it works that way but they turned out good so I'll go with it!)  
Super delicious! You can store it in jars or air tight containers.  It makes a pretty gift too.

~Source - Connie and I took a cooking class in Budapest Hungary at Culinary Hungary.  We did not make this recipe in class but I found it on their website and it sounded good so I made it when I made the Hungarian Goulash Soup. I've also made it many times since.