A Magyar menu Recipes from NOT LONG ago I went to Budapest to taste the food of the Old World. The city is beautiful, the Hun- garians charming and the food just outstanding. Avoid the gov- ernment-run restaurants if you go and you will have a great time. You will note the constant use of paprika inthe following recipes. Please do net buy cheap paprika in those little jars. It will have no flavor whatsoever. Buy good paprika from Szedg- ed, Hungary. This is the region that tamed the red pepper to the sweet and lovely thing we know as paprika. Many of these recipes are for dishes 1 tasted in Budapest. The sauerkraut cooked in paprika gravy will probably just do you in. If not, the pan-fried pork steak will finish the job. “*Kosonom’"! - PAPRIKA GRAVY (Makes about 7 cups) - Begin your Hungarian cooking with this basic gravy. It celebrates paprika in a wonderful way. 1. tablespoca oil or freshly rendered lard i” tablespoons Hungarian paprika or more to taste . i clove garlic, peeled and chopped 1 cup seeded and chopped Anaheim green peppers (found ia most supermarkets) or chopped but not seeded Cubanelle peppers ound in supermarkets or in Car- jdbean markets) : 1 emp peeled and chopped yellow onion ¥2 cup chopped ripe tomatoes 1 teaspoon chicken base or chicken bouillon 6 cups of beef stock, fresh or canned Sait and freshly ground black Pepper to taste 1 cup sour cream % cup all-purpose flour Heat in a heavy 5-quart stove- top casserole and add the oil (or lard) and paprika. Cook over me- dium heat for a moment, then add the garlic, green pepper, onion and tomatozs. Siramer for a few minutes until all is tender. Add the chicken base and beef stock along with the salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 39 minutes. In a metal bow! mix the sour cream and flour together. Mix it well with a wire whip because you do not want lumps. Add a cup of the gravy from the pot and quick- the Old World THE FRUGAL GOURMET ly stir it into the cream and flour with the whisk. Remove the gravy from the heat and stir in the cream mixture, whipping it well. Return to the heat and simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Strain the gravy and discard the solids or lumps if you have any. SAUERKRAUT COOKED iN PAPRIKA GRAVY Drain sauerkraut, fresh or packed in glass, and cook in a bit of paprika gravy (recipe abave) for about 45 minutes in a covered pot. HUNGARIAN STUFFED RED BELL PEPPERS (Serves 6) Everyone in Eastern Europe seems to have a favorite form of this dish. I enjoy it very much, though as a child I thought my mother was trying to kill me with it. Qurs were green peppers, of course. She couldn’t afford red peppers. Don’t overcock the peppers; that’s the secret. 6 medium red bell peppers 2 tablespoons cil or rendered lard 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed 2 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped Ya cup chopped parsicy M% cup long-grain rice 1% cups chicken stock, fresh o1 canned 1 pound finely ground pork, veal or chicken (a combination is goed) 1% tablespoons paprika Legg Salt and freshly ground black pepper to tasie freshly Hungarian Lightening potato inquisitive Cock ANNE SUE GARDINER WILSON POTATO LATKES are small pancakes of grated potato, fried until crisp. According to Jewish tradition, they are a symbolic food enjoyed during the celebration of Hanuk- kah, or the Festival of Light. Dishes fried in oil recal) the an- cient’ miracle of a single day’s supply ef oil for the temple, lasting eight full days. But today, many of those wha celebrate with laikes are seeking ways to make them lighter. Even traditions bend to suit changing times, And sacrificing calories can be done without reducing flavor, Eges are used in latkes to bind the ingredients together. Using e:- ly egg whites, instead of che whole eggs, serves the same purpose, without adding cholesteral. tn your recipe add one extra white EVERVONE Ii Eastern Europe to make and fairly inexpensive. 2 cups paprika gravy (recipe above) Cut off the very top part of the peppers. Chop the pepper tops finely, omitting the stems, and save for the filling. Seed and core the peppers; set aside. Heat a large covered frying pan and add the oil or lard. latkes in for every two yolks omitted. A teaspoon (5 mL) of baking powder added to the potato mix- ture means the latkes spend less time exposed to hot cocking oil before they rise. They life slightly because of the feavening action of baking powder. Waiting for moisture to become steani means longer cooking and therefore, ab- sorbing move fat. Soaking the potatoes removes some of the surface starch so the potatoes will absorb less oil as they fry. One or two tablespoons (15-25 mL) of a polyunsaturated oil such as cauola, safflower or corn aif goes a long way if latkes are fried in a pan with a non-stick surface, Make sure any excess moisture is pressed from the grated potatoes with @ lea towel or paper towels before frying. Extra Saute the garlic, onion and teserved chopped pepper tops un- til tender. Add the parsley and rice and saute for a few minutes. Add % cup of the chicken stock and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. In a large bow! combine the ground meat, paprika, egg, color an moisture lowers the cooking temperature of hot oil. Latkes ab- sorb more fat if they cook at temperatures that are too low. Once golden brown and crispy on both sides, let latkes drain on paper towels briefly before serv- ing. The process of soaking potatoes, either before or after grating, bas other interesting pur- poses too, Potatoes have both enzymes and phenolic compounds which are held in separate cells. Peeling, and most certainly grating, a raw potato throws the enzymes and phenols together so the potatoes discolor, first to pink, then brown and finally to muddy grey. White it’s a harmless reaction, most rec- ipes take precautions to prevent it from happening. Often recipes call for soaking Wednesday, December 4, 1991 - North Shore News ~ 54 MSIE RSE x7 NEWS phote Paul McGrath seers to have enjoy stuffed cabbage rolls. No wonder; they're easy salt and pepper with the rice mix- ture. Mix very. well. Fill the peppers just to the top, but don’t pack too firmly beacuse the rice will expand during cook- ing. Place the filled peppers in a Dutch oven and add the remaining See Wide page 83 calories the potatoes in ice water before grating. Cold temperatures affect the potato enzymes. They act sluggishly at temperatures below 40°F (4°C) so chilled raw potatoes discolor more slowly. Soaking keeps air from reaching the cut potato tissues. Discolora- tion stows without a handy supply of oxygen. Lemon juice added to the soaking water alse retards browning reactions. Its citric acid affects potato enzymes to prevent the color from changing as quick- y. Try serving potatoes latkes with yogust. Hts tang complements ap- plesauce just as well, without the richness of traditional sour cream. Latkes that are fighter still brighten the bleakness of. winter's shortened days, as food and the celebration of iight come together. Ais ‘ eee te a nana