The Eighth Tribe, 1978 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1978-04-01 / 4. szám
Page 6 THE EIGHTH TRIBE April, 1978 pared with a version of bechamel, whereas others assume an Italian or Turkish character with a tomato sauce. Also typical of the many elaborate vegetable preparations, which are considered so important, is főzelék. This dish calls for braising vegetables in lard or simmering them and then mixing them with sweet or sour cream, a roux, and a bit of vinegar. In the country the fare is hardy, spicy, robust, and sometimes heavily laden with lard, onions, and paprika. Each region has its specialties, for most provincial cookery was developed in country inns and at the markets. There are always small weekly markets, and in the spring and fall a grand market is held at nearly every county seat. For centuries farmers, craftsmen, and horse and cattle breeders have displayed, traded, and sold their wares and animals at these markets. Hundreds of merchants set up stalls filled with pottery, tooled copper and pewter, embroideries, homespun fabrics, baskets, and tools. In the food stalls are strings of dried peppers, mushrooms, onions, and garlic, as well as luscious fruits piled in huge baskets. And amid all the market activities are the laci-konyhak (portable kitchens) in the form of awnings or open tents spread over rough-hewn tables. Here lamb, veal, pork, and beef stews bubble in enormous cauldrons, while smaller vessels exude the tantalizing aromas of halászlé and paprikás. Grills are laden with zesty sausages, thick slabs of bacon, pork chops, and rabló-hús (skewered meat); there are pottery bowls brimming with vegetables; and lángos (fried squares of yeast dough) are piled on wooden platters with rounds of home-baked breads. All the merchants and buyers have their favorite laci-konyhak where they eat and drink leisurely to the accompaniment of the ever-present Gypsy music. In Budapest chefs produce more sophisticated specialties, excelling in the preparation of subtle sauces and exquisite pastries. Dobos torta, Rigó Jancsi, crépes stuffed with nuts, strawberries, cheese, or apricots, chestnut purées with whipped cream, nut tortes, pastry balls filled with cream, square pies containing nuts or apples, an assortment of chocolate confections, and, of course, rétes, the incomparable strudels, are but a few among a fabulous array of Hungarian sweets. In many restaurants a special comer of the kitchen is set aside for girls or women whose sole occupation is to produce rétes, and almost every woman has her own jealously guarded recipes for these tempting delicacies. Girls learn early how to pull the dough into paperthin transparent sheets and how to fill and bake it to crisp perfection. The rétes are filled with nuts, poppy seeds, apples, cherries, raspberries, cottage cheese, sautéed cabbage, or ground meat. One of the most delectable kinds is the vargabélés, or cobbler’s cake, which consists of layers of strudel pastry filled with cottage cheese, sour cream, and noodles. Hungarian cuisine reached its zenith between the world wars, when famous restaurateur Károly Gundel and chefs such as János Rákóczy and Joseph Venesz reigned supreme. The country was liberally dotted with fine eating places where chefs vied for attention and top honors. Today, dining in a Hungarian csárda (country inn) or restaurant is not only a gustatory experience, but a total involvement of all the senses. The food may be regional or classical, but it is always served with great pomp, and garnishes are considered as important as flavor. Wines must be from the same regions as the meats, and there must be music. While diners savor their first morsels the strains of the Gypsy violins are slow, melancholy, and plaintive, but as dinners progress and the flaming specialties are brought out and wine flows more freely the tempo of the music increases. And by the time desserts are served the musicians have broken into their gayest and most uplifting tunes, creating an appropriate finale to a fine gastronomic adventure. The following recipes are for those dishes one might typically find in a Hungarian csárda. Pork Chops with Sausage Sprinkle six %-inch-thick center-cut pork chops with salt and dredge them in V2 cup flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika. In a large skillet brown the chops in 3 tablespoons lard, add 14 cup water, and cook the chops, covered, over moderate heat, turning them occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until they are almost tender. In a large saucepan sauté 2 large green peppers, cut into HA-inch pieces, and 1 large onion, sliced, in 14 cup lard over moderate heat until they are softened, add 1 pound smoked Hungarian sausage (available at Hungarian food shops) or kielbasa, sliced into 14-inch rounds, 2 large tomatoes, chopped, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes. Pour the mixture over the pork chops and simmer the dish, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the pork is tender. Serve the dish with tarhonya. Serves 6. Tarhonya (Hungarian Egg Pasta) Into a bowl sift together 3 cups unbleached flour and 1 teaspoon salt, add 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk, and blend the mixture, adding more egg yolk if necessary, until it forms a stiff dough. Turn the dough out on a floured surface, knead it for 3 minutes, and let it rest, covered with a bowl, for 10 minutes. Grate the dough using the widest openings on a grater, spread it on a baking sheet, and let it dry, stirring occasionally, for 24 hours. In a skillet sauté the pasta in 14 cup lard or butter with 114 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika over moderately high heat, stirring, until it is golden. Let the pasta cool and store it in an airtight container. In a kettle drop the pasta into 3 quarts boiling salted water and let the water return to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook the pasta for 10 minutes, or until it is tender. Drain the pasta and in a serving dish toss it with softened butter. Serves 6. Halászlé (Hungarian Fish Soup) In a kettle sauté 3 stalks of celery, 1 large green pepper, and 1 red onion, all diced, 2 carrots, coarsely grated, and 14 small green hot pepper, minced, in 14 cup bacon fat until the vegetables are soft and stir in 2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika and 14 teaspoon salt. Arrange 2 pounds boned pike and 114 pounds each of boned carp and boned striped bass, all cut into 214 -inch pieces, over the mixture and sprinkle the fish with salt. Add 10 cups water, 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, 2 bay leaves, 14 teaspoon marjoram, and salt to taste and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer the mixture, shaking the kettle occasionally but not stirring, for 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer the fish with a slotted spoon to a heated tureen and strain the liquid over it, reserving 14 cup. In a bowl whisk 1 cup sour cream into the reserved liquid, transfer the mixture to a sauceboat, and serve it with the soup. Serves 8.
