Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Savor New Flavors Before Summer Arrives… Try a Hungarian Dish or Two!

Paprika
In researching for this blog, I’ve been finding it difficult to locate many websites with recipes for authentic Hungarian dishes. For example, the side dish I’m preparing for this weekend’s Dinner Club, Sonkás Kocka, when “Googled” only brings up websites actually written in Hungarian. The recipe I am using is one directly from a cookbook our friends purchased while on their trip to Hungary – glad they did or we’d be finding it much more difficult to prepare a meal this Saturday! I’ll reprint this recipe for you next week.

Other parts of our menu were located on the internet, and I’ve shown recipe links for you below, but I’ve also included some delicious-looking recipes we’re not preparing (they simply sounded worth trying) if you’re inspired to give some Hungarian cooking a go before summer arrives! Here in Nebraska, we’ve enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures all through our winter and spring, but we’ve gotten a chilly blast again the last few days that actually jives perfectly with our Dinner Club theme for the month. 
Caraway Seed
Most of the Hungarian recipes I’ve come across say “warm and comforting” more than they scream “refreshing” or “outdoorsy”. So, before we move on with our final Dinner Club in May and then into a summer full of activities and grilling-out, let’s celebrate the food of Hungary with savory, rich, somewhat heavier fare! 

One of our adventurous and dedicated cooks is preparing, for the first time, his own homemade sausage. He’s a grilling connoisseur, like many of the men in our group, but he’s actually grinding and filling his own Hungarian-style sausage and smoking it for us! He’s a great cook and I can’t wait to see how it turns out! 

Squeeze in a few last warm and filling meals, like we are, before the fun of summer arrives. And, if you’ve never cooked with ingredients like paprika or caraway (one of my FAVORITE flavors) try out one or two of these recipes. You’ll be glad you did! 

Next week, I’ll let you know how our Hungarian night turns out and fill you in on “best dish”! Thanks for reading!


(On our menu) Cold Sour Cherry Soup:

(On our menu) Hungarian Style Squash with Dill:

(On our menu) Hungarian Chocolate Walnut Torte:

(On our menu) Homemade Hungarian Sausage:

(Sounds amazing) Hungarian Style Beef with Bell Peppers and Caraway:

(Sounds amazing) Chicken Paprikas with Noodles: