When in Romai part......

I was born in England and brought up in Canada by Hungarian parents. I spoke a bit of kitchen Hungarian but in school I was only allowed to speak English so that is the language I feel most comfortable with .
I was raised in a Hungarian home with salami, peppers , lots of sour cream and only food that you would find in Hungary.  I was the one who had the weird sandwiches at the lunch table. No tuna salad for me nor white bread. My parents shopped at the market that catered to eastern Europeans so we always had rye bread and strange cold cuts.
I was 14 when I went over to a friends house after school and was given a peanut butter and banana sandwich!
I remember looking at this cut up white bread with no crusts and wondering how I can politely say I was not hungry. I had no idea what they were giving me . I had never heard of peanut butter in my life and then to put a banana in the bread. My friend Elizabeth made the sandwich  and I did not want to hurt her feelings so I took a very very small bite.  Then I took another larger bite , this was such a new taste for me. I was sold. This was amazing , a sandwich that had no paprika spiced meat, or peppers and that still had an amazing taste. But this created a HUGE problem, I loved peanut butter but my parents did not know what I was talking about and had no idea where they could even buy this and they did not want to buy it as it was foreign to them. It was only when I moved out and had my own place that I had always a jar of peanut butter in my kitchen .

My husband has another story of peanut butter. When he came from Budapest to live in Canada he went shopping to get some good dark European mustard. He went to the large North American  supermarkets to look for it and bought a jar of what looked like dark mustard. Once home he opened it and ....it was peanut butter, he has hated peanut butter ever since.

Now I have found my beloved peanut butter here in 2 stores and my husband can get all the dark mustard he wants and be confident it is mustard!

It was a beautiful day and so a girlfriend and I decided to go to the Romai part or Roman bank.  It is like a boardwalk without the boardwalk. It is an area in district 3 Budapest by Obuda that is easy to get to and yet is a different world than the rest of Budapest. Romai part lies of course along the Danube river , it is a calm relaxing place during the weekdays but becomes a lively place on the weekends. You can rent a canoe or kayak, you can just stroll , you can sit in one of the many outdoor restaurants and bars and watch the people go by , the one thing you can do is swim in the Danube . In the 1800-1900's the Danube was swimable and so this was a great getaway from the heat for the people living in Budapest.  If you could not afford to go to the Balaton then you went to Romai part.

I love this area as I love anything that has to do with water. We started walking the slightly dusty path along the river, it was a weekday so the place was almost empty.  The stretch is divided onto ,one part having the restaurants and the other part just the path , both equally enjoyable.

There are bright colorful places offering the latest cocktails .

and then there are the more dignified places , with landscaped areas  and set back from the river. During the weekend all the places are packed and many have  bands with loud music competing with each other .

As we were strolling along the cooking shacks had started deep frying their menus. I think that is the biggest problem for me , most of what is served here is deep fried. The heck fish is what just about everyone orders.  They take this fish whole and score it , cover with flour , sprinkle paprika on it and deep fry it . We found a place that also served sausages and chicken , of course all of this was fatty but well when in Romai part .......

The thing is you do not come here for good food, you come here to get a way from the noise and movement of the city .

So this was what we decided on . They actually take each item and weigh it and then you pay for the weight.

The chicken was tender, the colesalw great without any majo, and the potatoes well you can never make a bad

potato, everything was fresh and hot. Many people from the neighboring businesses come here to eat .

 Along the river are the areas you can sit at with your food. We took our trays and sat down under a large tree by the river and watched the boats go by. Such peace.

Of course not all is peacefull here. This area gets flooded on a yearly basis and not just a few inches, many feet of water wash over this area. There is now talk of putting up walls to contain the flooding . What will this do to these wonderful little cooking shacks ?

We finished our meal and decided to take in a bit more of the danube before heading home. So we started walking the other way, away from the smell of the deep frying  . There in front of us was a very large ship anchored to the river edge. We decided to investigate as the gate was opened.

 To our surprise this was a floating 40 room hotel.

 This ship was reconstructed from a Russian paddle-wheeled steamboat built in the beginnings of the 1900's .
Inside everything looked new and very clean and like any large hotel in the city .

This is the view from the lower deck , a wonderful view looking north on the Danube with the hills in the background. The view shows a very peaceful river.

 This is what the boat looks like with the lights.






The great thing about the Romai part is that you can take a boat from the dock and get to the center of the city easily from May to Sept.and cost around 3 euros!

Well time to get back to reality . Some times you just need that escape and in Budapest I think I am lucky to have the Romai part to go to when things get hectic.

First you steal a Chicken...

 So what is my favorite Hungarian food?
It has to be  Chicken paprikas with nokedli ( little dumplings). This was something that I could always eat even under great stress.
When I was a teenager I went with my mother to visit relatives in Hungary.  The country was still heavily communist and as I came from Canada I was not used to seeing soldiers on the streets with guns and  rifles.  The whole trip stressed me out completely.
Our first stop was my maternal grandmother who lived in Szombathely. This city is not far from the Austrian border and so we flew to Vienna, took a train  to Szombathely and  took a cab to my grandmother's home.
The first thing she asked me was what I wanted to eat. Well with my kitchen Hungarian I told her Csirke paprikas with nokedli . This was my comfort food.
She put a large pot of water on the stove to boil and  said to follow her and she will show me how it it done in Hungary. OK with me....we went out to the backyard where there were some chickens. I thought she was going to show me their nests and maybe if they have eggs we can use them for the dumplings  (nokedli) .  She grabbed a chicken , wrung it's neck and cut off it's head, brought back into the kitchen and immersed it in the pot of hot water that was on the stove.  In a few minutes she pulled it out and started taking feathers off the chicken and in about 5 minutes she had a featherless chicken on the wooden block. She must have taken out the insides while I was still in shock as I don't remember when that was done.  She did all this in such a short time that I was speechless. That is  also how many older cookbooks say to make chicken paprikas in Hungary.
Of course there is the old joke of " How do you make a chicken paprikas?  First you steal a chicken ...."
I m not going to wring the neck of a chicken nor steal one , we will do it the modern way and go to the butcher.

Before we start perhaps we should find out a little about   the history of the Paprika that is so common in Hungarian cooking.  Well supposedly it was brought  by the Turks who got it from Asia in the 16 century . Who really knows?  As the Turks were in Hungary for 160 years this sounds as if it could be right.
There is a story that a few seeds were stolen from the pepper plant of a Turk by a peasant who then grew his own. It was initially used by the tribesmen and shepherds to spice their meals as they had the first contact with the Turks and followed their example. Soon it was grown for decoration in the peasant cottages until they also used it to spice their food. Then finally the aristocracy used it and by the 19 century it became the dominate spice in the Hungarian kitchen.
Albert Szent- Gyorgyi, who won the Noble Prize in 1937 for discovering Vitamin C, used the pepper plant to first extract Vit C while he was researching at the University lab in Szeged.
The pepper plants are dried and then  powdered and that powder is what is used in most of the Hungarian cooking.  There are many types depending on the pepper plant . The powder is even fed to Flamingos to keep their pink plumage bright and beautiful.
To release the full  flavor  and aroma of the paprika you must add it first to hot lard or oil . But must never be added while the pan is on the stove as it burns very quickly due to the sugar content and then becomes bitter.

Ok so enough of the lecture get on with the recipe.
This recipe is very, very old and is just the original simple chicken paprikas and nokedli. There are no tomatoes  or carrots in this. The meat is not a chicken breast for calorie reduced diets, the lard is lard, the bacon is smoked and from a pig not a turkey and the sour cream is 20% not 12% and not mixed with yogurt.
Years ago no one worried about their weight and so the recipes were made with what they had on hand  . 
With this recipe you can use  lamb, veal  or fish as a substitute for the chicken  or make it vegetarian and use mushrooms.

Chicken Paprikas   with nokedli  

Ingredients;
Cut up chicken dark meat 8 pieces ( 4 thighs, 4 legs)
2 yellow peppers cut up
3 Onions cut up
1 garlic clove
1 large tbs paprika powder
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbs flour 
3 slices of smoked bacon cut up
1 large tbs spoon lard

NOKEDLI ( dumplings)
2 cups flour 
2 eggs
salt
1/2-3/4 cup water

Into a sauteing  pan add the lard and the bacon and quickly fry to get the bacon to release the fat. Add in the  onions and garlic and braise until the onions are almost see thru. At this point add 1/4 cup water to the onions and boil them until the water is almost gone.  This is to get the onions to release all their flavor and to be softened.

Now  take this OFF the stove and add the paprika powder and stir quickly to get all the pieces coated.

Put this back on the stove , add the chicken pieces and the  cut up peppers. Stir,   lower the heat to simmer and put a lid on the pan. You can add a bit of water here, but just a little bit as the chicken gives out water as it cooks.

Ok so that is left to simmer for 11/2 to 2 hours. You can not hurry this as you need the chicken tender and filled with the paprika flavor . On occasion stir gently and making sure to  replace the lid. You will notice that the chicken gives off liquid so you do not have to add water. If you feel at the 1 hour mark that it seems dry then add 1/4 cup of water but I doubt you will need this if you cook this slowly.

While this is cooking you can make the Nokedli or dumplings. This is slightly  different from the csipetke dumplings we added to the bean soup. Place a large pot of water to boil on the stove.

Take 2 cups of flour and 2 eggs and a pinch of salt and combine. To this add bit by bit 3/4 cup of cold water. The water must be added slowly  until you make a loose dough. If the dough is too runny add some more flour again spoon by spoon.

Into the boiling water you will add the dumplings using a dumpling maker. I have 2 , one that is very old and was my mothers and the other one I bought . The old one is the best and makes perfect shaped dumplings every time. I have lost the scrapper for it so I use a spatula and it works fine.

 Now once the water is really boiling you will make the dumplings. You place some dough on the scrapper and with the spatula you push it thru the holes  into the boiling water. Let them fall and do not stir , they will rise on their own.



You will need to boil these for around 15 minutees to get them to be
ready for the frying pan.

Take them out spoon by spoon shaking off as much water as you can before placing them in the frying pan. let them fry a bit just to get the excess water off of them.

Now the nokedli is done so you just leave it on very low hest until you finish up the chicken.

The chicken is ready and this is how it will look. There is a lovely red color from the paprika. There is no need to add tomato to give it a color.
Now we will remove the chicken pieces carefully and make the 'Habaras'.  This is 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 tablespoon flour stirred together and added to the paprika sauce.

Boil this slowly for about 2 minutes, return the chicken and slightly reheat. There you are done !


Cucumber salad is eaten with this dish .
So you will need 1 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon vinegar, salt and paprika.

Thinly slice an English cucumber, once you have finished fill the bowl with water and 1 teaspoon salt and let sit for  for an hour. It would be good to start this before you start the main meal.





When the meal is ready  drain  the cucumber slices and rinse a few times. Add the water, sugar, viniger  to this, add salt if you need  and sprinkle with paprika.

So the meal is ready . It really was not that difficult but yes it is  high in calories. Substituting chicken breast for the meat, oil for the lard and bacon,and not using the sour cream will make this a very low calorie dinner. But that is not chicken paprikas .
Once in a while maybe you can make a meal like this and remember that this meal was passed down . When I make this meal I always remember my grandmother and isn't it nice to have a memory like this that can be neither lost nor forgotten.

Who wants Plum Dumplings?

NORMAFA

It is Friday today  and the weather is still warm  so a girlfriend and I went up to Normafa. One reason was that as it is on a very high point in Budapest it  should be cooler, the other just to get out into the fresh air and just clear our minds. Standing here at the edge of the hill and looking down and across you can fill your lungs with the amazing fresh air and your mind is just in awe at the beauty of the far off hills.

Normafa is about 15 minutes by bus from the center of Buda,  it is a wonderful nature reserve forest/park  that feels so far from the noise and constant movement of the city that sometimes it is impossible to believe how close you really are. . The slope is straight down but in the summer the trees all have their leaves and so you can not get the feel of the steepness. It is used in the winter for skiing! Not ' modern' skiing but skiing the old fashion way ....no chair lifts. 

There is a retes( strudel)  shack up here at the edge and in the winter you can get hot wine, hot chocolate and the best retes. There is also the Normafa grill which has a wonderful menu that apart from the great food shows the pictures of how Normafa was in the 30''s . Wonderful sepia toned photographs of a very different world . They even had car races up here and golfing! As we were looking at the photos you realize that Normafa today is not so very different from then . Families still come up here and picnic, hike, ski , just enjoy being together and doing something outside. I love coming up here it, stress just rolls away from you and you can breath.

Normafa actually  has an interesting history.
Apparently on the top here was a beech tree that was planted at the birth of the King Mattias. It was struck many times by lightening and so was called the storm-beech tree.  The area ,because the King enjoyed being up here ,was always very popular as a picnic place by the nobility , writers, poets and artists. In 1840 the famous opera Norma by composer Vincenzo Bellini ( 1801-1835) was preformed up here in the open by the Kings  beech tree. And from this time on the tree was called Normafa ( fa meaning tree in Hungarian) and so was the area.
 The original tree was struck by lightening many times and it died and in its place a plaque  was erected .

Another tree was also planted in it's place.

In the distance you can see the homes of Buda and the lesser hills and pieces of the beautiful Danube and beyond that Pest.

Sitting in the Normafa  grill looking at the drink menu ( of course , fresh air makes you thirsty!) we wondered if the Bellini cocktail was made after the famous  composer. We found out it originated in Harry's Bar in Venice in the 1930's and was named  the Bellini after the famous Italian Renaissance  artist  Giovanni Bellini who the bar owner much admired. We are both Docents of the Fine Art Museum of Budapest so we should have figured out that there was more than one famous Bellini from Italy!

Coming home after all that wonderful fresh air and total rejuvenation I decided as this was plum season I would make "szilvas gomboc'    Plum dumplings  tomorrow .  This is a treat that can be a main meal or a dessert or a snack . It is strange to me but many people have never heard of it. When they try it they love it . I have NEVER met a person who does not like plum dumplings and you can not just eat one.

Saturday morning.....
It is Saturday morning  and the most perfect time to make Szilvas Gomboc. You need to put aside a few hours but in the end it is so worth it .
As I  am getting  ready with the ingredients my husband is mentioning that he is very hungry and to please make a large batch. He again gives me the story  ( as if I forgot, this is a story that comes out every time I start to make the gomboc) that when he was young and a swimmer for the Hungarian National Team he ate 30 of these at one sitting.  They had contests to see who could eat the most. His story was a not so subtle   reminder to me that he can eat a lot and not to make just 8 pieces.

He loves Plum dumplings and I know he will be hanging around the kitchen until they are done and  I can fill a plate for him . My daughter also loves PLum dumplings and I know when she reads this she will wish she was here. This was one of the dishes that I was begged to make as soon as the first plum was ripe . There is something about a Plum dumpling that is so good and comforting . You can not just eat one , some people have been known to eat 30 at a sitting and not just my husband. The usual is 4 so do not think you have to go crazy making this with pounds of plums . But I would definitely make at least one dozen.
In Budapest it is hard to find this in a restaurant anymore due to the fact that it is a bit messy and it has more than 2 steps.
So what country started the dumpling? Dumplings of various types are found all over Europe. There is even mention that ancient Rome used dumplings in their soup.
"You could say a dumpling refers to a portion of dough or batter that is usually steamed or boiled.However it can also be fried or baked. It can be a batter or dough rolled out that is cooked by itself or filled with anything from meat to fruit. It can be a main dish, side dish or dessert. A dumpling can be steam, fried, baked and cooked".
This is from the History of Dumplings. Most countries  have their  favorite dumplings, Hungarians love their Szilvas gomboc.

But anyway here is my recipe , the original that I learned from my grandmother . I will give you 2 easier ,faster version at the end but believe me there is a huge difference in taste.

 Szilvas Gomboc             



INGREDIENTS:
3-4 potatoes( starchy NOT new)
2. cups  flour sifted
1 egg beaten
.7 ounce ( this is a bit more than 1/2 ounce) lard or butter  
12-13 plums( approx) , pit removed
1 ounce cinnamon and white sugar mixed half and half approx.
salt ( a pinch )
1 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup brown sugar  and  3 tbs cinnamon toasted
powdered sugar for sprinkling

The first step is to boil the potatoes with the skin on . Once boiled and while still hot remove the skin and mash completely, do not let them cool out.

Mix the potato mash  together with the flour then add the  beaten egg ,  the lard/butter and  a pinch of salt . If the mixture is still a bit wet add a bit more flour and knead until smooth about 10 minutes. This should become a really smooth dough.

 At this point we have 2 ways of adding the pitted plums.........frist you have to pit the plums and add the sugar mixture, this is replacing the pit with cinnamon and sugar . I prefer to use brown/golden sugar, some people like placing a sugar in the center.

This is now ready to add to the dough.

You can roll this dough out to 1/4 inch and cut squares , place a plum together with 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar mixture and close this tight by joining all the sides you make a little bundle.If the edges are not sealed then add a bit of water to "glue' them together.

 You cut off the extra pieces so that you can form a ball in the end.

The second way is to take some dough in your hand  , make a hole, place the plum and cinnamon sugar mixture in it and close. You still will have a bundle with a plum in the middle. You play a bit with the dough to make it even and then make it into a ball.

 

You should now have bundles of plum filled dough that you have placed on a floured surface so that it does not stick. 

Place a large pot of water on the stove and when the water has boiled you carefully add the dumplings around 4 at a time, the water should stay at a slow boil.

You will boil this for about 15 minutes. The dumplings should rise to the surface and you continue to cook for another 15 minutes . Keeping the water at a slow boil will protect the dumplings from bursting out.

 The dumplings will initially fall to the bottom and then will rise to the top at about 10-15 minutes. Boil them for another 15 minutes . The total boiling time will be 30 minutes. You can not boil these for 10 minutes and then take them out . You need to make sure the plums are soft and done and the sugar has melted.


When the dumplings are done place them into the frying  pan in which the  breadcrumbs, sugar, cinnamon mixture and butter have been toasted. You can toast this mixture while waiting for the water to boil and then remove from the heat.

Roll the bundles in this mixture until they are all covered. Sprinkle on some powdered sugar and serve.

 Be careful when you roll the dumplings as they will be soft , it is better just to spoon on the mixture.

As we are talking about this being a Hungarian favorite food remember to place a small dish of sour cream near by , some Hungarians  even put sour cream on this .


Now for the 2 easier methods.
1.You can buy the frozen plum dumplings, called Chinese frozen dumplings. You still have to boil them and coat them with bread crumbs and cinnamon. The inside of these frozen dumplings do not have the sugar or cinnamon and so you have to add more in your breadcrumb mixture. Continue with the same recipe .It is a fast solution but not the same.
2. You can also buy mash potato flakes , add a bit of hot water to that until it is a thick mashed potato, similar to if you boiled and mashed real potatoes and add this mixture to the flour etc. and continue on the recipe.

The Plum dumplings you make do not have to have plums in them , you can use peaches , apricots or cherries , fresh or canned. This  'treat ' can be made anytime but the best time is when the plums are fresh and autumn is in the air.  What ever is left can be refrigerated for midnight snacking or a great breakfast. You will never have to throw out a szilvas gomboc. The gomboc can be frozen  but I would recommend freezing without the breadcrumbs . If you freeze with the breadcrumbs use within 1-2 weeks as somehow the breadcrumbs do not last well after that period. You can freeze easily when they have been boiled and are 'naked'.

You can see why very few places serve this  , many steps and a bit messy . But you will have grateful family or guests when this is appears on the table.
While we sit outside on the terrace enjoying this, pitzi our cat with the sweet tooth, is roaming around looking for crumbs under the table and rubbing our ankles for pieces.

What better way to end a perfect day then by having Szilvas gomboc and a rum spritzer !