Hungarian Goulash

The sour cream gives this sauce a wonderful color. And the paprika seems to give it a gorgeous warm glow. Just delicious!

1 1/2 lbs stewing beef, cubed

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp (heaping) Hungarian paprika 

14 oz can tomatoes, crushed

1 green pepper 

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. 

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, and brown the cubes of beef in batches and then set aside. 

Turn the heat to medium, and cook the onions for about five minutes. Then add the garlic and the beef cubes. Add the flour and the paprika and stir well. 

Pour in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. 

Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for about 2 hours. 

After 2 hours, add the green pepper, cover and cook for another 30 minutes 

Just before plating stir in the sour cream. 

Serve with rice or egg noodles. 

Polish Beetroot Soup

For the stock:
1 TBsp olive oil
 6 oz cubed belly pork or pancetta
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
a handful of parsley stalks
seasoning

For the soup:
1½ lb beetroot, whole but with stalks removed
1 Tsp flour, mixed to a paste with 1 oz (25 g) butter
 3/4 cup sour cream
 2 Tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
Brown the pork, carrot and onion in the olive oil for a about 5 minutes.

Then add 2 pints water, the bay leaf and parsley stalks, and season with salt and pepper. When the stock begins to bubble, turn the heat down very low and simmer without a lid for 40 minutes. Then strain the stock through a sieve into a bowl, discarding the meat, herbs and vegetables. Pour the stock back into the saucepan.

Place the beetroot in a casserole dish and drizzle with olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until it’s cooked. Allow the beetroot to cool, then peel off the skin, and cut into small chunks. Add the chunks to the stock and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.  

Spoon the beetroot into a blender or a food processor. Replace the lid, and begin to blitz. Add the flour and butter paste and the soup stock, followed by 1/2 cup of sour cream. You may need to blend the soup in batchers so as not to have a major beetroot mishap! After the mixture has been totally blended pour the soup back into the saucepan. Add the lemon juice, and check the seasoning. Reheat very gently, without letting it come to the boil so that the sour cream doesn’t curdle.
Serve the soup with a little swirl of sour cream!

This soup is absolutely gorgegous and it’s unique flavor puts beetroot back on the map!

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos rancheros is a super tasty breakfast for a leisurely weekend morning! I absolutely love these flavors, and it reminds me of when I used to live in southern California. This recipe is adapted from a Jamie Deen recipe.

Ingredients

15 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium sized chorizo,  skin removed, chopped into small chunks

vegetable oil

corn tortillas (4-6 as need)

16 oz can refried beans

4 large eggs

guacamole (Trader Joe's brand is very good)

3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack (or cheddar), for serving

sour cream, for serving

Directions

In a food processor, combine the tomatoes with their juice, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeno, and salt.

Blitz until smooth, and then pour into a small sauce pan and simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm over a low heat.

In a large frying pan cook the chorizo for about 5 minutes until browned. Then add the chorizo to the sauce and cover again.

Give the frying pan a quick wipe, and add a little vegetable oil if necessary, and cook the tortillas one by one for about 30 seconds on each side until lightly golden, adding a little vegetable oil if needed. Be careful not to overcook.

Heat or microwave the refried beans, and spread a spoonful or two onto the tortillas. Cover with foil and set aside or put on a cookie sheet in an oven on a very low heat.

In the same frying pan cook the eggs for about a minute or so until the bottoms are set. Then cover and cook for another minute or so until cooked.

Put one egg on top of each tortilla and ladle the warm tomato sauce over the top. Serve with the guacamole, cheese and additional cilantro. Top with a dollop of sour cream!

Delicious!

Smoked Trout Salad

Adapted from a recipe by Joan Nathan and Mark Siegel

This is a fabulous interpretation of the classic whitefish salad which I can’t find anywhere near me in western Massachusetts!

1 lb smoked trout
4 stalks of celery, strings removed, finely chopped
1/4 cup sour cream (approximately)
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons of softened cream cheese
red onion rings

capers

1. Carefully peel away and discard the skin of the trout. Remove any small bones, and carefully break apart the fish with a fork and place it in a mixing bowl. 
2. Finely dice the celery and combine with the fish, along with 1/4 cup of the sour cream, mayonnaise, and cream cheese. Add more sour cream or mayonnaise as needed to give it a spreadable texture. 
3. Perfect on toasted bagels, topped with some red onion rings and capers.