Gulyasleves (Hungarian Goulash)

Gulyasleves

(Hungarian Goulash)

makes 6 servings

(Hungary)

Just as there are  as many recipes for "Italian Gravy", tomato sauce to you non-Italians, so are there as many recipes for Goulash as there are Austro-Hungarian families.  This is a recipe I derived from combining the "best" of several "genuine" family Goulash recipes.  The secret to this or any other Goulash (or any stew recipe for that matter) is to cook the stew slow and low for a very long time  until the beef is "fall apart" tender.

Ingredients

2 pound  beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon. salt

2 large yellow onions, chopped

2 tablespoons lard or shortening

3 tablespoons imported sweet paprika (use real Hungarian paprika for the best flavour)

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 quart of  beef broth

4 peeled and diced potatoes

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

dumpling batter:

1 egg

6 tablespoon  flour

1/8 teaspoon of Kosher or sea salt 

Preparation

1.  In a large, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat sauté the chopped onions in the shortening until they browned.  Add the cubed beef sprinkling it  with 1/2  teaspoon of salt and continue cooking the beef until it  browns and is nicely caramelized.  Sprinkle the caramelized beef with the paprika and flour, stir.

2.  Stir in the 2 cans of tomatoes and their juices, the tomato paste,  the bay leaves, the black  pepper, and the red wine vinegar.  Reduce the heat to produce a slow simmer. Let beef simmer, uncovered  for 1 hour.

3.  Add the beef broth, the diced potatoes and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done and meat is tender. Prepare egg dumpling batter as follows:

4.  Mix together the  flour,  the  egg (unbeaten), and salt.  Let the batter stand for 1/2 hour

5.  Drop the batter, by the teaspoonful, into Goulash. After the  dumplings rise to surface, cover the pot and simmer 5 minutes until the dumplings are fully cooked.  Serve hot accompanied by sour cream to add in dollops to the goulash.

Thai Peanut Chicken Breasts

Thai Peanut Chicken Breasts 

(Thailand)

serves 4

This spicy Thai chicken dish can be made with either boneless, skinless chicken breasts (my personal favourite) or with bone in, skin on chicken pieces.  You may want to consider increasing the sauce ingredients to insure plenty of sauce to serve as an accompaniment and if you like your Thai food really spicy, add the cayenne pepper.

Ingredients

4   skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8-ounces  of  cream  of coconut mixed with 8-ounces water

1/4  cup  creamy peanut butter

1/3  cup  chicken broth

2  tablespoons  soy sauce

2  tablespoons  rice vinegar

1  tablespoon  packed brown sugar

1  tablespoon  toasted sesame oil

1 or 2  teaspoons of Sambal Oelek (fresh  chili paste), depending  on  personal preference

1  teaspoon  fresh ginger, micro-planed

1  clove  garlic, micro-planed

1/8  to 1/4 teaspoon  cayenne pepper, optional if you like it really spicy

1/2  cup  all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  ground black pepper

2  tablespoons  vegetable oil

2  tablespoons  snipped fresh cilantro

2  cups  hot cooked rice

2 tablespoons of corn starch slurry (1 tablespoon corn starch thoroughly mixed with 1 tablespoon of COLD water)

Preparation

1.  Preheat your oven to 300° F.

2.  Combine flour, salt, and black pepper in a 1 gallon re-sealable plastic bag, add the chicken breasts, one at a time, to flour mixture, shaking to coat and remove to a plate.

3.  In a large skillet, cook chicken, half at a time, in hot oil until brown, turning occasionally. Transfer chicken to an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

4.  Whisk together the thinned coconut cream and peanut butter  in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until smooth, add the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, chili  paste, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper and stir to combine.  To complete the sauce, raise the temperature under the sauce pan to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat to low simmer and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.  Pour peanut butter sauce over the breasts, cover loosely with foil and bake the breasts for 1 hour, basting occasionally with the sauce during the hour.  Uncover and continue baking, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes more or until the chicken is very tender.

6. Transfer chicken to a serving platter for a family style service or to individual service plates over a bed of rice for individual service.

7.  Prepare the sauce for service by transferring it to a medium sauce pan and bring  to a boil over high heat; when the gravy comes to a boil add the slurry while constantly stirring until the gravy forms  a thickened sauce.  Transfer the sauce to a gravy boat, spoon some of the sauce over the chicken breasts and sprinkle each breast with some of the cilantro. Serve accompanied by the  remaining sauce, hot cooked, white rice and additional chopped cilantro.

Hot Brown Sandwich

Hot Brown Sandwich

Serves 4

(America)

The hot brown sandwich was created at the Brown Hotel of Louisville, Kentucky in 1926, basically it’s an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich covered in Mornay sauce which is broiled until the sauce begins to brown.   Alternatives to the classic includes using a combination of both shaved ham and shaved turkey, substituting sliced tomato for the pimentos, and using cheddar (sometimes called a Devonshire) or American cheese for the sauce.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, room temperature and beaten

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup prepared whipped cream

8 slices toasted white bread, crust trimmed off

1 pound cooked turkey breast, thinly sliced
8 slices of shaved brown sugar bake ham

Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained

8 bacon slices, fried crisp

Preparation

1.  Create a roux by melting  butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and gradually adding  the flour, stirring constantly, until smooth and free from lumps.

2.  Using the roux as a base create a white sauce base by gradually stirring  in milk until  the mixture comes to a gentle boil; remove the saucepan from the heat and add  the Parmesan cheese  stirring constantly until the cheese is melted and well blended.

3.  In a small bowl, beat the egg.  Temper the egg by gradually adding 1 cup of  the hot white sauce/parmesan mixture, 1/3 cup at a time, to the egg, stirring constantly.  Continue  the Mornay sauce by  gradually adding  the egg mixture to remaining sauce, stirring constantly until well blended; add salt and pepper to taste. Finally fold in the whipped cream to complete the sauce .

4.  Construct the Brown Sandwiches by placing two slices of toasted bread  next to each other on  metal or ovenproof  dishes to be used for service and placing  2 slices of  ham and a liberal amount of turkey on each of the toasted slices then continue by pouring a generous amount of the Mornay sauce over the turkey and finally sprinkling additional Parmesan cheese over that. 

5.  Complete the sandwiches by placing the entire dish(es) under the  broiler  of your oven until the sauce is speckled brown and bubbly. Remove from broiler, sprinkle with diced pimientos, cross two pieces of cooked  bacon over the top, and serve immediately. 

Saltimboca Alla Romana

Saltimboca Alla Romana

 (Veal cutlets with sage, Roman style)

Makes 4 servings

(Italy)

In the Italian language Saltimboca literally means  to "jump in  the mouth", this is the classic Roman version consisting of prosciutto ham  and fresh sage  leaves sandwiched between two very thinly sliced and pounded veal scaloppini sauteed in butter  and served  in a rich Marsala sauce.

Ingredients

1 1/3 pounds veal scaloppini (thinly sliced veal)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ pound thinly sliced prosciutto ham

8 fresh sage leaves

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups of chicken stock reduced to 1 cup

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup dry Marsala or white wine

juice of ½ lemon

Flour for dredging

Preparation

1.  Pound the veal scaloppini slightly between sheets of plastic  wrap or in a 1 gallon resealable plastic  bag to a uniform thickness of 1/8-inch, season with salt and pepper.  

2.  Layout half of the veal scallopinis on a clean,  flat work surface and layer each of the scallopini with 1 thin slice of prosciutto, folding the prosciutto to fit on the scallopini, then place 1 or 2 whole sage leaves on top of the prosciutto and  finish by placing another scallopini on top of the sage leaf(s), use toothpicks, if necessary,  as skewers to hold the veal packages together.

3.  Set up a dredging station by placing about 1 cup of flour on  a  flat dish and, one by one, dredge each veal package in the flour and shake off excess placing the dredged packages on another plate. 

4.  Heat a large, heavy skill over medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the veal packages (a couple at a time) 2 to 3 minutes on one side and 1 to 2 minutes on the second side.   As each group of sautéed veal is completed, transfer to a warm platter or individual serving dishes (you may keep the cooked scallopini warm in a warm oven until all serving have been cooked) and repeat the sauté until all the veal stacks have been cooked.

5.  When the last of the veal has been sautéed and is being kept warm, reduce the heat to medium low.  Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and continue cooking the stock until reduced by half.  Add the wine, the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl until combined to form a sauce.  Bring sauce to a boil and cook until slightly thickened (if the sauce fails to thicken, compound a corn starch slurry consisting of 2 tablespoons of COLD water and 2 tablespoons of corn starch and add it to the sauce while stirring to thicken it).

6.  Remove the platter (or the individual serving plates) from the oven and pour the sauce over the scallopini and serve immediately sided by Spaghetti con Burro e Formaggio.

Vitello alla Parmigiano.

Vitello alla Parmigiano

(Veal Parmesan)

serves 4

(Italy)

Veal cutlet parmesan is an Italian restaurant staple, my version spices it up a little by adding the heat of red pepper flakes to traditional marinara sauce.  Notice this version is not layered as most homemade versions but is made restaurant style (single scallopini topped with sauce, parmesan, and Provolone rather than mozzarella).

Ingredients

8  2-ounce veal cutlets, scaloppini-ed (pounded to  1⁄8" thickness)

1⁄2 cup flour

4 eggs, beaten

1 1⁄2 cups Italian dried bread crumbs

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups spicy marinara sauce (yours or commercial marinara sauce simmered for 20 minutes with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon each dry basil and dry oregano, and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes)

8 slices provolone cheese (about 6 ounce)

3⁄4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper,  to taste

Preparation

1.  Pre-heat the broiler of an  oven to broil placing the oven rack 10" from the heating element. 

2.  Season the pounded veal cutlets lightly with salt and pepper.

3.  Build a breading station by placing flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes and working with one scaloppini at a time, dredge it in the flour, the eggs, and the bread crumbs and transfer the  breaded scallopini to a dish.

4.  In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Fry the breaded scallopini,  2 at a time,  turning once with tongs, until golden brown, about 3 minutes; wiping out the frying  pan and adding fresh oil  between.  Either transfer scallopini to large baking platter or to individual, oven proof plates. 

5.  Once all the scaloppini have been fried and plated, top each scallopini with 1⁄3 cup of the marinara sauce, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of Parmesan, and one or more  slices of cheese.  

6.  Place the plated and topped scallopini under the broiler until  the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes.  Dress each plate with some of the parsley and serve immediately.

Marine Corps Style Corned Beef Hash

Marine Corps Style Corned Beef Hash

serves 4

(America)

As a young Marine I started almost every morning with one of the two Marine  Corps breakfast standbys corned beef hash or S.O.S. and eggs, and grits.  I came across this recipe a few years back and it reproduces the taste of good old Corps hash pretty well.  I've found  the best way to produce the look and taste of a Marine  breakfast is to divide the hash into serving sizes, vacuum seal the servings and freeze the portions.  When ready to eat the hash, thaw it out and fry it in 2 tablespoons of bacon  grease until the meat is slightly crispy, the potatoes are browned a little, and the whole thing is swimming in reddish tinged grease . . . hoo-rah now that's breakfast!  

Ingredients

2 cups shredded, cooked corned beef

2 cups peeled and cubed potatoes (small cubes)

2 cups ketchup or so (Just so everything is nice and goopy.)

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or so to taste

1 chopped onion

2 tablespoons of butter

1 small clove garlic, micro-planed

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1.  Place the cubed potatoes in a large pot, fill the pot with water and add 1/4 cup salt.  Boil the potatoes over high heat until they are just tender, drain and set aside. 

2.  Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat sauté the chopped onions and chopped garlic until they are translucent; DO NOT allow the garlic to brown.

3.  Pre-heat the oven to 325° F.

4.  In a large casserole dish combine the shredded corned beef, the cubed potatoes, the catsup, Tabasco, chopped onions and garlic; mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed and adjust seasoning.  

5.  Place hash mixture in oven  and bake for  30-45 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Serve accompanied by fried eggs and toast for breakfast or with fried cabbage or coleslaw for dinner.

Roasted Red Pepper and Pork Scallopini Rolls

Roasted Red Pepper and Pork Scallopini Rolls

serves 2

(America)

Ingredients

6 - 1/4" thick thin sliced boneless pork chops

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 to 1/2  cup grated Asiago Cheese

12 large fresh basil leaves

6 large pieces of roasted red peppers (see recipe)

Course Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 toothpicks

Preparation

1.  Trim fat from the edges of each chop.  One at a time place each chop flat into a heavy,  1 gallon re-sealable plastic bag and pound with a food mallet into  a 1/8-inch thick scallopini.

2.  One at a time, lay each scallopini (longest side away from you) on a clean flat work surface, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and layer with, first, one of the roasted pepper slices (placed lengthwise away from you) then 2 basil  leaves and finally sprinkle with a generous amount of Asiago cheese over the roasted pepper.  Pat the Asiago cheese gently to flatten  it out.

3.  Beginning at the end closest to you carefully roll the layered scallopini, jelly roll style, away from you securing the seam formed with a toothpick.  Continue until all the scallopini, basil leaves, roasted peppers, and Asiago cheese are used up.

4.  In a sauté pan over medium heat heat the oil and butter to the point at which the butter foam subsides.  Add the scallopini rolls (without crowding) and sauté until the rolls are nicely browned.  Serve immediately garnished with chopped Italian parsley and accompanied by sliced potatoes or creamy risotta.