What is a quick, easy, and authentic Hungarian dish?

Question

I have to make a Hungarian dish that I can dish small portions out to 90 other people for my class. I just need something simple, inexpensive and easy!!!

Answer 1

One of the easiest Hungarian dishes to make is called Turos Csusza, or translated noodles with cottage cheese, and not a lot of ingredients.

Cook elbow macaroni and drain and keep in strainer. Take bacon and cut it up, very small, put it in the pan and cook. Leave the bacon and the grease ( I know not heart healthy, but great flavor, can also use cubed ham) and return the noodles to the pan. Stir them up and then add a carton of cottage cheese and a half a carton of sour cream. I usually use a box of Ronzoni, one slice of the Farmer John Cooked ham and the cottage cheese and sour cream. I'm Hungarian and my kids love it and always have. They tell their friends its macaroni and cheese Hungarian style. All their friends like it too. .

I've added a site that gives a recipe that also includes making the pasta....but Ronzoni works just fine, and the recipe also only includes sour cream...but in Hungary I have only had this recipe with the combo of cottage cheese and sour cream. Enjoy. Hope this helps. It is under the Turos Csusza link under side dishes.

Answer 2

All good answers, especially the one about just covering anything in paprika- it's so true!

Honestly, there is nothing easy in Hungarian cuisine. All Hungarian women would just smirk at the thought of any dish they make being easy!!!!! So get that out of your head immediately. The good news is that what you make is going to be an absolute HIT. It will be work, about 4-6 hours worth especially since it's your first time doing it but you will experience the satisfaction a Hungarian woman does when she completes the preparation of one of her traditionally known meals :)

Traditionally, your 3 most common dishes are the chicken paprikas, goulash soup and stuffed cabbage. The chicken paprikas has to go with noodles and a vinegary cucumber salad. You are making and transporting at least 3 dishes there. The soup would be hard to transport but it can be done. And if you're not concerned about transporting liquid or having the means to keep it warm, by all means, go with the goulash. For 90 people, I would choose either the soup or the stuffed cabbage.

If it can be a dessert, you may also consider the palacsinta which is the Hungarian crepe.

I think you'd be better off finding a well written recipe rather than try to follow my typed out instructions. So just take my advice: go with the stuffed cabbage or palacsinta. Any dish is going to take you a good 5 hours from preparation to cooking and dishing for transport.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at [e-mail]

I already had typed up the palacsinta and then started to type up the stuffed cabbage recipe but I know it's already written up nicely for you. If you decide which one you want to do, I'd be happy to find you a well written recipe and pass it onto you :)

So: do stuffed cabbage or palacsinta!!!!

p.s. does the food have to be served warm? are you doing micro portions or a full fledged meal for 90 people????

Answer 3

This is completely quick and simple: Pasta Salad Just buy a box (or two) of Suddenly Salad from the store. Cook according to directions. Add steamed veggies (I use broc, carrots, and corn) and chopped pepperoni. Use a nice olive oil instead of the vegetable oil on the recipe, and it will come out tasting great!!

Answer 4

Hungarian Goulash:



1 strip bacon
2 onions, medium dice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 garlic clove
Pinch caraway seeds
2 tablespoons good quality sweet paprika (see cook's note)
2 cups warm water
2 cubes beef bouillon
2 whole canned tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper
4 or 5 potatoes
2 tablespoons sour cream, plus more for plating
1 pound prepared spaetzle, as an accompaniment
Cucumber salad, as an accompaniment, recipe follows

Cook's Note: using good quality paprika is important. After about a year, paprika spice tends to lose its intensity. Use the best quality possible!
In a cold, heavy 6 to 8-quart stewing pot, fry bacon over low-medium heat until fat is rendered, and then discard bacon slice.
Saute onions in the bacon fat for a few minutes, do not allow the onions to brown. If bacon does not provide enough fat, add a little olive oil to prevent the onions from sticking. When onions become glossy, add the beef, sauteing with the onions for about 10 minutes, covered, until the meat is browned.
Meanwhile, chop and crush the garlic with the caraway seeds; add to meat and onions. Remove pot from heat. Stir in paprika rapidly with a wooden spoon. Immediately after paprika is absorbed, add the warm water. The water should just cover the meat, leaving room for potatoes.
Add beef bouillon cubes. Cover pot and cook over low heat for about 1 hour.
While stew is braising, prepare the tomatoes by cutting into 1-inch pieces. Core green peppers and cut into strips. After 1 hour of braising, add the tomatoes and green pepper. Add a little more water, if necessary and a little more salt if you need it. Simmer slowly for another 30 minutes.
Peel potatoes and cut into bite-sized cubes and set aside in a bowl of water. Add potatoes, and cook another 30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender and the goulash is done.
Once goulash is finished, dissolve sour cream and a little of the goulash sauce in a cup. Add to goulash, it should give a creamy consistency. Serve goulash with spaetzle on the side, adding an extra dollop of sour cream to each plate.

Cucumber Salad:
2 cucumbers
Seasoned salt
1/2 onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
Pinch dill, dried or fresh (optional)
Dollop sour cream (optional)

Peel and slice cucumbers very thinly. The side of a metal grater with the wide slots works best here, or you can use a mandoline. Place cucumbers in a flat dish and sprinkle throughout with salt, making sure that all the slices are salted. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. The salt will draw the moisture out of the cucumbers. Cut the onion into paper-thin slices and place in a container. Once the cucumbers have released water, use your hands to squeeze out the excess water and add to the onions. The cucumbers are supposed to be limp, but still crisp.
In a measuring cup mix vinegar, water, sugar and paprika to create a vinaigrette. Pour over the cucumbers and onions and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 1/2 hours.
Cook's secret: make the cucumbers before the goulash and it will be perfectly marinated by the time you are done making the stew!
Serve with a sprinkle of dill and a little dollop of sour cream if desired.

To make spaetzels: (BTW these are like a dumpling, but smaller in size. A spaetzle maker is easier to get them done in a hurry, but if ya don't have one you can just use a small spoon and pinch off in SMALL sections to the boiling water)
1 egg well beaten
1 and 1/2 TBL butter
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
dash nutmeg
To egg add melted butter & water. Sift flour, salt and nutmeg & combine with egg mixture. Beat thoroughly. If necessary add more flour little at a time to make batter stiff enough to drop from a spoon.
Drop into boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and use in whatever.
These should be about the size of noodles(not as long tho). About 1 inch or so in length.
.

Answer 5

chicken paprika (csirke paprikas) with nokedli (noodle). it's simple and eay to make esp for the nokedli.

there is another one that you can serve, make scramble eggs mixed with nokedli and shredded cabbage. sprinkle with paprika and salt just before serving.

Answer 6

haluski (cabbage and noodles)

Cut the cabbage into small pieces and sautee in butter until soft.
Boil wide egg noodles according to instructions.

Toss together and serve.

Answer 7

Goulash. Ground meat with egg noodles. can serve with ketchup. That what I had growing up.

Answer 8

Boil anything, then cover it in paprika