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There’s the Goulash, the
Paprikash, the strudel—traditionally cheesy, fatty, and even lardy dishes
that delight the palate but fail to keep the body healthy. Yet Hungarian
cooking no longer has to inflict damage. With some innovative alternatives,
more healthful ingredients, and lighter recipes, Magyar cuisine can be every
bit as healthy as it is tasty.
Traditional Hungarian
cooking relies on heavy spices, like an abundance of Paprika, onions, garlic
and pepper. The use of artery-blocking animal fats, especially pork based
lard, is very common. Sauces are often rich, made with an abundance of
butter, cream and sour cream. Rich pasta dishes are common, such as noodles
topped with a sweet cottage cheese concoction or with a potato paste made
with Paprika.
The result? A tasty and
rich, although often too heavy cuisine that’s intriguing and new to many
foreigners. Luckily, it’s perfectly easy to lighten up Magyar cooking. By
using healthier and more forgiving fats, going easy on spices, and replacing
whole dairy products with lighter ones, a hearty Hungarian meal is quickly
transformed into a healthy one. Try the following recipes for a healthful
Hungarian dinner:
Robust Goulash Soup
1 tablespoon vegetable
oil
1 cup minced onions
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Paprika
(sweet Hungarian brand, if possible)
1 or 2 large tomatoes,
diced
1 green bell pepper,
diced
4 cups chicken stock
½ cup medium salsa
2 pounds lean beef for
stew
1 pound peeled and cubed
potatoes
In a medium saucepan,
heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic and continue cooking on high heat
until onions become glassy and garlic has browned. Take pot off the stove
and add salt, pepper, Paprika, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Continue cooking
for about five minutes.
Add chicken stock and
salsa, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat and add the beef. Cover and
simmer on low heat for 2 to 3 hours, until beef becomes extremely tender.
Mix in potatoes and cook for another 25 to 35 minutes, until potatoes are
soft. If necessary, add more chicken stock or water to prevent burning.
Goulash should have a thick, yet soupy consistency.
Serve goulash
with a side of French or Italian bread. Recipe serves four.
Potato Paprikash
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup minced onions
½ teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 large tomato, diced
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon caraway
seeds
2 cups chicken stock
2 pounds of diced and
peeled potatoes
½ cup light sour cream
Cook the
potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In medium
saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until lightly
colored. Take off heat and stir in salt, pepper, Paprika, tomato, bay leaf
and caraway seeds. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Add the potatoes and
simmer on medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and
stock has been reduced into a thick sauce.
Garnish individual plates
with a dollop of sour cream. Recipe serves four to six.
Green Pepper Salad
3 large bell peppers
1 tablespoon white
vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
½ cup mayonnaise
Preheat oven to 450.
On the rack, roast green peppers for 10 to 20 minutes, until skin begins to
char. Remove and let rest for a few minutes. Take skin off of
peppers and remove stems and seeds. Cut into thin strips.
Combine vinegar, sugar,
salt and pepper in separate bowl. Add mixture to strips of pepper and
refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Drain peppers, then add mayonnaise and
mix well.
This is a wonderful side
dish for cold meats, or great as a lunch salad with some hot rolls.
Recipe serves four.
Black Pepper Fillet of
Beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds beef fillet
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon Paprika
½ cup chopped mushrooms
½ cup julienned onions
½ cup julienned green
peppers
Heat oil in medium
skillet. In the meantime, cut fillet into thin strips, about 4 inches
long.
Toss meat
into oil and stir them around for about 4 or 5 minutes, until meat is
browned on both sides. Add salt, pepper, garlic and Paprika and mix
together. Stir in mushrooms, onions and bell peppers and sauté until the
mixture begins to sizzle.
Cover pan and turn heat
to low. Simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, until meat is fork tender.
This dish is excellent
over white rice or plain pasta. Recipe serves six.
Simple Jam
Slices
1 ½ cups ground walnuts
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 cup apricot jam
Preheat oven
to 350.
In large mixing bowl,
combine walnuts and sugar. In separate bowl, lightly beat egg whites,
then add to walnut mixture. Stir together to form a thick paste.
Shape the paste into two
rolls, each about 10 inches long and ¾ inch in diameter. Using your
index finger, make a 1/2 inch deep indentation in the middle of the rolls,
almost all the way down.
Place rolls on a greased,
floured cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and fill the indentations with apricot jam.
Cut rolls into 1 inch
slices and serve. Recipe makes about 25 slices.
Ursula Furi-Perry
is a freelance writer and editor based in
Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in over twenty national and
regional publications.
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