William Penn Life, 2003 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003-07-01 / 7. szám
The Hungarian Kitchen with Főszakács Béla Perfect palacsintás FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR konyhában. I had the pleasure of attending the bowling tournament in Pittsburgh and Hungarian Festival in New Jersey where I met quite a few people who enjoy the Hungarian Kitchen. Many share a love of Hungarian food and look for ways to improve their cooking skills and the way they present Hungarian food. Keeping that in mind I learned some very important things from chatting with the readers. First, since my expertise falls with food and not with the Hungarian language, I have decided to keep everything in English until I attend the Hungarian Language Camp and better my Hungarian grammar. Secondly, everyone I spoke with wants more Hungarian recipes that are basic and simple to make. The readers have spoken, and I have listened. So, this month we will talk about a Hungarian staple anyone can make and everyone can enjoy. The French might have invented them, but the Hungarians perfected them. You know them, you love them. Palacsintás. A crepe by any other name is still a palacsinta. So, let me share with you a few tips I've learned. First is your need for a good basic recipe for the batter. Below and continued on the next page are four recipes that are very good. Try them all and decide which one you enjoy most. Next, and most important, is the filling you put in the palacsinta. You can use anything from homemade pot cheese to hummus with alfalfa sprouts. Yes, I know most people wouldn't even think of hummus, but the younger people who are vegetarians would, and believe it or not the trend is toward healthier eating. When choosing a filling for your palacsinta try and use something that is as close to naturally made as possible, like lekvár, apricot filling or pot cheese which you can get fresh from a Hungarian butcher or specialty shop. While I would use apricot pastry filling, I would not use apricot jelly or jam because they're too sweet. Try to avoid using any filling that would be runny or drippy making your palacsinta soggy. You also don't want to use anything too hard that would rip or poke through the palacsinta, like chopped vegetables or chunky fruits, meats or chicken. When filling your palacsinta, spread the filling evenly over the entire surface before rolling it up. Just remember when you pick up the palacsinta nothing should fall out and it shouldn't break in half. It should be soft yet a little crispy around the edge and the filling warm if using pot cheese and room temperature if using a fruit filling. Garnish your palacsintás with powdered sugar or fresh fruit on the plate. Whipped cream and sour cream may also be used and should be spooned on just before serving. Finally, a bit of advice about the batter. You can substitute ingredients to get extra flavor in your palacsinta. Add extra flavor to your food wherever and whenever you can. For instance, one recipe calls for carbonated water. Instead of regular carbonated water, try lemon flavored carbonated water. It enhances the flavor of my homemade pot cheese, which has some lemon zest in it already. In any case you're only limited by your imagination and creativity. So, get ready, get set and go into the kitchen and have fun making and enjoying palacsintás. Jó ÁUápfrf foszaUas Hungarian Crepe Suzettes/ Palacsinta (Recipe # /) 2 large eggs I tblsp. sugar I 'A cups milk 1 Vi cups flour 2 finger pinch of salt Beat eggs with sugar, add Vi cup milk, and add some of the flour with the salt and some of the milk. Repeat this process until the flour and milk are gradually blended into the mix. Beat for I minute until very smooth. Using crepe pan, which is very hot and lightly greased, spoon enough batter to cover bottom of pan. Cook for about 2 minutes then turn over and cook for another minute. Cool crepes to room temperature before filling. Makes about 16 crepes. Hungarian Crepe Suzettes/ Palacsinta. (Recipe #2) I large egg beaten I cup milk Vi tsp, vanilla extract I cup sifted flour 1 Vi tsp, sugar 2 finger pinch of salt Combine egg, milk and vanilla in one bowl and blend. In another bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and blend until batter is very smooth. Using a small skillet, which is very hot and greased with butter, pour in enough batter to cover bottom of pan. Cook for 2 minutes, then turn. Cool crepe before filling. Makes about 12 crepes. Continued on next page 6 Williu Pen Life, July 2003
