William Penn Life, 2003 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003-08-01 / 8. szám
The Hungarian Kitchen with Főszakács Béla Spaetzle, Nokedli and Dumplings FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBAN. I hope you enjoyed last month's recipes and ate plenty of palacsintás. I had fun making a few batches and Chef Vilmos had fun eating them. Remember: practice makes perfect in the kitchen so when you find those recipes and techniques that work for you, keep using them for outstanding results. You'll also know you're getting better when more of your friends, family and neighbors stop by to see what you have to eat! Feel flattered and have fun because that's what it's all about-learning, perfecting and sharing. Last month I had the pleasure of playing in the WPA golf tournament where I met more readers of the Hungarian Kitchen who shared their cooking stories and a few recipes with me. They liked the palacsinta recipes and could hardly wait to see what was next from the HK. So this month let's talk about three more Hungarian favorites-Spaetzle, Nokedli and Dumplings—which you can make and enjoy with your favorite entrees or ala carte. Spaetzle is a dish made up of tiny noodles or dumplings made with flour, eggs, water or milk, salt and sometimes other spices like nutmeg. Spaetzle translated means "a little sparrow." There are many little sparrows in a flock and many little noodles that make up this dish, so maybe the translation makes sense. It is also part of the noodle family because, in addition to containing flour and water like other spaghetti, macaroni and pasta products, Spaetzle contains eggs. The eggs in Spaetzle provide protein, body, flavor, iron and a few vitamins. In Germany this dish is usually served instead of rice or potatoes. To get the small shapes you make the dough and then grate it using the large holes of a box grater found in most kitchens,or you can buy a Spaetzle maker. Spaetzle is usually boiled in water or some flavored liquid before being tossed with butter, fresh herbs or spice. It makes a wonderful addition to broths or consommés. Nokedli is the Hungarian version of Spaetzle. The recipe is basically the same but the size of the Nokedli are bigger. My grandma used a small wooden spoon to drop the Nokedli into boiling water and that is the size I use when I make them. This dish is rarely served alone and is part of the famous Hungarian Csirke Paprikas. In all the times I've enjoyed this dish, whether cooking it at home or dining out in a Hungarian restaurant, it's always served with Nokedli. The only time I remember no Nokedli was at the University of New Hampshire many years ago because no one knew how to make the Nokedli the Magyar way! Lucky thing I worked there! Dumplings are the largest of the three. They are medium to large amounts of dough usually dropped into a liquid mixture such as a hearty soup or stew and cooked until done. Most of the time they are not filled, however I will note that Chinese Dumplings (or Pot stickers) are the one exception. Dumplings, because of their size, are heavier and don't float, so you wouldn't use them in place of noodles in soup. The exception to that rule would be Jewish matzo balls found in chicken soup. Remembering the name of the game is flavor wherever you can get it, here are a few ways to add zip to your recipes. If the recipe calls for salt, why not try a flavored salt or mix the salt with another flavored spice and or herb. Always see if you can add something to the side dish that will link to anything else on the plate. Try different types of flour like whole wheat or rye. Lastly, see where you can substitute ingredients to alter the flavor to what you want it to be. You're only limited by your imagination! (Jó átwty'lfQÁ JoszaÁÁ&s 3<íÁa 16 Hilliam Penn Life, August 2003
