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.

German Meal

Growing up my Dad used to visit Germany for work a lot. I remember my Dad had learnt a baked potato casserole from a friend in whose house he had spent the weekend. He would make it at home in our little oven. We also had a lot of visitors from Germany in our house invited over for dinner. In fact, a bar of Kinder and Staedtler brand products make me nostalgic even today.

A mushroom and creme topped pizza like bread called Flammkutchen was the basis around which I built the meal. Flamkutchen were supposed to have been used to test the temperatures of the oven before the precious breads were baked. We could have had it for a meal by itself. Spaetzle dumpling is made in Germany as well as Austria. My initial plan was to make it for my Austrian noodle and dumpling meal. But it was just too much food so I shelved the idea. So I made it a point to include it when I planned this menu. The apple and potato casserole or auflauf as it is called in German added a lovely flavor. Eis und Heiss or cold and hot is a simple fruit based dessert. Red berries like raspberry and strawberry are cooked in their own juice and combined with cold ice cream. It is a real treat on a hot day.

I did not use any new ingredients for this meal. However, I had never used creme as a topping for any kind of flat bread before. I was not happy with the picture background but let it go as I did not want to cook the whole meal again.

As they say in Germany, Guten Appetit!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Flammkuchen (German Pizza) 
• Spaetzle Dumpling (Noodles) 
• Kartoffel Apfel Auflauf (Potato Apple Casserole)

And for dessert

• Eis und Heiss (Cold and Hot)

Flammkuchen (German Pizza)

There is a very interesting story associated with this pizza like flat bread. It was once used to gauge the temperature of the oven before the precious breads were baked. The crust on this bread is very thin and cooks up quickly. It is best eaten hot out of the oven. The hot cream with the mushrooms and thin crunchy crust make a divine combination.

The morning I made this meal I bought fresh creme fraiche but then forgot all about it when it was time to cook. Instead I used a combination of sour cream and fresh cream on the flammkutchen. Not being preoccupied is something I am constantly working on without much success. :)

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
For the dough
125 gm flour
75 gm whole wheat flour
10 gm active dry yeast
125 ml warm water
a pinch sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. oil

For the topping
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbsp. cream
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion
20 shitake mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the dry ingredients for the dough. Mix in the wet ingredients and form a soft dough. Knead well until elastic, cover and keep aside for 30 minutes. In the meantime, combine the cream, sour cream and salt. Mince the garlic, slice the onion, clean and slice the mushroom.

Preheat oven to 475 F. Heat a baking pan in the oven. Divide the dough into four portions. Roll out each portion on a floured board until very thin.

On it spread the cream mixture, the garlic and then the onion and mushrooms. Repeat for the other portion. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Enjoy it hot out of the oven.

Kartoffel Apfel Auflauf (Potato Apple Casserole)

Auflauf is German for casserole. This potato and apple auflauf is very tasty having a lot of different flavors blended together. In addition to the potato and apple the casserole has cream, cheese and cilantro adding to the flavors.

My daughter loves potatoes. Baked, boiled, mashed any potatoes and she is happy. These were very different from any potato dish I have made before. The apples and potatoes go very well together.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
2 medium white potatoes
1 apple
1/4 cup cream
1 clove garlic
1/2 inch piece ginger
cilantro
1/4 cup cheese
salt to taste

Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker or in a pan until tender. Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel and slice the potatoes. Layer them on the bottom of a buttered dish. Sprinkle some salt over them. Core and slice the unpeeled apple. Layer the apple over the potatoes. Pour the cream over the top. Mince cilantro, ginger and garlic. Sprinkle over the apples.

Shred the cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.

Spaetzle Dumpling

Spaetzle are noodles that are popular in Germany and Austria. They are handmade using a noodle maker, a tool with holes that allows the cook to drop tiny bits of batter into boiling water. The spaetzle cook quickly and are great for a quick meal or as a side to an elaborate meal.

I do not own a spaetzle maker so I made it using a hand held grater. It worked out great and the noodles look just like they are supposed to. These noodles can be combined with cheese to make European macaroni and cheese.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
1/2 cup flour
a pinch nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
a pinch white pepper
1 egg
3 tbsp. milk

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Sift the flour and add the nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Beat the egg and add to the milk. Add the mixture to the flour and form a wet thick batter. Hold the tool of choice over the water and pour some of the batter over it. Push it through the holes into the simmering water. Let it cook for 5-8 minutes and remove. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Drain the prepared noodles. Heat butter in a pan and add the noodles. Heat through and remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

French Meal

This is a French meal that I made on a cool rainy day. I built it around one of the most popular French soups. I have already cooked this entire meal two times because of popular demand from family. I am sure winter will see us making this meal over and over again.

French cuisine is so well known it was hard to pick the dishes. French onion soup is one of our very favorites and so I decided to build the meal around it. Pain de Campagne was the perfect rustic loaf for this soup. It does not fall apart when it is floated over the soup and baked. This bread is made of strong white flour with a hint of whole wheat. I leavened it with my homemade wild yeast. For the cheese - I used Gruyere to top the soup bowl and served the delicious freshly baked bread with some Brie. The side dish of roasted tomatoes has a layer of spiced fresh made breadcrumbs on the top. French desserts like sweet crepes and tarts are very popular but I wanted to try something different so I went with Apple Confit. My menu was onion soup au gratin, tomatoes provencal and Pain de campagne with Brie followed by apple confit as dessert.

I did not use any new ingredients in this meal but the use of heirloom tomatoes is a must if you want to try tomatoes provencal. Even someone like me who usually stays away from whole tomatoes enjoyed this dish a lot. Making everything including the bread was the most enjoyable experience. This meal is a fun one.

As they in France, Bon Appetit!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Pain de Campagne 
• Onion Soup au Gratin 
• Tomates Provencal or Roasted Tomatoes 

And for dessert

• Apple Confit

Onion Soup au Gratin

French onion soup is known all over the world and is available in most restaurants serving a continental menu. It is one of the favorite soups in our house. I have a tried and tested recipe used for years.

I was first introduced to this soup as a child. I did not care for it then as I preferred soup with thick broth. When I was older I began to appreciate the subtle flavor profiles of broths in soups. When I made it for the first time at home my husband came over to look at what the lovely aroma was. He was none too impressed with the look of the brown mess in the pan. Brought up in an 'Indian food only' household he had never had a chance to try this soup. One sip changed all that.

Unlike most recipes I do not add dry white wine to the soup. Instead I use fresh vegetable stock to deglaze the pan. In the past I used to struggle with the bread to make this soup au gratin. Either the bread was to tough or it fell apart. This was the first time I topped the soup with homemade bread. It was perfectly moist but not soggy and mushy. From now on I will always top it with homemade pain de campagne. My husband prefers this soup without the bread and cheese topping. My daughter and I prefer au gratin. Either way it is loved.

You will need
2 large white onions
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 cups vegetable stock (I made it fresh for the soup)
1 cup dry white wine (I used additional stock)

For the topping (to make 4 bowls)
4 slices of French bread (I used Pain de Campagne)
4 thin slices Gruyere

You will need vegetable stock for the soup. I recommend making it fresh or at least use homemade stock. It makes such a huge difference to the flavor of the dish. I have provided a link to my recipe for  vegetable stock.

Cut the onion into thin slices and keep aside. In a thick bottomed pan heat butter until the butter melts. Add the onions, cream and salt. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes until onions are translucent.

Increase heat and let the onions brown without stirring. When the edges and bottom start to brown add a ladle of stock and deglaze the pan.

Spread the partially browned onions on the bottom of the pan and let them brown some more. Repeat the deglazing and browning 3 more times until the onions are a darker caramel color. Add the remaining stock. Adjust seasoning and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place the four slices of bread on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 2-3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile ladle the soup into oven safe soup bowls almost to the top. Place the toasted bread on the top. Place the slice of cheese over the bread to cover it completely. This bowl is for my daughter and loves it with lots of cheese. You can cut the slices thinner. :)

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt. You can switch the oven to broil to brown the melting cheese. Ensure you do not overcook the cheese. It should melt but the solids should never separate from the liquid.

The soup au gratin tastes best when hot.

Tomates Provencal or Roasted Tomatoes

If you like to plant heirloom tomatoes in your garden or like cooking with these flavorful tomatoes then you must try this dish. Halved tomatoes are sprinkled with salt and spiced breadcrumbs then roasted in a hot oven. Though this dish would taste great with any tomato, heirlooms take it to a whole new level.

Tomatoes of all varieties are a favorite in my house so I use them a lot in my kitchen. In summer I really like to use these heirloom tomatoes. They are so flavorful. In this dish the breadcrumbs are spiced using herbes de provence, a special spice blend made up of thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram and rosemary. I went to my spice rack to ensure I had all the spices needed to make this blend and was pleasantly surprised to find this spice blend among the jars. A few months back I was visiting my sister and she gave me her almost unused spice rack. She thought I would put it to better use with all the new dishes I keep cooking. Finding the spice blend in the rack saved me the trouble of making my own herbes de provence. Now I have to figure out how to use up the rest of it.

You will need
2 heirloom tomatoes
salt to taste
olive oil to sprinkle over the top

For the breadcrumb topping
2 slices French country bread like Pain de campagne
1 tbsp. herbes de provence
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Use organic heirloom tomatoes for this dish if you can find them or if you grow them. The flavors of the heirlooms takes this dish to a different level.

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them for 5-7 minutes. Keep aside. Wash and cut the tomatoes in half through the stem. Place them cut side up on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some olive oil and salt over the top. Roast them for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile break up the toasted pieces of bread in a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients to prepare the breadcrumb mixture.

Take the toasted tomatoes out of the oven and generously top with the breadcrumb mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes.

The tomatoes are ready to eat.

Best eaten when they are hot.