Vörösboros Meggyleves (Tipsy Morello Cherry Soup)

Another one of Zoli’s favorites!  It is a slightly sweet, slightly sour, chilled soup. We eat it as a dinner soup, although some people might like it more as a dessert.


Trader Joe's Morello Cherries

Cherries, Juice, etc.

 


After Addition of Cream and Egg Yolk Mixture



After Addition of Cream and Egg Yolk Mixture Delicious!

 



Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 lbs (800g) morello cherries
- 4-5 cloves
- Small piece of cinnamon stick
- 3/4 (200ml) dry red wine
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2/3 cup (120g) superfine sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup (200ml) light cream (we use whipping cream)

Directions:
Wash and pit the cherries.  Place the cloves and cinnamon in a cheesecloth bag (although we just place them in the soup and fish them out later). Cook the cherries in their own juice and 3 1/3 cup (800ml) water, together with the red wine, strained lemon juice, sugar, salt, and spices. Take out half the cherries, using a slotted spoon. Puree these, and return to the soup.  Bring to a boil.  Meanwhile, mix the egg yolks into the cream.  Add about a cupful of the hot soup to this mixture, stirring constantly.  Then pour the egg and cream mixture into the soup.  Stir in, and reheat.  Do not let it boil, or the egg will curdle.  Finally, remove the spices.  Cool, and serve ice cold in chilled soup bowls.

Csirke Paprikás (Chicken Paprikash)

This is a pretty easy and delicious Hungarian dish!!


Paprika and Vegeta



Sautéed Onion (with some peppers too)



Chicken and Sautéed Onion

Chicken Mixture Served Over the Pasta  

                                 
Ingredients:
- One package chicken drumlets or drumsticks
- Salt and pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cooking oil (we use olive oil if we have it) - use more if necessary
- 1 large onion, chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon paprika or until the mixture is a nice reddish color
- Vegeta (or salt) to taste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- About 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature (we use light sour cream)
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup chicken stock
- Spiral pasta (Rotini) or whatever pasta type you prefer

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and sauté the onion until the pieces turn translucent. Add the chicken and paprika, and sauté briefly until yellow on all sides, then add 1/2 cup chicken stock and cover and simmer on low heat. Occasionally check and make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pan, do this for about 25 minutes until chicken is done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Start boiling the pasta separately. Then separately mix the flour with the sour cream, and add some juices from the chicken to the sour cream flour mixture. Then pour the mixture over the chicken. If it is not moist enough, you can add more chicken stock - it should be a creamy texture. Also add more paprika if it is not a nice pinkish or reddish color - can add to taste as well. Bring the chicken/sour cream to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes and serve over the drained pasta.

Rántott Hús (Breaded Pork)

This is one of Zoli’s favorites!  The onion rings were an experiment, but were delicious.  Good thing we spent about two hours at the gym prior to consuming this meal…


Onion Rings  



Breaded Pork



Fries



All Together



                                                                                                      

Breaded Pork
Ingredients:
- Pork cutlet or pork loin sliced about a 1/2 inch thick, tenderized with meat mallet
- A plate covered thinly with flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten in a container that can fit the pork cutlets
- Another plate covered thinly with bread crumbs
- Skillet filled with about 1/4 inch of oil, heated on high
Directions:
Spice tenderized pork with salt, pepper, and paprika. Coat with flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. Place coated pork in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Onion Rings
Ingredients:
- One white or yellow onion, cut into rings to the thickness that you would like and separated
- Batter: one part beer to one part flour, whisked, enough to coat the rings
- Sauce pan filled with about 1.5 inches of oil, heated on high
- Salt to taste
Directions:
Place the separated onion rings into the batter and coat.  Place coated rings in the hot oil, only a few at a time so the batter does not fall off.  Flip rings until golden brown all around, then place on paper towel coated plates and salt.

Fries
Ingredients:
- 2 or more potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices, or however you like them cut
- Dutch oven or a deep pan filled with about 1.5 inches of oil, heated on high
- Seasoning: Salt (or Vegeta if you have it) and paprika
Directions:
Place cut potatoes into the hot oil and fry until golden brown (sometimes takes up to 45 minutes), stirring/flipping potatoes over occasionally (not frequently).  Remove potatoes once golden brown with a slotted spatula and place in a bowl covered with paper towels.  Pat the fries dry, remove paper towels, then add seasoning to taste.

Hungarian Roasted Chicken

This chicken was very moist, and the left overs were perfect for sandwiches.


There is no real recipe, but the chicken was rubbed with a spice (a Hungarian spice packet) and injected with the same spice mixture and chicken broth. Chicken broth and a few carrots were placed in the outer well, and chicken broth in the inner well (where the chicken is placed on top of). Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Remove aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes of cooking, and make sure the meat thermometer is at 165 degrees F.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Beautiful presentation :-) And the soup was very good as well!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers

1 yellow bell pepper

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbs all-purpose flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

diced red and yellow bell peppers, to garnish (or as we used here, you can garnish with a swirl of plain yogurt)

Directions:

- Heat the broiler. Cut the peppers in half. Remove the stems, cores, and all the white pith, and scrape out the seeds. Line a broiler pan with foil and arrange the halved peppers, skin side up, in a single layer on the foil. Broil until the skins are black and blistered.

- Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag and leave until cool. Peel off the skins and discard. Roughly chop the pepper flesh.

- Put the onion, garlic clove, and 2/3 cup of the stock in a large saucepan. Boil for about 5 minutes until the stock reduces in volume. Lower the heat and stir until the onion and garlic are soft and just beginning to color.

- Sprinkle the flour over the onion. Gradually stir in the remaining stock.

- Add the chopped, roasted peppers. Bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

- Leave the soup to cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. Return to the sauce pan and reheat until piping hot.

- Ladle into 4 (or 2 in our case) soup bowls and garnish each with a sprinkling of diced peppers (or as we have done, with a swirl of plain yogurt).

Moroccan Vegetable Soup

As you can see, we made this soup in the fall around Halloween. From what we remember, it was delicious!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive or sunflower oil

1 tbs butter

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 1/2 cups chopped parsnips

8 oz pumpkin

about 3 3/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

lemon juice, to taste

 

For the garnish:

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 garlic clove, minced

3 tbs chopped fresh parsley and cilantro, mixed

a good pinch of paprika

Directions:

- Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Add the onion and fry for about 3 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and parsnips and stir well. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes longer.

- Cut the pumpkin into chunks, discarding the skin and pith. Stir into the pan, cover, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add the stock and seasoning and slowly bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

- Leave the soup to cool slightly. Pour into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding a little extra water if the soup seems too thick. Pour back into the rinsed pan and reheat slowly.

- To make the garnish, heat the oil in a small pan. Add the garlic and herbs and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the paprika and stir well.

- Adjust the seasoning of the soup and stir in lemon juice to taste. Pour into bowls and spoon a little of the prepared garnish on top, which should then be lightly swirled into the soup.

Banana Oat Muffins

Super easy muffin recipe. I usually only heat the oven to 350 degrees F, and bake them for about 18 minutes. For me, this recipe makes about 18 muffins, and I fill the muffin cups about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I do not use paper bake cups, I just spray the muffin pan with cooking oil and they come out just fine. They are best the second, third, etc. day as they moisten up after a day sitting out.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mashed bananas

Directions:
- Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.
- Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

Belgian-Style Waffles

These waffles are perfectly light and fluffy! We usually eat ours with light syrup, sunny-side up eggs, and sometimes sausage links or patties, or bacon. We also cut the recipe in half, so we have two 4 inch waffles each.

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2007

Serves: 8 to 10 (4-inch) waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a second bowl, use a whisk to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar has dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg-milk mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not overmix.

In a third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Don't overmix! Coat the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray, if required, and pour enough batter in the iron to just cover waffle grid.

Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. In checking for doneness, open the waffle iron carefully and watch out for steam. Do not open the waffle iron, though, for at least 1 minute. Repeat cooking with remaining batter. When each waffle is done, remove using either tongs or a fork.