It was punishment. I hated it. I truly, truly hated it. So much so, I never made it, except when I was expecting and then each time only once. At a certain point in my pregnancies, I got an overwhelming urge to have some kelkáposzta főzelék. I remember rushing off to the store and cooking it and eating it out of the pot half-cooked, I could not wait for it to finish. I polished off an entire savoy cabbage this way. After that kelkáposzta főzelék was gone, it was not on my agenda until the next pregnancy. I called it the prego dish.
No more babies and now that I can cook; I make an awesome kelkáposzta főzelék. I made it for dinner again last night, it was too dark for a photo, but hey, the dinner was delicious. The recipe makes exactly two főzelék dinners. I know why I hated it; grandma’s wasn’t very good. She had her strengths, but kelkáposzta főzelék was not her strong suit.
4 cups of thinly sliced savoy cabbage [tough center stem removed]
2 potatoes, diced
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 pinch caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste
4 thick slices of bacon
1/4 cup of diced onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
• Wash and thinly slice the savoy cabbage.
• Peel and chop the potatoes.
• Place the cabbage in a medium sized pot and add cold water just covering the cabbage.
• Quickly bring to the boil.
• Boil for 2 minutes and then drain.
• Discard liquid and put the cabbage back into the pot.
• Add the diced potatoes.
• Add the chicken stock.
• Add the caraway seeds, salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to the boil.
• Reduce heat, cover pot and slowly simmer until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile slow fry the bacon in a non-stick fry pan. Do not fry it to a crisp.
• Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
• When the bacon has a nice golden color on both sides, remove and set aside.
• Add the onions and the garlic to the bacon fat and sauté until translucent.
• Add the flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the paprika.
• When the potatoes and the savoy cabbage are soft, add the onion mixture to the pot.
• Gently stir and slowly simmer for one more minute.
• Remove from heat and serve in deep pasta dishes.
• Arrange the fried bacon on the top and serve with a slice of rustic bread.
2 potatoes, diced
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 pinch caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste
4 thick slices of bacon
1/4 cup of diced onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
• Wash and thinly slice the savoy cabbage.
• Peel and chop the potatoes.
• Place the cabbage in a medium sized pot and add cold water just covering the cabbage.
• Quickly bring to the boil.
• Boil for 2 minutes and then drain.
• Discard liquid and put the cabbage back into the pot.
• Add the diced potatoes.
• Add the chicken stock.
• Add the caraway seeds, salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to the boil.
• Reduce heat, cover pot and slowly simmer until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile slow fry the bacon in a non-stick fry pan. Do not fry it to a crisp.
• Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
• When the bacon has a nice golden color on both sides, remove and set aside.
• Add the onions and the garlic to the bacon fat and sauté until translucent.
• Add the flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the paprika.
• When the potatoes and the savoy cabbage are soft, add the onion mixture to the pot.
• Gently stir and slowly simmer for one more minute.
• Remove from heat and serve in deep pasta dishes.
• Arrange the fried bacon on the top and serve with a slice of rustic bread.
