Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Daily Bread

No-Knead Sandwich Bread
Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf 
Mix the dough in a bowl with a spoon (you can double or triple the recipe if you like), and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight. The refrigerated dough can be used after 8 hours, or for up to 3 days. That means you can bake a loaf every morning and have sandwich bread by lunchtime.
4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons instant (“rapid rise”) yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1⅔ cups water (Start with this amount, but you will probably need around 2 cups. The dough should be sticky, with very little dry flour visible.)
1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt until combined. Add the water and stir together until combined. Add enough water that you don’t see white flour that is not incorporated into the dough. Likely you will need up to 2 cups total water. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight.
2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest for about 2 hours to come to room temperature.
3. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray or brush it with oil. (Bread will stick if you do not grease the pan.)
3. On a generously floured work surface, turn out the dough. Sprinkle it lightly with flour and pat the dough into an 8- by 12-inch rectangle. Position the short side of the rectangle so that it is parallel to the edge of the counter. Fold the dough into thirds as you would fold a business letter: bring the bottom third up and fold the top third down to meet it. Rotate the envelope of dough one quarter turn. Stretch it into a rectangle again and fold it as before. Rotate the envelope so the seam is on top and pinch it firmly together to secure the dough into a log. Flip it over so that the seam is on the bottom. If necessary, roll the dough back and forth, moving from the center outward, until you have a log that is the same length as your bread pan.
4. Place the dough in the pan with the seam side down. Cover loosely with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 1½ hours, longer if the room is cool. The center of the loaf should dome about one inch above the rim of the pan.
5. About 20 minutes before the loaf is ready to be baked, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and set the oven to 400 degrees. When the dough has risen, make three shallow, diagonal slashes across the top of the loaf with a serrated knife. Bake the loaf for 10 minutes and decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust browns. (Total baking time is 35 to 40 minutes.)
6. Tip the loaf out of the pan and tap the bottom of the loaf. It should make a hollow sound and the bottom of the loaf should have browned. If it still seems squishy, put it back in the oven, directly on the oven rack without the pan, and bake for another 5 minutes or so.
7. Set the loaf on a rack to cool completely. Do not cut into the bread until it is thoroughly cool; it continues to bake and set as it cools. Once it is completely cool, store it in a plastic bag or wrap it in a clean tea towel. 

Recipe by Sally Vargas and adapted by Janet Kelley


Thursday, January 26, 2017

Women's March on Budapest


Good morning! Thank you for joining us!
I am Janet Kelley, one of the organizers of this march.
Recently we’ve heard so much abusive language toward women, immigrants, people of color, and the LGBTQ community that at times even leaving the house is in itself an act of courage.
The fact that you showed up today to march for Women’s Rights is a tremendous act of bravery. Give yourselves a round of applause!
Our banner says, Build Bridges not Walls. Why? Because we believe in bridges. Connections. Alliances. Networks. Conversation. Communication. So turn to your neighbor and introduce yourself. Your name, what you do, why you march today…
As we build bridges today, look out for each other. Give each other space and patience as we cross the bridge.
We are building bridges. A bridge is a testament to humanity’s intelligence and ability to solve problems. To join what has been divided. Budapest is a city defined by bridges--the Lanchid was the first bridge to join Buda and pest and now the city is defined by many of them.
As we drop our banner today, we will stand at the center of the bridge. Let us have the courage to work for Women’s Rights from the center of the bridge—putting our stories, our demands, our power, our voices center stage.
We need to acknowledge that we live in a world with an elected leader emboldened to denigrate and sexually assault women. We cannot stand silent. We cannot close our eyes. We must start today to resist such leadership.
Some people have criticized this march as futile, or frivolous, or ill-conceived--or all those other words used against women to undermine them when they stand up for their rights. But I know one thing, when my children and grandchildren ask me what it was like when Trump was elected, I can tell them: Women joined forces around the world to say: Our power is real. Our courage is real. And we are watching you.
We are joined with the Women's March on Washington to send a bold message to the new American government on their first day in office, and to the world, that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, we recognize that to defend the most marginalized among us is to defend all of us.
There is work to be done. In America. And in Hungary.
We have asked Kevehazi Kata to speak about Women’s Rights in Hungary. She will speak briefly in Hungarian to let us know more about the situation for women in Hungary.
(Kata speaks)
Thank you Kata, and special thanks to Greenpeace for their tremendous support in planning and carrying out this event today. And a special thanks to the police who willingly cooperated with us to provide us our route.
Mostanában olyan sok sértő és megbélyegző dolgot hallhattunk nőkről, bevándorlókról és menekültekről, kisebbségekről, az LMBTQIA közösségről, hogy ha kilépsz otthonról, már önmagában az is bátorságra vall. Az, hogy ma itt vagy és felvonulsz a nők jogaiért hatalmas bizonyítéka a bátorságodnak. Tapsoljuk meg magunkat!
A jelmondatunk: „Falak helyett hidakat!” Hogy miért? Mert hiszünk a hidakban. Kapcsolatok. Szövetségek. Hálózatok. Párbeszéd. Kommunikáció. Fordulj oda a szomszédodhoz és mutatkozz be neki! Mondd el a nevedet, hogy mit csinálsz, hogymiért menetelsz ma.
Mivel ma hidakat építünk, figyeljünk egymásra, amíg átkelünk a hídon. Adjunk helyeés legyünk türelmesek egymással.
Hidakat építünk. A híd az emberiség intelligenciájának szimbóluma. Annak, hogy képesek vagyunk problémákat megoldani. Összekötni azt, ami korábban külön volt.
Budapest meghatározó elemei a hidak. A Lánchíd volt az első híd, ami összekötötte Budát és Pestet és mostanra a várost ezek a hidak határozzák meg.
Amikor ma kifüggesztjük a transzparensünket, a híd közepén fogunk állni. Hadd vegyük a bátorságot ahhoz, hogy a nők jogaiért a híd közepéről dolgozzunk – hadd legyenek a történeteink, a követeléseink, az erőnk, a hangunk a színpad közepén.
Fel kell ismernünk, hogy hol tartunk ma. Egy olyan világban élünk, ahol egy választott vezető arra bátorít, hogy rossz hírbe hozzunk és szexuálisan bántalmazzunk nőket. Nem maradhatunk csendben! Nem csukhatjuk be a szemünket! Még ma el kell kezdenünk szembeszegülni az ilyen irányítással.
Néhányan bírálták ezt a felvonulást azzal, hogy hiábavaló vagy haszontalan vagy rosszul van megtervezve vagy bármilyen más kifejezéssel, amit azért használnak a nők ellen, hogy ellehetetlenítsék a helyzetüket, amikor kiállnak a jogaikért.
De egy dolgot tudok: amikor a gyerekeim és az unokáim megkérdeznek, hogy milyen volt, amikor Trumpot megválasztották, azt mondhatom nekik: a nők világszerte egyesítették erőiket, hogy azt mondhassák: Az erőnk valódi. A bátorságunk valódi. És figyelünk téged.
Csatlakozunk a washingtoni Nők Felvonulásához, hogy Trump elnökké avatásának másnapján üzenetet küldjünk az új amerikai vezetésnek és a világnak, hogy a nők jogai emberi jogok. Kiállunk egymásért, mert rájöttünk, hogyha megvédjük a leginkább kitaszítottakat, akkor mindannyiunkat megvédjük.
Sok munkánk van Amerikában és Magyarországon is.
Megkértük Keveházi Katát, hogy beszéljen a nők jogainak helyzetéről Magyarországon. Ő fog szólni arról, hogy mit tehetünk a
nők jogaiért itt, Magyarországon.
Köszönjük neked, Kata és külön köszönjük a Greenpeace-nek a hatalmas segítséget a mai esemény szervezésében és lebonyolításában. És köszönjük a rendőrségnek, aki készségesen együttműködött velünk és biztosította az útvonalunkat.
Keveházi Kata vagyok. 17. éve dolgozom a nőkért, és van 3 lányom. Büszke vagyok rá, hogy itt lehetek, és résztvevője lehetek ennek a napnak.
Ez egy történelmi nap. Mától a világ leggazdagabb és legbefolyásosabb országának vezetője egy olyan
férfi, aki megtestesíti mindazt, amitől ez a világ, amelyben élünk, romlott, veszélyes, és fájdalmakkal teli: a férfiuralom erőszakosságát, gátlástalanságát, agresszióját és fölényességét.
Legyünk bátrak kimondani, hisz tudjuk: a háborúk, a szegénység, az éhezés, a környezetrombolás, a migráció, mind a patriarchális hatalmi célok, hataloméhes férfiak végzetes, százmilliók pusztulásával járó játékának következményei.
Az erőforrásokért, pénzért vívott véres vagy vértelen ütközetek leginkább kiszolgáltatott áldozatai a nők és lánygyermekek. A nők elleni erőszak jól bevált tömegpusztító fegyvere minden háborúnak, a zaklatás a munkahelyi kultúra és a mindennapok része, a verbális, sőt a fizikai bántalmazás sokak családjában az élet természetes velejárója.
A mai nap történelmi nap, hiszen világszerte nők tömegei menetelnek, hogy megmutassák a nők erejét.
Igen, nagy utat tettünk meg, mi feministák, és a nők egyenlőségét támogató férfiak az elmúlt 100-150 évben.
A nők tanulhatnak, fizetett munkát végezhetnek, választhatnak és választhatók, javakat birtokolhatnak, saját akaratukból házasodhatnak és válhatnak el, dönthetnek arról, mikor és kitől
szeretnének gyermeket vállalni. Már ott, ahol. Mert vannak országok, társadalmi csoportok, ahol ez korántsem evidens.
Sok mindent elértünk, de tudjuk, hogy mindez kevés.
Garantált jogok ide vagy oda a férfiuralom megszállottjai és gyakorlói (és velük a nekik bólogató nők ) elidegeníthetetlen joguknak tartják, hogy előírják,
- mit tudunk – többnyire nem eleget, de azt se jól
- hogy mire vagyunk képesek – na jó, középvezetők esetleg lehetünk,
- hol a helyünk – otthon, természetesen,
- mi a feladatunk – a szeretteinkről való gondoskodás - mert magunktól eszünkbe sem jut
- hogy mennyit érünk – annyit semmi esetre sem, mint egy azonos képzettséggel, tapasztalattal rendelkező férfi,
- hogy mennyire és mennyiben vagyunk hasznosak a munkahelyen és használhatók az ágyban.
A többség társadalmi megbecsültségét mind a mai napig az adja, van-e mellette férfi, elég szépek, kedvesek, alkalmazkodók vagyunk-e, szülünk és háztartunk-e rendesen.
Magyarországon nem sokra becsülik a feminizmust. Kommunista métely, amúgy is posztszocialista örökség, hogy a nők és férfiak egyenlőségét a törvény biztosítja - ez nem is kérdés.
Hogy romlott a nők helyzete?
Hogy az idősgondozás, a házi betegápolás gyakorlatilag megszűnt; hogy továbbra sincs elegendő bölcsőde; hogy az egészségügyet már csak a dolgozók tartják életben; hogy a sérült gyermeket nevelő anyák 10% alatti arányban tudnak dolgozni; hogy csökkent az iskolaköteles életkor; hogy Nyíregyházáról nevezik el Amszterdamban a piros lámpás negyed egy részét; hogy nő a női
hajléktalanok aránya, hogy a legkonzervatívabb muszlim országok szintjén áll a parlamenti képviselők aránya, és hogy 1 árva nő sincs a kormányban? Ugyan.
Annyira egyenlők vagyunk, hogy nőkérdés más nincs is. Csak családok vannak, az alkotmány által is védetten. Nem érdekes, hogy minden ötödik család egyszülős, ahol 90%-ban a nő a családfenntartó. Hogy a 3 éve alatti gyermekgondozási segély vagy a sérült gyermeküket, hozzátartozójukat gondozó nők által igénybevető ápolási díj összege a létminimum egyharmada. Hogy a gyermekek fele szegénységben él és 50000 7 éven aluli gyermek éhezik. Miközben 4 milliárdért rendezünk be egy várbéli dolgozószobát. Az sem indokolja az Isztambuli Egyezmény ratifikálást, hogy a magyar rendőrség még mindig ott tart, hogy családon belüli erőszak esetén ki sem jön, ha nem folyt még vér. Ha mégis, hát nem történt semmi. Minek ugrál annyit az asszony. A parlamentben is megmondták, hogy „Fogd be a szád, anyukám”!
Hát mi befogjuk. És gályázunk és gólyázunk.
A férfiuralom nem lenne a nyakunkon, ha a nők többsége el ne fogadná alárendelt szerepét. Saját és gyermekeik anyagi és biztonsága érdekében alkalmazkodunk a zaklató főnökhöz, a bántalmazó férjhez, hálásak vagyunk a buszsofőrnek, ha vigyorogva mégis kinyitja az ajtót, és megdicséri a külsőnket.
Csapda ez nőtársaim, hogy a férfiak, az erős férfiak teremtik meg a biztonságunkat, miközben a legfőbb veszélyforrást a világ biztonsága, és hétköznapjaink biztonsága szempontjából éppen az
arrogáns férfihatalom jelenti, az egyenlőtlenségek növekedése, a hatalom nélküliek elnyomásán és semmibevételén alapuló patriarchális értékrend fennmaradása jelenti.
A mai nap azért is történelmi nap, mert ma világszerte milliók menetelnek együtt azért, hogy kifejezzék, nem, nem fordulunk vissza! Nem engedünk az eddig elért emberi és szociális jogainkból,
szolidárisak vagyunk egymással, minden kisebbséggel, a kiszolgáltatottakkal.
Kedves nőtársaim, elég erősek, okosak, önállóak és felelősségteljesek vagyunk. Ne féljünk a vezető szereptől, ne féljünk az érdekeink és gyermekeink érdekeinek képviseletétől, álljunk ki a jogainkért, a kiszolgáltatottakért, a társadalmi igazságosságért, egymásért és önmagunkért.
This is a historic day. From today, the leader of the world’s richest and most influential country is a man who represents all that makes this world we live in rotten, dangerous, and full of pain: chauvinistic aggression, scrupulousness, and arrogance.
Let’s be brave enough to say, since we know it’s true: war, poverty, hunger, environmental destruction, migration are all the result of patriarchal aspiration to power, the result of the games of power-hungry men, destructive games that come with hundreds of millions of casualties.
The victims of the battles for money and resources, bloody or not, are mostly women and girls.
Violence against women is an effective weapon of mass destruction in every war, harassment is part of workplace culture and our everyday life, and verbal and physical abuse are natural parts of life in many families.
It’s a historic day because around the world, masses of women are marching, to show their strength.
Yes, we’ve come a long way, we feminists and men who support equality, in the past 100-150 years.
Women can study, earn a wage, vote and be elected, own property, marry and divorce at their own will, and decide if, when, and with whom they have children. In some places. Because there are countries and communities where this is far from the case.
We’ve achieved a lot, but we know it’s not enough.
Regardless of actual rights, believers in and practitioners of male dominance (and with them, acquiescent women) feel it is their inalienable right to dictate:
● What we know - mostly not enough, and what we do know, we don’t know well
● What we’re capable of - okay, we can be middle manages
● Our place - at home, naturally
● Our job - to care for our loved ones, because we wouldn’t have realized this ourselves
● Our worth - in any case not as much as a man with the same education and experience
● How useful we are at work and in bed
The respect of the majority in our society remains determined by whether a woman has a husband or boyfriend, is pretty enough, nice enough, accommodating enough, and whether she bears children and keeps a household well.
In Hungary, feminism is not valued. It’s a communist fluke, a post-socialist inheritance that equality between the sexes is enshrined in law - there’s no question about it.
Has the situation of women deteriorated?
Perhaps because care for senior citizens and homebound patients has disappeared? Because
there are still not enough nursery schools? Because only the hard-working staff keep our health care system alive? Because only 10% of women with disabled children are able to work.
Because the required school-leaving age has been lowered? Because in Amsterdam, part of the red-light district is named after Nyiregyhaza? Because the percentage of women in the homeless population is rising? Because the ratio of female MPs approaches that of the most conservative of muslim countries? Because there isn’t a single woman in the cabinet?
No. We’re so equal, there’s no question about women. There are only families, and those are protected in the constitution.
It doesn’t matter that every fifth family is a single-parent one, of which 90% have a woman as the sole breadwinner. That the amount of support for women raising a child under three, caring
for a disabled child, or caring for a family member is one-third of the subsistence level. That half of the children in our country live in poverty and 50,000 children under the age of 7 are hungry,
and that the children of parents struggling to make ends meet are taken away.
In the midst of all this, we furnish an office in the Castle District for 4 billion forints ($14 million). And the ratification of the Istanbul Convention doesn’t influence the fact that the Hungarian
police still does not come to the scene when cases of domestic violence are reported, if blood is not flowing. If they do, well, nothing much happened. What’s the woman going on about? In parliament they’ve said, “Close your mouth, woman!”
We do close our mouths. We put up with it.
Male dominance would not be burdening us today if the majority of women didn’t accept their subordinate status. We put up with our abusive bosses and husbands, we’re grateful to the bus driver if he decides to open the door, and compliments us on our looks – all in the interest of our own and our children’s safety and well-being.
This is a trap, my fellow females. It’s a trap to think that strong men provide our security, while the main threat to the security of the world and of our daily lives is that arrogant male dominance, which leads to the rise of inequality, and the perpetuation of a patriarchal value system based on the oppression of the powerless.
It’s a historic day also because around the world, millions are marching together today to say "No, we’re not turning back! We’re not giving up any of our hard-won human and social rights. We’re in solidarity with each other and every minority, every oppressed group.”
My dear women, we are strong enough, smart enough, independent enough, and responsible enough. Let’s not be afraid to be leaders. Let’s not be afraid to represent our interests and those of our children. Let’s stand up for our rights, for the oppressed, for social justice, for each other, and for ourselves.

Tuesday, February 02, 2016

One Billion Rising Budapest 2016

One Billion Rising Hungary 2016 Campaign

Across Hungary the One Billion Rising campaign escalates its call for the end of violence against women. Fundamentally the movement is a call for change within communities--structural, systemic, long term change. It makes these demands for change by raising awareness about domestic and sexual violence and challenges us to find the right ways to respond.

The One Billion Rising movement encourages creative and artistic expressions so a wide variety of people can enter into the conversation and work toward solutions in our communities. There are rational ways to respond to violence, but often we find rational solutions after we develop our moral courage through artistic play. Thus we once again take part in the worldwide dance phenomenon, “Break the Chain.” This year Hungary is proud to participate in the global movement by presenting an original theater piece, “Kérsz teát?”  (May I Offer You a Tea?), written and performed by Bánki Gergely and Sipos Vera. “Kérsz teát?” explores the idea of consent and provides a rich theater experience for audience members. It will be followed by a discussion about how we understand consent in own relationships.

“Kersz Teat” is a powerful tool to understand a complex, sensitive issue. Audience members walk away from the event with an awareness that may radically change the way they think about and engage in violence-free relationships. The actors, who created the play in collaboration with NANE, hope to use the piece in high schools and colleges.  We especially invite high school teachers and university staff who want to get a first-hand experience of the play before introducing it to their communities.  Introducing a discussion about violence-free relationships to our next generation can dramatically impact the future of Hungary and the safety of its women.

The One Billion Rising Hungary 2016 campaign is thrilled to dance and showcase “Kérsz teát?” The movement invites artistic energy to create new ways of responding to the problem of violence against women.  We look forward to how this energy will produce new ways of responding to those most in need in our community.


What is One Billion Rising? http://www.onebillionrising.org/
Learn the "Break the Chain" dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRU1xmBwUeA

#rise4revolution
#Budapest

Thursday, December 03, 2015

Janet's Stovetop Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

· 3 tablespoons butter

· 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

· 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste) and pepper (to taste)

· 4 cups milk

· 2 pinches nutmeg or cinnamon

· 1 bay leaf

· 3/4 pound small shell pasta or elbow macaroni

· 3 - 4 cups coarsely grated sharp yellow cheddar


DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden, about 3 minutes.

2. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk; add 2 more cups milk and whisk until smooth. Add salt, nutmeg, and bay leaf. Cook mixture, stirring constantly until just boiling, 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Set to lowest heat. Stir in cheese.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until not quite al dente; drain thoroughly and return to pot. Reserve a cup of hot water to thin sauce as needed.

4. Remove sauce from heat and pour over pasta and stir to coat. Add hot pasta water as needed to reach the consistency you prefer. Cover pot and let set for a few minutes so the pasta can absorb the sauce and finish cooking (on low heat if needed). Add more salt and pepper to taste.






always served with peas in my house. also salmon, usually.
and sliced tomatoes, salted.
I have been known to use my immersion blender to remove lumps from my cheese sauce, occasionally. 












Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Grocery Home Delivery in Budapest

Parenting Secret Power Revealed: Grocery Home Delivery in Budapest


I am not a super hero, but I do have one or two parenting secret powers. I am happy to reveal the first one: grocery home delivery service.

I was thrilled to discover that Budapest has multiple home delivery services for groceries, including household goods, baby items, and office supplies. As a mother of two under two in Boston I discovered that I could shop online and have my groceries carried into my kitchen. Now that I am a mother of two under six in Budapest I still rely on the service. While it is easier to shop now that the kids are older, we live in a third floor walk-up in the heart of the city and don’t own a car. For no delivery fee in some cases, I can have all my bulky items carried up three flights of stairs!

If you have never used the service, you might have some reservations. The idea of a stranger selecting your chicken breasts is a bit nerve-wracking, I agree. For that reason I mostly use the service to buy heavy items: economy-sized clothing detergent, cleaning supplies, bulk amounts of organic milk, twenty four rolls of toilet paper, and the occasional summer watermelon. When I have ordered fruits and vegetables, I have been pleased. I suspect the person selecting my kiwis does a better job than me when I have two little people demanding my attention.


Pagony Közért
http://www.pagonykozert.hu/en/home
The Pagony Közért offers free home delivery in all districts within twenty-four hours of your order (for a minimum order of 4000 forints). They offer a variety of payment methods. In addition to food and drinks sections, they offer a baby section (with diapers, soaps, food), an international section, a pet section, and an organic selection of foods.

G’Roby
https://www.groby.hu/
G’Roby’s delivery is free with a minimum order of 50,000 forints, under that price there is a sliding scale. They have a very detailed explanation of their fee scale, a variety of payment methods, and delivery options on the website. G’Roby has a similar range of products compared to Pagony Közért. In my experience it has a better selection of organic products, which they list under a tab called “Health Shelf.”

Tesco
http://bevasarlas.tesco.hu/en-GB
Tesco’s service fee ranges from 600 forints up to 1200 forints and depends on the time of the delivery. Their selection matches what you can find in any Tesco store. In contrast to Pagony Közért and G’Roby, Tesco only accepts online payment. The delivery assistant does not accept cash and they are not allowed to accept tips.

Szatyorbolt
http://szatyorbolt.hu/
Szayorbolt is an alternative to the standard big-box grocery store, offering locally sourced products. While you can shop from their range of products, they use the weekly box concept. You can choose from various sizes and types of boxes filled with seasonal fruits and vegetables and you can swap items if you don’t need onions that week. They offer several pick-up locations around town. Their website suggests that they will deliver only by bicycle. While I have shopped in their store, I have yet to try delivery. Still it might be worth keeping on eye on this business and offer your support for their environmentally friendly model.

Neked Terem
http://www.nekedterem.hu/default.aspx
This company offers another alternative to the big-box store. They specialize in locally grown products and offer delivery on Fridays. The delivery fee ranges from 280 to 850 forints determined by your address. Similar to Szatyorbolt, Neked Terem uses the weekly box concept. Currently their website is only in Hungarian.


Have you tried grocery home delivery in Budapest?
Please share your experiences in the comments.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Chicken Paprikas

Recently I became interested in braising techniques. I decided to play with my mother-in-law's paprikas recipe. Here is the way she makes it:

1 medium onion, diced
2 peppers (hopefully the thin, yellow ones) sliced into inch long narrow strips
2 carrots, grated

Place these into a pan and add oil. Cover and let soften.

2 small tomatoes (or 1 medium), sliced

Add tomatoes, cover.

1 table spoon sweet paprika.
1 kilo chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks

Add these to pot and let cook in own juices.

Add water to pot to just cover chicken. Let cook.

1 to 1 1/2 table spoons salt

Add salt.

Make a thickener:

Stir together one yolk, 1 table spoon flour (or more), and a bit of milk. Add more milk until you have about a coffee-cup-filled amount. Add a bit of the hot broth to the mixture and stir. Keep adding a bit at a time. Then pour the thickener through a strainer (to remove lumps) into the entire pot. Bring the pot back to a boil and then you are finished. (By the way, Katalin adds the egg white to the broth and lets it cook. Why waste it?)

As I mentioned, I prefer this dish served with mashed potatoes. It can also be served with tiny dumplings or store-bought pasta (like farfalle). I also think that cucumber salad makes the perfect side dish.



And here is the recipe I found as a point of comparison, from http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/Hungarian-Chicken-Paprikash

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup lard or canola oil
1 (3–4-lb.) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large yellow onion, minced
3 tbsp. Hungarian sweet paprika, plus more for garnish
2 cups chicken stock
2 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1" pieces
1 Italian frying pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1" pieces
½ cup sour cream, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Melt lard or heat oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook, flipping once, until browned, 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; set aside. Add onion to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes. Add paprika; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Return chicken and its juices to the pan. Add stock, tomatoes, and Italian frying pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is fully cooked, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken and sauce to a serving platter; spoon sour cream over top and garnish with more paprika.



And the way it went down in my kitchen:


I had four chicken thigh/legs. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and then browned them for about five minutes per side and set aside. I drained off most of fat before softening the diced onion. After about five minutes I added a grated carrot and a sliced up pepper (the Hungarian style, thin, yellow-skinned and impossible to find in America.). I added 1 tablespoon sweet paprika and cooked for a few minutes. I returned the chicken to the pan. I added a sliced tomato and enough water to cover the chicken. Let it boil and returned it to a simmer for about 30 minutes. I then added the mother-in-law's thickener (see above). I salted it as needed. I served it with pasta noodles. I turned the Italian trick and finished the noodles for the last two minutes of cooking in some of the sauce from the chicken pot. Served with sour cream. And a cucumber salad.


I am sure braising the chicken first adds oil and so it must not be as healthy. Yet somehow the flavor was intensified. I likey.


**** Update!
I just found this version of the recipe which also uses a braising technique.  It does not use the carrot.  http://makeitbetter.net/dining/recipes/5928-chicken-paprikash-the-perfect-dish-to-fend-off-a-polar-vortex

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Boston Brown Bread

It defies categories. It looks like cake, tastes sweet, and is packed with whole grains. It makes me feel virtuous.

Sometimes I eat it with baked beans and tomato wedges. More often I eat it with a bit of butter as breakfast or a snack. It keeps for several days in the refrigerator and is fine if you warm it a bit.

It's a kitchen sink recipe. I dump in whatever flours I have on hand. The last version had a combination of oat bran, whole wheat, quinoa flakes, and corn flour as well. I like more molasses. So I tend to use 1/2 cup of molasses and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. You can use one or the other, or a combination. I also decided to try and make it a bit like gingerbread. I added 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.


Boston Brown Bread

By Mark Bittman

From the How to Cook Everything Vegetarian® app

This soft‐crusted bread, traditionally eaten with Baked Beans, is best with a mixture of flours. Although it can be baked or steamed, I prefer baking. Stir up to 1 cup of raisins into the prepared batter if you like.


Ingredients:
Butter or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, for the pans
2 cups buttermilk or yogurt, or 2 cups less 2 tablespoons milk plus 2 tablespoons white vinegar (see Step 2)
3 cups assorted flours, such as 1 cup each rye, cornmeal, and whole wheat or all‐purpose
1½ teaspoons salt
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup molasses or maple syrup


Steps:
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Liberally grease two 8 × 4‐inch loaf pans or one 9 × 5‐inch pan.
If you're using buttermilk or yogurt, ignore this step. If not, make the soured milk: Warm the milk gently—1 minute in the microwave is sufficient, just enough to take the chill off—and add the vinegar. Let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients, then add the sweetener and buttermilk. Stir just until mixed; this is a loose batter, not a dough. Pour or spoon into the loaf pan(s) and bake for 1 hour or a little longer, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pans; eat warm.


Courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Copyright © Double B Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.

Thursday, January 02, 2014

Chocolate Szalami

Hozzávalók:

  • 30 dkg háztartási keksz
  • 10 dkg vaj
  • 25 dkg cukor
  • 2 tojás
  • 10 dkg kakaó
  • 2 kaná rum

Elkészítés:


A cukrot a tojással jól kikeverjük, belekeverjük a vajat. Amikor már sima, hozzáadjuk a kakaót, a rumot és az előzőleg ledarált kekszet. Jól összedolgozzuk, szalámi formát készítünk, és alufóliába csomagoljuk. Legalább 4 óra hosszat hűtőben tároljuk. Aki szereti, megtöltheti ízlés szerinti krémmel.

source:  http://www.mindmegette.hu/csokiszalami.recept




Meat Pies 2014

French Meat Pie
by Sister M. Concepta Mermis

31/2 lb. pork
1 lb. beef
1 onion
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. loves
1 tsp. celery salt
1 c. dry bread crumbs (or more)
Cook meat and 1 onion in water to cover meat, simmer about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove onion and discard. Set aside to cool overnight to allow fat to congeal on top. 
Skim off grease (use to make pastry). Add bread crumbs and seasonings. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Put meat mixture into pastry shell, top with crust. Slit the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake on cookie sheet or foil in case the pie bubbles over. Bake about 35 minutes or until brown in 400 degree oven. Let stand thirty minutes before serving.

This year I used half a kilo of ground beef and half a kilo of ground pork.  (One kilo meat yielded about 5 cups of filling, enough for one 11-inch pan.)  I really think it should be mostly pork, however.  I think the beef overwhelms the spices.  I also halved the original spice amounts, but then added back the entire amounts and still felt that the spices were not strong enough.


Next year, more pork.  I'll aim for for 3/4 kilo pork, 1/4 kilo beef.  





I made my first pie crust from scratch this year.  I did not use the fat from the meat.  Instead I used only butter.  While the audience was delighted, I was not.  The crust was very crispy and had a heavy butter taste.  It was tasty, but it was not a pie crust.  I didn't have a pastry cutter.  So I froze the butter and used a vegetable grater instead.  Hopefully by next year the crust will have been conquered.  



Served with mashed potatoes and creamed peas (otherwise know as borsofozelek).  For dessert, homemade chocolate salami.  Recipe to follow.  



Sunday, July 28, 2013

Cold Apple Avocado Soup

two apples, peeled and sliced
one avocado, peeled and sliced
about 2 T diced onion
about 2 T olive oil, or less
a bit of salt
about 2 cups water
a squirt of fresh lemon juice

blend.


raw apple and avocado soup.  the best fruit soup. ever.


Thursday, July 25, 2013

Kitchen

canned tomatoes
tomato paste
madagascar bourbon vanilla extract
ground cinnamon
jasmine tea
assam tea
oatmeal
peanuts
cashews
walnuts
raisins
honey
coffee
baking soda
baking powder
paprika (sweet)
chili powder
cocoa
cumin
rosemary
sea salt
dill
bay leaf
cream of tartar
garam masala
basil
ground cloves
celery salt
thyme
vegetable bouillon
apple cider vinegar
sardines
seaweed
popcorn
bodza syrup
maple syrup
coconut oil
olive oil
sunflower or canola oil
whole wheat flour
white spelt flour
corn meal
quinoa
chia seeds
table salt
poppy seeds
sugar
fresh ground black pepper
eggs
milk
kefir
yogurt
sour cream
butter
pickes in brine
cheddar cheese
parmesan cheese
apples
bananas
tomatoes
potatoes, white and sweet
peppers
avocado
kiwi
molasses
dried beans, all sorts
onion
carrots
garlic
frozen peas
brown rice
jar of spaghetti sauce
spaghetti noodles
macaroni noodes
ketchup
mustard
chicken, pork, salmon, lamb

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

New Year's Day Menu 2013

French Meat Pie
by Sister M. Concepta Mermis

31/2 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground beef
I managed to purchase .6 kilo pork and .6 kilo beef at the large market this year.
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. celery salt
1 c. dry bread crumbs (or more)
1 onion
After cooking the meat with two small onions, I measured it and found that I had 8 cups of meat.  I roughly estimated that I started with half the amount of meat called for in the recipe.  So I divided the meat into 4-cup amounts.  For the French pie I added a bit less than half the prescribed spices.  Omitting celery salt because I couldn't manage to find it.  Instead I food-processed a stalk of celery and cooked it with the meat.  For the Hungarian pie I omitted the cinnamon and cloves and added 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 minced clove garlic.  

Cook meat and 1 onion in water to cover meat, simmer about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Remove onion and discard. Set aside to cool.

Skim off grease (use to make pastry). Add bread crumbs and seasonings.  Put meat mixture into pastry shell, top with crust. Slit the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake on cookie sheet or foil in case the pie bubbles over. Bake about 35 minutes or until brown in 400 degree oven. Let stand about thirty minutes before serving.

I have never yet managed to make a decent pie crust and usually buy store-bought shells.  I could only find phyllo dough.  So.....this year it will be meat strudel!  I added a lot more than one cup of bread crumbs to eat mixture because I feared that that strudel could not handle too much liquid.  It was deemed more elegant than a pie and tasted not unlike an Cornish pasty without the vegetables.  




Search my blog for "meat pies" to see how I cooked this in previous years.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Christmas 2012

This was our first Christmas in Budapest at our new apartment.  Grandma lives with us and the entire Christmas feast was in  her hands.

A lovely snow fell on the city on the 23rd, setting the Christmas scene.

Christmas here, at least for our family, is celebrated on Christmas Eve.  That morning Laszlo took the kids out to see a children's movie.  This gave me time to wrap the gifts.  It was a modest selection this year by design and due to lack of time.  We have all been sick for most of December and Laszlo as in America. There was little time to shop.  I did make a last-minute trip to the WAMP, a Hungarian Design Market.  I made a pass through the market but was a bit overwhelmed at the options. So I headed back to the nearby mall.  The mall, however, was filled with junk.  The usual mass-market, made of toxic chemicals, shipped around the world, disney-themed stuff of the toy store.  I dashed back to the design marked and made a few lovely purchases just as the market closed the day before Christmas Eve.

In the afternoon I took the kids down the block to our local church for what was advertised as a nativity. I am sure it was lovely.  But I can't report for sure because we arrived thirty minutes late and heard a few hymns but spied not one shepherd.  The kids didn't seem to mind and we explored the church until the priest had locked the front doors and started to turn off the lights.

I led the kids to a local grocery store to buy yogurt, but lo-and-behold it was closed.  Everything was closed. Luckily the hotel on the corner was open and we took our time riding the elevator, searching for the hotel swimming pool, and finally crossing and recrossing the pedestrian bridge over the main street. We found a drink of water.  Used the bathrooms.  Had a minor tantrum.  Finally, I got the call.

The angels had arrived at the house.

We returned.  The angels had dropped some candies along the hallway and lit candles making a trail to the tree and all the gifts.  Wrapping paper exploded.  The kids could read all our names and distribute the packages.  Grandma Kelley and family were in attendance via Skype.  Daniel visited virtually as well.  Not to mention Livi.  It was a cozy family gathering around the glow of the laptops.

Dinner was stuffed cabbage.  It turns out that nagymama does not add tomato paste to her dish, which I believe I did last year.  She also refrains from adding extra sausage or other add-ins.  Simple, tasty, and not too cabbagy.  Champagne and szaloncukor rounded out the evening.  I bought the handmade szaloncukor chocolates from the Aztek Choxolat Cafe, a favorite spot of mine from our days on Semmelweiss utca.


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving 2012

Cancelled.

phew.

instead:  mama drinking mulled wine, then pinot noir at local cafe.  tata putting kids to bed.  mama blogging and attending to email correspondence.  eavesdropping on an ESL discussion between two middle-aged psychologists on a date. they are jotting notes on a shared napkin.  He is German, ya.

Pink Martini is playing on the radio.

grandma made kolbasz (sausage) and mashed potatoes for dinner.

thanks indeed.  i'll take it.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

A Hill of Beans & Weanies in the Crock


The Beans:

1 lb dried organic pinto beans
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 scant tsp. salt
1 tsp. Grey Poupon Dijon mustard (or similar)
1/2 c. molasses
1 med. whole onion, peeled

Soak beans overnight. Drain and replace water. Gently simmer beans for 15 to 20 minutes. Place onion in crockpot. Drain beans and put on top of onion. Add salt, pepper, mustard and molasses dissolved in 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Add enough hot water to just cover top of beans. Cover and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours. Check and add water about every 3 hours, or when necessary.  (Done in almost 8 hours, 7 1/2.  I never added more water.)


The Weanies:

Applegate brand, "The Great Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dog" (6)  On the package it claims: "no nitrates or nitrites added" and "no antibiotics, added growth hormones or animal by-products" AND
"beef raised on sustainable family farms in a stress-free environment that promotes natural behavior and socialization."

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add hotdogs.  Simmer.  Slice and add to beans.

Recommended:  One-cup serving, paired with sliced tomatoes.  Perhaps a pan of Boston Brown Bread.

UPDATE!  I omitted the recommended 1/4 cup of brown sugar from the original bean recipe.  However, upon tasting the second day I decided to add maple syrup.  Of course, it was even better this way.

UPDATE!  I used the 1/4 cup brown sugar, tarka beans, and cooked them on the stovetop for this round here in Budapest.  Also I used the immersion blender toward the end to blend just enough beans to make a thick sauce.  Very tasty.  This time I also "forgot" to serve the organic virsli (hot dog) and the kids were fine with it.  Definitely goes well with sliced tomatoes. (April, 2013)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Again, Paprikas

1 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 carrot, grated
1 cup diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon paprika
4 legs, 4 thights (skin removed)
2 teaspoons salt
I tried my mother-in-laws thickener but felt it was not successful.  So I ended up removing the chicken and boiled down the sauce.  I then poured it over the chicken to serve.

This was the most successful iteration yet.  Thighs are definitely juicier than breasts.  Just saying.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Paprikas A Third Time

The third attempt at this recipe was a step backward.  The paprika tasted harsh, a bit bitter.

The only major difference I made was to include an entire can of diced tomatoes, which I did only because I hate to waste half a can of tomatoes.  Perhaps it was too much acidity.  Also my attempts have not thickened properly.  Perhaps I might have to try a roux instead of my mother-in-law's thickener with egg yolk, flour, and milk.  

Also we are in agreement that the paprikas would be better with thighs and breast meat on the bone.  The skinless chicken breasts end up being too tough.  We think that the chicken should melt into the sauce.  So perhaps next time I'll go back to 7 ounces of diced tomatoes and use thighs instead, as well as a roux to thicken it.

1 onion
1/2 large red pepper
1 large carrot
3 large chicken breasts (1.8 pounds)
1 can diced tomatoes (14 ounces, drained of liquid)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
20 minute simmer
add thickener, strained
1 teaspoon salt

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Paprikas Waban Style

I have just completed my second attempt at chicken paprikas and have revised the recipe thus:

1 onion
1/2 large red pepper
1 large carrot
3 large chicken breasts (1.8 pounds)
half a can of diced tomatoes (7 ounces, drained of liquid)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
20 minute simmer
add thickener, strained
1 teaspoon salt

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Stuffed Cabbage, Version Two

Here is the recipe as it evolved after my first attempt on Christmas:

1 head cabbage, leaves steamed off and remainder diced
2 x 25 ounce jars sauerkraut

Filling:
1 large onion
1/3 cup white rice
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 pounds ground pork
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

Sauce:
oil (for roux)
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 6 ounce jars of tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste if needed
2 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried majoram leaves

Also contemplate adding sausage or bacon to pot.

In the meantime we discovered that you can buy pickled cabbage leaves at a local Russian grocery market.  Originally my mother-in-law said this recipe was impossible without this ingredient.  Since we found it I thought we had to give a go.

So here is what I am currently brewing:

1 47.6 ounce (2 lbs. 15.6 oz.) jar of Cabbage Leaves---The brand we found is Marco Polo and is a product of Macedonia with the following website on the label:  www.adrianimports.com
3 x 14 oz packages of sauerkraut--the other brand was out of stock and this one is raw, cultured, non-pasteurized. 

Filling:
1 large onion
1/3 cup white rice
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 pounds ground pork
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

I also used about 1 1/2 hot Italian pork sausage links from Whole Foods in the pot. I sliced it an dotted it between the cabbage rolls.  I added the bay leaf and the majoram leaves to the pot during the initial 30 minutes of cooking.

Sauce:
oil (for roux)
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 6 ounce jars of tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste if needed
2 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried majoram leaves


First taste:  SOUR!  I added two more teaspoons of sugar for a total of three.  I also did not add any more salt to the sauce as I felt that sodium in the cabbage leaves might drastically change things.

I'll let it sit for a while and re-taste......

I ended up adding 2 more teaspoons of sugar for a total of 5.

While the crowd went in for seconds and thirds, I am not satisfied.  I don't like the high-sodium dosage here, not to mention the sugar.  Using fresh cabbage is healthier and also more attractive in presentation.  I think I will go for fresh leaves with sauerkraut, but heavy on the sauerkraut and leave out the shredded fresh cabbage.  Also with the all sauerkraut version the hot Italian sausage links were lost in the sauce and didn't seem to add anything worthwhile.


Sunday, January 01, 2012

New Year's Day Menu

French Meat Pie

3 pounds ground pork
1 pound ground beef
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. celery salt
1 -3 cups bread crumbs
1 onion

Cook meat and 1 onion in water to cover meat, simmer about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Set aside to cool.  I prepare the meat the day before.

Skim off grease.  (The original recipe says to use this grease in the pie crusts. I have yet to succeed in this step.  I now buy pastry shells ready-made.)

Add seasonings and bread crumbs.  The recipe calls for 1 cup, but this year I used about 3 and 1/2 cups.  It should be very moist without being liquid.  A quivering mass of meat.

Put 3 1/2 cups of meat inside pastry shell and use a top crust, cutting slits in the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until brown.  Let set about 30 minutes before serving.

This is an insanely huge about of meat and makes enough fillings for at least 3 pies with some remaining.  We only hate half a pie at lunch.  So I froze meat in 3 1/2/ cup amounts to make pies in the next few months.

We eat the pies with mashed potatoes and creamed peas or corn.  This year I also happened to have some roasted parsnips ready to go as well.

We ate around noon.  My almost-four-year-old just wandered into the kitchen as I am typing this and requested some more of "that pie and peas and mashed potatoes please." 

My mother always serves this on New Year's Day.  I'll have to ask her for more history about how it become part of our tradition.  Mom?