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.  

La Ensenada, Tela, Honduras

What is a “Banana Republic?” It is a derogatory term that describes

a politically unstable country dependent on the exportation of a major product such as bananas. In most cases the company doing the exporting plays a critical role in the politics of the country – for example the United Fruit Company in Honduras exporting bananas. Bananas only became popular in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century. In return for land, United Fruit (today Chiquita Brands) developed the infrastructure such as roads and ports that made exporting their bananas and other fruits easier and less expensive. 

Tela, Honduras, about an hour’s drive east of San Pedro Sula was once the home of United Fruit and its subsidiaries. What was once the residential compound for staff is now Telamar Resort with traditional wooden buildings. We have stayed there but as a special treat for successfully driving and taking care of business in Honduras we booked three nights at La Ensenada an all-inclusive nearby. 

Most of the all-inclusive resorts in Honduras are on Roatan Island

but the ones on the mainland of Honduras are less expensive. The north shore of Honduras is basically two-hundred miles of beaches just waiting to be developed.  We have stayed a La Ensenada before and loved it. The free-form pool is large and perfect for whatever one wants to do.  The beach is nice with shade trees and sport activities. On Friday and Saturday they have stage shows. Our accommodation was first rate and looked like it had just been redecorated. We had an upstairs room with a long, wide porch. 

All meals are buffet, normally. But on Sunday there were so few guests that meals were ala carte. Everyone at the resort and in all of Honduras is very helpful and accommodating.  I asked the chef to show me how to make a traditional recipe and he said, “No problem.”  The area has acres of pineapple plants mainly for the Dole Food Company and the beaches are lined with coconut trees so Chef Luis Felipe said Coconut Pineapple Seafood would be a good choice as it is representative of the area. He set everything up on a deck by the beach. I didn’t want him to go to all that trouble but it was appreciated. I think any variety of seafood could be used. 

Coconut Pineapple Seafood (Mariscada Teleña)

2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ red onion, minced
½ green pepper, diced
2 sprigs fresh thyme 
2 oz shrimp
2 oz squid 
2 oz mussels on half shell
2 oz fish, tilipia

2 oz conch
Salt and pepper as desired
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup fish broth
2 oz (more if desired) pineapple cut in 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp cornstarch as needed
2 sprigs fresh cilantro for garnish
fried plantain  

Preheat the pan, add olive oil, when warm fry the garlic, onions and

peppers.Once it is fragrant add the thyme and shrimp, stir it for a couple of minutes until shrimp is pink. Add the squid and mussels; stir it for another couple of minutes. Add the fish; cook another couple minutes. Add conch last so it will be soft; cook for another couple minutes. Add salt and pepper, coconut milk and fish broth, cook it for several minutes. Add pineapple and cornstarch to thicken it. Plate, garnish with fresh cilantro.
Serve with fry plantains chips.

Making Rahkine Chicken Curry

When the leaves start to turn red and yellow my mind begins to

think of winter getaways and it always conjures up beautiful Ngapali Beach in Myanmar – my happy place.  When we first stayed at Ngapali’s Amazing Resorts in 2008 there were virtually no tourists and Amazing Hotel Ngapali was the only hotel on this stretch of beach. The hotel, while beautiful and modern, had only a few tourists. Things have changed.  Now there are a couple more hotels on the sweeping two-

mile beach but they are at the rocky end. Amazing Hotel is now fully booked most of the time, the airport has expanded but the beach is still virtually empty and the people are still friendly. Hope things don’t change too much.  I think the government would like to see Ngapali turn into another Phuket.  They have been expanding the runway; I think, with the

intention to make the runway big enough for charter planes to land.  Ten years ago arriving flights (there were only a couple) were announced by a bull horn and people could walk out on the tarmac to meet their friends. No more but the ground crew still lines up to wave goodbye as a plane departs. On the plus side, the internet is available and many places now accept credit cards – we no longer have to take pristine USDs to pay for things. 

The beach has none of the annoying things we have encountered at other beaches: no sand flies, no annoying vendors, and the beach is still virtually devoid of tourists.  John and I enjoy our morning walk to the north end of the beach to the rock topped with a small temple.  Late in the afternoon we walk the other way to where there is a mermaid atop a rock.  The sand is soft and the water is warm.  During the day we relax on the beach, read, refresh with a dip in the small infinity pool or ride the gentle waves on an inner tube.

At the end of the day we watch the sun set and wait to see the lights of the fishing boats that line the horizon like a string of Christmas lights.  Then it is time for dinner. The food is great often with a grilled catch-of-the-day fish dinner. On our last visit I asked the chef, Ms. Myint Oo, to show me how to make traditional Rakhine Hot and Spicy Chicken Curry.  Rakhine, a state in Myanmar, located on the country’s western coast, and is known for its spicy hot cuisine. This recipe is versatile. It can be made with fish and the spice can be adjusted to please the palate of everyone; plus, it is quick and easy to prepare.

Traditional Rakhine Hot and Spicy Chicken Curry

1 each: red and green chili diced (as desired)
2 tsp. chicken powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. turmeric powder
2 Tbsp. shrimp paste
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
2 chicken breasts
2 tsp. tamarind juice
1.5 cups water
5 pieces hot basil leaves
1 tsp. diced coriander leaf garnish

In a mortar grind chili, chicken powder, salt, turmeric powder, and shrimp paste. Heat oil in skillet. Add chili mixture, stir until it turns yellow. Sprinkle mixture on chicken and rub it in. Cut chicken into one-inch pieces. Add chicken, tamarind juice, water, and basil leaves to skillet. Cook over medium heat until chicken is done.  Garnished with coriander and serve with rice. 

Seven Seas Soup ala San Felipe, Mexico

Several members of our family decided to spend Christmas in San Felipe, where our oldest son has a vacation house. San Felipe is a small, sleepy fishing village on the east coast of the Baja Peninsula, 125 miles south of Calexico. The area had changed from the one and only other time

my husband, John, and I had visited, 20 years earlier. At that time, we stayed at the only motel in the area. (Interestingly, there was a sign in our room that said, “Do not build a fire on the floor.” I guess someone must have tried that or there would have been no need for the sign.) It was obvious that in the intervening 20 years, there had been the beginning of a building boom, but all that changed when the housing bubble burst, as evidenced by the unfinished buildings. Vacation homes in San Felipe are now reasonably priced. 

As for things to do in the area, besides enjoying fishing and water

activities, travelers can visit the Valley of the Giants, where there is a forest of cardón (Pachycereus pringlei), the tallest cacti in the world, found only in the Baja California and Sonoran deserts. The slow-growing plants can reach a height of 60 feet or more and weigh up to 25 tons. When the tide was out in front of our son's vacation home where we were staying, family members went out on the sand to gather clams for dinner. The clams, while small, made an excellent meal.

At one point, we went into the village to a restaurant for dinner, where we had what my son said was his favorite meal while in San Felipe. The dish (about $6) was the Seven Seas Soup served at Chuy’s, a small, restaurant owned by Jesus Lozana and Maria Luisa Guzman. One of their three sons, Gabriel Lozano, is the chef, another one waits on tables, and the other is the bookkeeper.  We were welcomed in the kitchen to watch the soup being prepared. Maria Luisa Guzman also explained how to make the fish balls that go into the soup.

Fish balls 

2 cups boneless white fish, cooked and flaked
2 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tbsp water
1 tsp diced cilantro
1 beaten egg
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Form into 1-inch balls. Set aside.

Seven Seas Soup

1 tbsp butter or cooking oil
½ cup tomato, diced
½ cup onion, diced
½ cup celery, diced
½ green pepper, diced
½ cup carrot, sliced
8 cups fish or chicken broth
1 Tsp garlic
1 Tsp cilantro (save a little for garnish)
Chili pepper, minced, to taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp salt
1 cup baby octopus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup squid, sliced
2 lbs white fish, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 clams
2 medium crabs, cut in half 
6 fish balls 
4 or 5 large shrimp

In a deep pan, heat butter or oil and sauté tomato, onion, celery, pepper and carrots for about one minute. Add broth, garlic, cilantro, chili pepper, lemon juice, oyster sauce and salt. Bring to a boil, then add all seafood except shrimp and cook for about 10 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp is pink. To serve, remove seafood with a slotted spoon and place in bowls. Pour broth with veggies over it. Garnish with reserved cilantro and serve.

Maltese Style Rabbit & Mushroom Pie (Torta Tal-fenek)

Malta is a group of islands in the Mediterranean between Sicily and North Africa. Its location means that it has been influenced by a variety of cultures including the Roman, Moors, French, and British. John and I stayed at the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa located in the capital city of Valetta. The hotel was once a 19th century country villa and many of the features were incorporated into the hotel. It is located near the Presidential Palace and the botanical gardens in a quiet gentrified area of the capital. One of the best ways to experience the culture of an area is to eat like the locals. The cuisine of the island reflects the tastes of many groups.  Rabbit Pie is considered one of Malta’s national dishes.

Rabbits were most likely brought to the island by the Romans or Phoenicians from the Iberian Peninsula. 
One of the items on the hotel menu was Maltese-style Rabbit and Mushroom Pie which, Stefan Hogan, the Executive Head Chef, agree to let me watch him make. Rabbit can be purchase at the meat market in Scriba.  I think any meat could be used if rabbit wasn’t available. 

Maltese Style Rabbit & Mushroom Pie (Torta Tal-fenek)

3 lb rabbit ready to cook 
2 celery sticks, cut into cubes
2 carrots, cut into cubes
1 leek, sliced
8 shallots 
Bay leaf
Sprig of rosemary
6 garlic cloves
1/3 cups olive oil
1 cup red wine
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup peas
Pie crusts  
Egg wash for brushing & glazing (one egg blended with 1 to 3 tsp milk and a dash of salt.)

Put oil in pan. Add rabbit pieces. Fry until golden brown, transfer to an oven dish.  In a separate pan put some oil; sauté half the celery, half the carrots and the leek with two garlic cloves until lightly brown, Add to the oven dish with the rabbit. In the oven dish add the bay leaf and the rosemary. Deglaze the rabbit pan with the red wine, add to the oven dish. Cover with the chicken stock. Cover with aluminum foil and place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the rabbit pieces from the stock and pick the meat off the bone – try and leave the meat in large chunks. Strain the liquid and reduce by half.

In a clean pan heat, add some oil, and lightly brown the remaining garlic, celery, shallots and carrots, drain off excess oil, and add to the rabbit meat. Saute the mushrooms with a drop of oil until golden brown and add to the rabbit mixture, add the peas. Allow to cool completely. Lightly brush a circular baking dish with oil and dust with flour, line the baking dish with the the rolled-out pastry leaving half an inch of the pastry hanging over the sides, fill with the rabbit mixture, fold the overhanging dough over mixture then cover with the remaining dough. Seal edges of dough. Brush liberally with the egg wash, prick the pastry with a fork, and bake in an oven at 400 degrees for the first 15 minutes then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook for approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool before taking it out of the pan; let it rest 15 minutes before cutting.

Making Jinha Masala

I love it when hotels offer free activities for their guests –especially if there is a cooking demonstration. I may never make the recipe at home but I get to try something new and typical of the area John and I are visiting. The Malaysian Island of Penang has some of the best Indian food. Why?  More than ten percent of the island is of Indian ancestry. One of the popular Indian dishes is Jingha (Hindi word for shrimp) Masala (from the Hindi word for spice). The island’s heterogeneous population is highly diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and religion making it a fascinating destination. It was first settled by the English but today the island is about 40% Malay, 40% Chinese and 10% Indian with a variety of other groups making up the rest. 

 The Malaysian island of Penang is on several lists of great places people should visit during their lifetime; and, it is second on CNN’s list of “The 17 Best Places to Visit in 2017.”  It is easy to see why. The island has a myriad of different things to do from exploring the UNESCO Heritage City of Georgetown to a walking tour through the new Entopia Butterfly Farm to parasailing over the Straits of Mallaca.  

 Penang is a honeymoon destination for Saudi couples and a winter

getaway for Europeans.  There are Europeans in itsy-bitsy bikinis and Arab women in swimsuits that covered them completely except for face, hands and feet; some are very colorful. There are women in abayas, some with face veils, mixed with guests clad in a variety of other outfits including saris and hijabs. Usually it is only the women who are so attired but there is an occasional male in a dishsdasha.

With such a diverse clientele chefs need to prepare food to suit all their guests.  All the food is halal. The breakfast is impressive: eggs, pancakes, grilled tomatoes, cheese, soups, salads, fruits, bread pudding, curries, rice, and even a fava bean dish called foul which was very good. And, so is Jingha Masala. However, it can be very hot which we are not used to.  A while back we had a guide in Penang who took us to lunch at a typical hawker stall place (think food mall) and he had his food so hot he was sweating. When I asked why he eats such hot food he said “I sweat and it evaporates making me feel cooler.” Hummm, not sure it is worth it!

Jingha Masala

1 tbs cooking oil

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp chopped onion

15 curry leaves

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp garlic paste

½ cup tomato puree or finely chopped fresh tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1 tbs red chili powder

2 tsp turmeric powder

25 pcs prawn or shrimp (cleaned and washed)

1 tsp green pepper chopped

2 tbs cream (light)

1 tsp kastoori mathi powder (fenugreek)

Fresh coriander leaves chopped for garnish

Heat oil in wok or frying pan. Add garlic, onions, and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds. Add ginger and garlic paste. Sauté for one minute. Add tomato puree, salt, red chili powder and turmeric. Cook for five minutes stirring frequently. Add prawns and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add green pepper. Cook for one minute. Add cream and kastoori mathi. Stir and remove from heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.  Serve with naan bread.

Learning how to make Ozoni

We found that taking the train to New York and then a cab to the

JFK airport is a way to save on airfare.  Our round trip ticket to SE Asia was $586. The same trip departing from Syracuse costs between $1000 and $1500 per person. The train and cab for the two of us costs about $350.  Besides the impressive savings we flew ANA (All Nippon Airways) which has more amenities than United – new planes with all the bells and whistles and great service.  

We spent the night at the Crowne Plaza Narita Airport in Japan.  It was New Year’s Eve and I noticed on the flyer in our room that the hotel was offering several New Year’s events, one of which was an “osechi” breakfast.


According to Japanese tradition

nothing should be cooked on New Year’s Day. Osechi is a variety of colorful dishes in a special bento-like box called “jubako” that is part of a traditional New Year’s morning meal along with ozoni.  The jubako (a box with single serving compartments) includes a variety of artistically prepared pieces of fish and vegetables. Ozoni is a soup containing rice cake and vegetables – a traditional New Year’s dish that is said to

provide strength and prosperity in the coming year. All cultures have various symbols and activities that are to bring good luck. In Japan, on the first day of the New Year a dream that includes Mt Fuji, a hawk, an eggplant, or all three means that one will have a prosperous and happy New Year. 

On New Year’s Eve morning, the Japanese Chef Shimada Ikuhou said he would be making ozoni and invited us to watch him make it.  He said that in order to make ozoni it was necessary to first make dashi, a Japanese soup stock used in many recipes.

Ozoni

Dashi: Japanese soup stock
5 ½ quarts water
1 piece Konbu (dried seasoned kelp)
2 oz dried bonito shavings

Ingredients
1 pp prawn or large shrimp
1 tbs soy sauce (or to taste)
1 tbs Mirin (or to taste – mirin is a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cooking) 
½ oz pp chicken
2 pp snow peas (cooked)
1 pp Kamaboko (pink and white) slice in 1/8 in strip of each color and tie in a knot 
1 pp (per person) Mochi (rice cake) baked
1 pp carrot (rosette cut)
2 thin slices yuzu (citrus rind)

To make Dashi, place water in a stock pot, add konbu, bring to a boil, boil for five minutes. Remove konbu and discard. Add bonito bring it to boil. Boil for five minutes. Drain, return to pot and allow to simmer. It is dashi. Put prawns in dashi broth cook three to five minutes until pink. Remove. In a new pot add one cup of dashi for each serving. Add soy sauce and simmer for five minutes (season to taste). Add mirin, bring to boil. Add chicken, snow peas, kamaboko, and carrots cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender. 

To prepare mochi: Preheat oven. Bake at minutes at 345 degrees for five minutes. Put mochi under the broiler for 30 seconds. Mochi should be soft with light brown top. 

Presentation: Put one mochi in each serving bowl, arrange prawn, carrot, snow peas, chicken, and kamaboko artfully around mochi. Cover with Dashi. Garnish with citrus.