Hungarian Meal

Hungary is one of the countries about which I know very little. Then I found the Hungarian ring bread. A beautifully made bread with intertwined rings. That was reason enough to want to cook a meal from Hungary. I wanted to try to bake that bread.

As with all the meals I cooked, I made the dessert and the most challenging recipe first. That way I ensured I would be able to finish everything to my satisfaction. If I was not satisfied with the dessert or the main dish I could always postpone it all to another day. For this meal I tried the bread first. Unfortunately, I messed up the proportions and it turned into a monster so big that I could not imagine cooking anything else that day. When I planned the meal again I left out the bread.

Mushroom Paprikas served on a bed of egg noodles was a perfect main dish to built the meal around. My daughter loves potato salad so when I found the potato dill salad I had to add it to the menu. I seem to be collecting the different types of cucumber salads out there, this is another tasty one. Lesco was a great side made with tomatoes, onions and Hungarian pepper. The coconut cookie roll has got to be the most delicious cold cookie I ever made.

My daughter who is very good at restraint when it comes to food went crazy about it. I had to keep her hands off.

As they say in Hungary, Jó étvágyat!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Mushroom Paprikas on Noodles
• Potato Dill Salad 
• Lesco (Tomato Salad)
• Cucumber Salad 

And for dessert

• Coconut Cookie Roll

Coconut Cookie Roll

Cookie crumb base with coconut cream filling! What is not to like? This dessert was very tasty and had just the right amount of sweet. A dessert lovers delight. It is very rich and a small cookie roll goes a long way.

This is by far the best cold cookie I have made. I would have never thought of using cookie crumbs as the base for the cookie roll. In fact if you tasted the end product you would never guess it was made with cookie crumbs, in my case crumbled Nilla wafers. I have already been asked to make them on a regular basis.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
For the dough
2 cups cookie crumbs (I used Nilla wafers)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 tbsp. whipping cream

For the cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. salted butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar (I ran granulated sugar through the blender)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup shredded (desiccated) coconut (I used fresh frozen)

Crumble the Nilla wafers in a food processor such that you have 2 cups of the crumbled mixture.

Rub in the butter evenly over the crumbs. Mix in the cocoa powder. Using the cream form a ball of dough. Knead it to soften. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll out the cooled dough on wax paper. Put it in the refrigerator until it is needed.

Make the coconut cream. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and frothy. Add the shredded coconut and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined and creamy. Take out the rolled dough from the refrigerator and add the coconut cream on it.

Spread it evenly all over the dough. Place the sheet in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes.

Using a knife cut the uneven edges from one of the shorter sides to form a straight edge. Share the discarded pieces with the little ones in the house or enjoy them on your own. Starting from the short side roll tightly using the parchment paper to light the dough where needed.

Before you roll to the end cut off the uneven edges to form a straight edge. Roll the cookie roll in the parchment paper and refrigerate for a few hours.

Take it out of the refrigerator and unwrap the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife cut the roll in 1/2 inch cookies. Keep cool in refrigerator until needed.

Enjoy!

Potato Dill Salad

Potato salad is my daughters favorite salad so I make it frequently. This Hungarian version is a little different but just as flavorful. As with all potato salads it makes a great side.

The recipe called for vinegar but I knew my daughter would never eat it with vinegar so I left it out. The recipe to me sounded a little bland but I stuck with it and hoped for the best. I was not disappointed. In the end it all came together very well.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
4 small potatoes
1 small onion, diced
4-5 springs dill, diced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water. Peel and dice. Add the onion and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk together the oil and vinegar and pour over the salad. I left out the vinegar and it tasted great.

Ridged Cucumber Salad

Cucumber salad is great with any summer meal. It is one of the most popular salads in the world. There appears to be a version of this salad in every cuisine. We all like cucumbers so I add a cucumber salad to the menu as often as possible.

This recipe has a very interesting step. The peeled cucumber is scored using a fork. When sliced it gives each slice a ridged edge as you can see in the picture. I thought that was very cool.

The only thing I would change is the cucumber used for this dish. I used a regular cucumber but I think an English cucumber would have retained its shape better.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1 cucumber
salt
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp oil

Peel the cucumber and then run a fork along the surface from end to end. Slice as thin as possible. Place in a bowl and salt liberally. Allow it to stand for 15 minutes to let the juices flow out.

Meanwhile whisk all the other ingredients together. Discard the juice from the cucumbers and transfer them to the dressing bowl. Combine and let it sit for half an hour before serving. Sprinkle paprika for garnish.

Lecso (Hungarian Tomato Salad)

Lecso is a classic Hungarian side more like a salad. There are versions with rice or egg added to it. Since we had this as a side in a big meal I left the optional additions out.

The salad without the rice or egg cannot really be eaten on its own. It is served to complete the flavors of the meal.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 banana pepper, sliced after seeded and vein is removed
1 ripe tomato, remove seeds and slice
1/2 cup cooked rice (optional)
1 tbsp. oil
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion until tender. Add the banana pepper and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato slices and season with salt. Let the mixture cook until the juices of the tomato are released. Add the rice and mix together. Continue to heat through until the sauce thickens a little. Turn off heat and serve warm.

Mushroom Paprikas

Mushroom Paprikas is a vegetarian main dish served over egg noodles or spaetzle. Since I had made spaetzle for the German meal I settled for egg noodles for this one. The aroma in the kitchen from the sauce churned up the appetites.

I did not have red pepper paste so I made some with roasted red pepper. I bought shitake mushrooms as they are the most popular in my house but I could have used baby bellas. I was in two minds about the banana pepper but in the end I am glad I added it.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 banana pepper, sliced after seeds and vein is removed
15 mushroom, shitake or baby bella
2 tomatoes, diced
1 red pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and paprika to taste

Char the pepper on a gas stove or grill. Cover in aluminium foil and keep aside for 15-20 minutes. Peel the charred skin off the pepper and cut into pieces. Grind the roasted pepper to a paste. You should not have to add any water the juice of the pepper should be enough to grind it in.

Heat butter in a pan and saute the onion. When tender add the garlic. Saute for a couple minutes then add the mushrooms and peppers.

Saute some more before adding the tomatoes, red pepper paste and water. Season with salt and paprika.

When the sauce begins to come together scoop out a ladle full of sauce into a bowl. Whisk with sour cream and return to the pan. When the sour cream is mixed in with the rest of the sauce turn off heat.

Cover and keep aside until you are ready to eat it.

Hungarian Ring Bread

Hungarian ring bread is made for special occasions like weddings. There are seven rings, one on the outside and six on the inside, that intertwine with no apparent start or end. I have always wanted to try this bread and have had it on my wishlist for a very long time.

I made a decorative bread without sourdough after a long time. I am now used to sourdough and its long rise times. I let this bread rise a little longer than I should have before I shaped it. The end result was a delicious flavorful bread that was not exactly suitable for shaping. The dough kept rising. I am glad the shapes are still visible and did not blend into each other completely.

The bread was pretty easy to shape and I always have fun when I am playing with dough.

You will need
500 gm bread flour
40 gm sugar
37 gm egg yolks
70 gm whole eggs
37 gm vegetable oil
160 gm water
7 gm salt
15 gm fresh yeast

Combine the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl. Sift the flours and add all the dry ingredients. Combine to form a soft dough. Knead well until the dough is elastic and smooth. Cover and keep aside until it doubles in volume. Divide into 7 pieces, 6 small (~70 gm) and one large (~ 300 gm). If you want to decorate it put a little dough aside before you divide into above mentioned portions.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the large portion into a rope and shape as a ring. Place it on the prepared sheet.

Shape the other portions as ropes. Intertwine as shown in the picture.

If you want you can add a few decorations.

Cover in egg wash and let it sit for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Enjoy!