Making paprikash with dumplings

I think we all have a grandmother who made cooked some incredible recipes.  Now is a good time to try some of those old family favorites and/or learn how to make a new dish. My Hungarian grandmother made the best pie crusts.  The secret – lard, preferable home cured.  Many Hungarian recipes call for lard and, it turns out, there is a reason for that. The reason that there is extensive use of pork and lard originates from Turkish times. During the centuries of the Ottoman occupation (1541 to 1699) they took all the domestic animals except the pigs.  Their Islamic religion forbade the eating of pork. For the best flavor lard is still suggested. 

 

Needless to say lard is high in cholesterol so using plant based oils is recommended. 

One of my favorite recipes my grandmother made was Chicken Paprikash. When I was in Budapest, Hungary, I booked a cooking class with Chefparade. With Chef Geri Hajas instructing one other participant I learned how to make three recipes including Chicken Paprikash which is one of Hungary’s signature recipes. I was surprised – it tasted just like my grandmothers. 

Many Hungarian recipes call for paprika. Hungarians are the number one producers and consumers of paprika per capita. Hungarian paprika is made from peppers that are toasted and blended to create different varieties ranging from mild to fiery hot. 

Chicken Paprikash

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 large onion, diced

2 tbsp sweet paprika

2 whole chicken legs

1 tomato, diced

1 Hungarian sweet pepper, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup sour cream

¼ (one fourth) cup flour

Water as needed

Put oil in a pot. Add onions. Cook over moderate heat until onions are glossy. Remove from heat then stir in paprika. Add a little water and mix. Add pepper, tomato, salt and pepper. Add chicken to the pot and return to stove. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to moderate.  Check occasionally to make sure there is enough water to cover the chicken. Turn chicken legs over after 30 minutes. Cook for an hour or so until chicken is cooked. In a bowl whisk sour cream and flour until smooth. Slowly add a teaspoon of liquid to the mixture, stir. Repeat two more times. It will prevent curdling. Add mixture to chicken. Stir. Cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with dumplings or noodles. 

Dumplings

2 cups flour

water

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

2/3 (two-thirds) cup water

1 tbsp sunflower oil

Fill a large pot 2/3 (two-thirds) full. Bring to a boil. Add some salt. In a bowl mix flour, salt, and eggs. Add water until the mixture is a sticky, semi-liquid dough. Is should not be too runny.  Place the dumpling maker over the boiling water,. Place dough in the dumpling maker box. Slide across the boiling water. Repeat until all the dough is gone. Remove with a slotted spoon when all the dumplings come to the top of the boiling water. Drain. Put in a bowl. Add sunflower oil. Toss to coat dumplings so they don’t stick together.  Serve with chicken paprika.

Tip: It you don’t have a dumpling maker a simple solution is to use a cheese grater. Place over boiling water. Put some dough on the cheese grater. Press through the holes with a spatula.  

Visit Budapest

Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is bisected by the River Danube. The views from the Danube are stunning, day and night. One of my credit cards is with the InterContinental group of hotels (think Holiday Inn) so I used some points to stay at the InterContinental where I had an incredible view of the Castle Hill and the Chain Bridge. One of the first things I did was to take a

hop-on bus tour.  I had the Buda Card which allowed me to travel free on all public transportation and discounts for tours.  One of the things I like about the tours is the back stories.  Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest area.  It was the first bridge to connect the two side of the city. Before that they had to use ferries.  It seems

that Count Istvan Szechenyi was on one side of the river when his father died, it was winter and the ferry could not make the crossing so he missed his father’s funeral.  So he had the Chain Bridge constructed which was regarded as one the modern world’s engineering wonders. 

The last time I was in Budapest was in the mid-80s when it was behind the “Iron Curtain.”  Traveling at that time was very safe as long as one didn’t protest: it was inexpensive, and very interesting.  Today the city is bustling with tourists.  

One of the things I recall from my first visit was the story of the Holy Crown of Hungary, aka the

Crown of St. Stephen, circa 1526.  The crown had a varied history; it had been stolen, hidden, lost, recovered and travel abroad.  In 1848 the crown was buried in a wooden box in the forest in Transylvania, now Romania. When I was there what I saw was a replica because it was, at that time, in Fort Knox, which I found a bit strange.  At the end of the Second World War the crown made its way to the United States for safe keeping from the Russians. It was kept in Fort Knox until1978 when by order of President Carter it was returned to Budapest. Today the crown is on display in the Parliament building.  

The best way to see the Parliament is from a river cruise.  Again the Buda Pass came in handy. When I bought the discounted hop-on bus tour I bought the package that included the river cruise.  Not to miss in front of the Parliament are the shoes on the bank of Danube to honor the Jews who were killed by fascist militiamen in Budapest during World War II.


There is a lot to see, do, and learn. A funicular runs up Castle Hill to Buda’s Old Town, where the Budapest History Museum traces city life from Roman times onward. Trinity Square is home to 13th-century Matthias Church and the turrets of the Fishermen’s Bastion, which offer sweeping views of the area.

Hero’s Square is one of the major squares in Budapest, Hungary, noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders, as well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes, often erroneously referred as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Seven chieftains of the Magyars were the leaders of the seven tribes of the Hungarians at the time of their arrival and settlement in the area in AD 895. The country has a fascinating history that includes being part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At one time both Budapest and Vienna served capitals.