William Penn Life, 2008 (43. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2008-06-01 / 6. szám
TM FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA. Another month has gone by and I'm that much closer to enjoying all I planted in my garden. In New Hampshire the growing season is short because of the cold winters, heavy snow and cold soil. It takes at least until Memorial Day for the ground to get warm enough so you can put in seeds. Most people raise plants in their houses or sun rooms from seeds and then transplant them when the weather conditions permit. All the plants in my garden came from seeds that were started many weeks ago. You might pay a little more money for plants, but, in the long run, you gain valuable growing time. I always mention the weather in my column and that's because most conversations will always contain something about the weather. If we didn't have the weather to talk about, it would leave sports, food, family, work, golf and the William Penn Association. I always mention golf as well. It's obvious I need to put more things in my life other than food, gardening and golf. I did just that earlier this month when I joined National Directors Ron Balia and Bill Bero to prepare and serve dinner at the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh. The folks who stay at RMH have children who are receiving medical attention at hospitals in the Pittsburgh area. We with Főszakács Béla The Magic Ingredient rkA prepared for and served 30 house guests. The staff was invited to stay for dinner as well. The menu consisted of a fresh garden salad, Hungarian chicken breast, Yukon gold smashed potatoes, fresh green beans and, for dessert, buttery pound cake topped with fresh blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream. By enjoying a meal of comfort foods, a family has one less thing to worry about. The smiles and thanks were many when we left later that evening. It was great to perform this community service on behalf of the William Penn Association. The column this month is all about paprika. National Director Barbara House wrote to me and asked if I would write about paprika, the ingredient that makes Hungarian cooking what it is. But, once again before we start, here is your trivia question of the month: What is kadarka and how does it relate to Hungarian paprika? The answer is waiting for you at the end. And now here we go into the kitchen.... Paprika is a powder that comes from grinding up the pods of that particular pepper plant. What makes Hungarian paprika special is the fact that only bell peppers are used. The technical name is capsicum annum L. Paprika is not indigenous to Hungary. It was brought in by the Turks in the 1500's. The use of the paprika plant was not of a culinary nature but rather ornamental as the plants were used to decorate many gardens. The plant itself is green but the brilliant red pepper it produces would give any garden a boost of color. The Turks roamed all over Hungary and came across many herdsmen and shepherds who were the first to learn of the culinary values of paprika. They watched the Turks spice their meals with the red powder and did the same. To make the most out of simple meals, spice them up. Hungarian peasants learned to do just that, and the powder was introduced to the well-to-do when they noticed peasant food tasted not bland but flavorful. Most of the peasants worked or cooked for the rich, so from that point forward paprika was used by all the population of Hungary. That's a brief history of how paprika is associated with the Magyars. Now let's get into more facts about paprika. Hungary has a climate that is very conducive to growing the best paprika in the world. You can get it from Spain, South America and even California, but the best comes from the land of the Magyars. The peppers are harvested in the fall and tied together in strings and left to air dry outside protected from the rain. Traditionally, earthenware ovens were the last step Visit Chef Béla on the Internet at www.hungariankitchen.com 8 William Penn Life, June 2008
