SZATHMÁRY’S SALT

One of the perks of writing a food blog is the virtual contact you make with likeminded people. László lived only hours away and we never met, but from time to time we exchange e mails about food, politics and religion; yes you can do that with likeminded people. László recently sent me three of his treasures, written by famous Hungarian chef Louis Szathmáry. 

Szathmáry has a handful of Hungarian recipes in the three volumes. As the chef owner of The Bakery, a Chicago restaurant that used to be of international standing, Szathmáry’s books are a goldmine of experience. Szathmáry earned a degree in psychology in Budapest, but then he spent his life cooking for diplomats, aristocrats and famous people in Europe and North America. 

SZATHMÁRY’S SALT 

1 cup salt 

1 Tbsp Hungarian or Spanish paprika 

1 tsp ground black pepper 

1/4 tsp ground white pepper 

1/4 tsp celery salt 

1/4 tsp garlic salt or only a tiny pinch of garlic powder 

• Combine ingredients and use it instead of salt.

DEVILED SPARERIBS

Day’s gone by I would do wicked things, such as order the free volume of a book series and then cancel the rest. That is how I ended up with the Meat Cook Book from Better Homes and Gardens. I was not the only one, check out the cookbook section of any second hand store and you will find stacks and stacks of Meat books. It had a Deviled Beef Bones recipe I used to make all the time. That’s when we ate a lot of beef, particularly standing beef roasts. It would be a quick meal after the roast was all gone. I haven’t made it in years and then I thought of it the other day. It brought back a flood of memories.

Zsuzsa, Susie and Jim's Mom somewhere in Jasper 1973

My dear mother in law dared the long trip from Tatabánya to Prince George in 1972 and spent six weeks with us that summer. From time to time we had visitors from Hungary and every one of them tried to reorganize my life during their stay. Not my mother in law. She offered no advice and she ate everything I put in front of her. She never complained that the food tasted different or said I’m sorry I cannot eat that. The food does taste different from what they have in Hungary. The milk, the eggs, the fruit, the vegetables, the meat, the bread, even the water is different. But Jim’s mom liked everything. She especially liked my Deviled Beef Bones!

Being short of standing rib roasts these days, I turned to pork spareribs instead. Spareribs are basically bones with a bit of meat on them; the only difference I have to roast them before giving them over to the devilling process. But it's worth the trouble, it’s delicious! 

The following recipe and sauce is the perfect amount for two large spareribs. It will feed four people. I cut the ingredients in half and only roasted one strip. It was the perfect amount for two people. 

DEVILED SPARERIBS 

2 large strips of spareribs [1.5 kg total] 

salt 2 garlic cloves, smashed 

drizzle of olive oil 

Sauce:
3/4 cup catsup 

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

1 Tbsp vinegar 

1-1/2 tsp celery seed 

1 tsp mustard 

• Wash and dry the rib with paper towels.
• Place in an ovenproof dish and salt the rib on both sides.
• Let the rib rest on the counter for two hours.
• Discard the juices if any.
• Add smashed garlic and wrap the dish with aluminum foil.
• Place in the oven and roast the rib covered at 325F for 2 to 3 hours or until very tender.
• When the meaty parts are tender, remove the pan from the oven.
• Transfer the rib to the aluminum foil and pour the juices into a non stick skillet. 
• Put the rib back into the baking dish and set it aside. 
• Prepare the sauce next.

CAULIFLOWER RICE

After the discovery of using spaghetti squash in lieu of spaghetti, cauliflower rice was the most monumental discovery for me. The idea, I think, comes from Chef Jamie Oliver. You grate the cauliflower and then microwave it. I feel almost embarrassed to write it into a recipe. 

CAULIFLOWER RICE

cauliflower 

seasoning of choice 

• Wash a cauliflower really well and let it drip dry. That’s because you don’t want the cauliflower wet, because it will turn into mush. 

• Put 2-3 pieces in a food processor and whizz it until it looks like rice. Or grate the cauliflower on the coarse side of a grater. 

 • Transfer the cauliflower into a heat proof bowl and place a microwavable dome over it. 

• Microwave it for 4-6 minutes. 

• Take it out, season and fluff it up with a fork. And that’s all is there to it.

And speaking of microwaves, do you remember the urban legend regarding microwaves? There are still people who believe it to be true, and like all legends there are scores of personal testimonies insisting on it. Microwave ovens don’t make foods radioactive. When we talk about microwave “radiation” we are simply talking about the production of thermal energy, aka, heat. Radiation and radioactive is NOT the same thing. Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D. from the Harvard Health Review explains: “Microwaves do not cause cancer. They’re a form of non-ionizing radiation and thus cannot ionize tissue. Microwave ovens use low-frequency waves of electrical and magnetic energy to produce heat to cook food. They don’t make food radioactive, nor do they trigger cancer-causing genetic mutations.” 

The human body absorbs radiation from a wide variety of sources and most of it comes from the Sun. The most spectacular evidence of solar radiation storm is the Aurora Borealis.

      

BLIND BAKING PIE PASTRY

Blind baking is baking an unfilled pie shell. Sometimes recipes call for partially baking the pie crust. For custard filled pies however you will need a fully baked crust. The only difference between partially baked and fully baked pie crust is a few extra steps. Prepare the pie pastry. Traditional pie pastries work differently, but I always found them doughy. Mine is a simple recipe, healthier than shortening based pastries and guaranteed to produce a flaky pastry each and every time. I never had a better pie pastry than my own.

• Preheat the oven to 425F. 

• Make half a batch of pie pastry. 

• Roll out the dough on a floured surface. 

• Place the dough into the pie pan. 

• Avoid stretching the dough. 

• Make a flouted edge or press with a fork. 

• Trim the overhanging edge with a pair of kitchen shears. 

• Using a fork, prick a few holes into the bottom. 

• Some people chill the pie crust before baking. This is to stop the pastry from shrinking. Actually I like it if the edge shrinks back a little; the pie is then less doughy and the edge is less likely to fall off when sliced. 

• Next line the pie crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill it with pie weights or with dry beans. I keep a bag of dry beans for this. 

• Place the crust in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. 

• Remove from the oven and let the pie cool down with the weights. This is the partially baked pie crust. 

• For a fully baked pie crust, lift out the weights and gently cover the fluted edge with aluminum foil. 

• Put the crust back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the bottom is golden. 

• Keep an eye on it, if the bottom inflates, don’t poke it with a fork; you could poke a hole into it. Instead take it out and gently place the weights inside for a few seconds. This will lower the inflated parts. 

• Take out the weights and put the crust back into the oven to finish browning.

BABY BOK CHOY RICE

Here is a Chinese vegetable with European flavoring. I wilted the bok choy and combined it with a cup of leftover rice. The rice was cooked in homemade chicken stock and already flavourful. There is no need to add liquid if you use a non stick skillet. On medium heat the vegetables will sweat off sufficient moisture and combined with the residual heat from the pan the cooking is complete. 

BABY BOK CHOY RICE

1-1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw almonds 

4 cloves of garlic 

2 baby bok choys 

1 cup sliced red onion 

1-1/2 cups rice cooked in chicken stock   

1/2 Tbsp Greek seasoning salt and pepper to taste 

• Wash, slice and chop all the vegetables. 

• Heat up a non stick skillet on medium. Be patient, if you begin on high heat your pan will be too hot and scorch the almonds. Add the olive oil and the almonds. 

• Sprinkle salt on the top. 

• Lightly toast it, stirring and when almonds start getting a golden hue, remove skillet from the heat. 

• With a large slotted spoon transfer the almonds to a small bowl and set it aside. 

• Put the skillet back on the heat and add the sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt. 

• Sauté the garlic, stirring, for one minute. 

• Add the chopped baby bok choy and sauté for a couple of minutes.
• Add the sliced red onion and sauté for a minute. 

• Add the cooked rice and sprinkle it with Greek seasoning.
• Gently stir to combine rice with the vegetables and heat through. 

• Add the reserved almonds, and give it a final stir.
• Adjust the salt to taste.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Lemon meringue is not an easy pie to make. I recall a friend of a friend once telling the tale of her celebrated lemon meringue pies at a baby shower. Her husband was a doctor and he insisted that she cook from fresh ingredients only. This was more than forty years ago so the man was ahead of his time. He was also a lover of lemon meringue pies and what the dear lady came up with was she put a few lemon seeds into the packaged pie filling to keep the appearance that she made the pie from fresh lemons. We all applauded her ingenuity and thought how silly it was to make a lemon meringue pie from actual lemons! 

I have a few pointers for making REAL lemon meringue pies though. 

Cornstarch is your thickener, not flour. Of course cornstarch is tricky, because when cooked too long cornstarch looses its ability to thicken or to stay thick. If the filling is not thickened in the pot, it will not thicken sufficiently when chilled. It will thicken some, but your pie will end up a runny mess nevertheless. So there is no point to pour a thin filling into the pie shell. Cut your losses and serve the filling as a pudding and top it with whipped cream or use it as a topping for ice cream. For perfect pie filling follow the instructions with precision. 

Now for making the perfect meringue! 

Bring the meringue up on the pastry, because it will shrink back as it cools. Don’t skimp on the sugar, don’t add it too soon and don’t add it all at once. Gradually added sugar strengthens the egg white molecules. So does a pinch of acid such as cream of tartar. But don’t over beat the egg whites, if the molecules stretch too much, when heated, they will pop and drain liquid. One way to tell the difference, well beaten egg whites are glossy, over beaten egg whites are dull. Always bake the meringue in a slow oven. High temperatures destroy the molecular structure of egg whites. Do not under bake the meringue however. A fully baked meringue has the same consistency throughout. If syrup pools from the meringue, it means that the meringue was not fully baked. 

Meringue pies are short lived. They will last three days in the fridge, but will not survive freezing. Contrary to recipes I read, the meringue will not adhere to chilled filling. For the meringue to stick to the filling, either let the hot filling cool down to room temperature first or if chilled, let it come up to room temperature before making the meringue. Once finished, keep the pie refrigerated. For each cut, use a clean, sharp, well buttered knife. [Not a knife dipped into hot water] 

This one is for Tony. 

LEMON MERINGUE PIE 

1/2 batch of Pie Pastry 

Filling: 

1 cup sugar 

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1/2 tsp salt 

4 eggs yolks 

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice [2 to 3 lemons] Do NOT use bottled lemon juice. 

1-3/4 cups cold water 

finely grated zest of 1 lemon 

1/4 cup butter 

Meringue: 

5 egg whites, at room temperature 

3/4 cup sugar 

1 pinch of cream of tartar

• Make the pastry and blind bake the crust at 420F for 15 minutes. 

• Remove the beans or the weights and bake the crust for 15 minutes longer. 

• Remove the pie from the oven and set it aside. 

• In a larger saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks and lemon juice. 

• Add the cold water and whisk until blended. 

• Cook over moderate heat, whisking until it comes to a boil. 

• Boil stirring until the mixture thickens, [1 minute]. 

• Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and butter. 

• Stir until the butter is completely melted. 

• Pour into baked pie shell. 

• Immediately cover with a round of parchment paper pressed onto the surface. 

• Let the pie cool down to room temperature. 

• Preheat oven to 325F. 

• In a large bowl combine the 5 egg whites and beat until soft peaks form then gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. 

• Remove parchment paper from top of filling and pile on the meringue. 

• Spread to slightly overlap and seal the fluted edges of the crust. 

• Bake for 15 minutes or until top is pale golden. 

• Cool to room temperature on a rack then refrigerate for 2 hours. 

• Slice with a well buttered sharp knife.

STIR FRYING WITH BABY BOK CHOY

I don’t always plan well; on most days I survey the fridge and get an idea. Sometimes I have no idea and just start taking stuff out, start peeling and chopping and somehow a meal grows out of it. The most creative ideas I get when the fridge is close to empty. Pre-planned meals take me longer to prepare and are much more expensive. I have been trying to serve two, sometimes three vegetable sides for dinner with minimal amounts of meat. Sometimes all we have are tastily prepared, colorful vegetables. The darling does the shopping of late, I order vegetables and I never know what he will bring. A couple of weeks ago he brought me a huge bag of baby bok choy. This is one of the recipes

BABY BOK CHOY STIR FRY

1-1/2 Tbsp peanut oil 

1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw almonds 

4 cloves of garlic 

1 large carrot 2 baby bok choys 

1 red pepper chopped, fresh or frozen 

1 cup sliced red onion 

salt to taste  

• Wash, slice and chop all the vegetables. 

• Heat up a non stick skillet on medium. Be patient, if you begin on high heat your pan will be too hot and scorch the almonds. Add the peanut oil and the almonds. 

• Sprinkle salt on the top. 

• Lightly toast it, stirring and when almonds start getting a golden hue, remove skillet from the heat.
 • With a large slotted spoon transfer the almonds to a small bowl and set it aside. 

• Put the skillet back on the heat and add the sliced garlic and sprinkle with salt. 

• Sauté the garlic, stirring, for one minute. 

• Add the sliced carrots and sprinkle with salt. 

 • Cook the carrots for 2-3 minutes. 

• Add the chopped baby bok choy and sauté for a couple of minutes. 

• Add the chopped red pepper and the sliced red onion and sauté for a minute. 

• Add the reserved almonds, and give it a stir.
 • Adjust the salt if needed, and serve with soya sauce.

SWEET AND SPICY PORK ROAST

This wonderful recipe was adapted from “Canadian Living Cooks Step By Step” by Daphna Rabinovitch. I omitted the hot sauce, but for those who can handle it, sweet and spicy is a lovely combination. I simplified the recipe and raised the oven temperature to 375F. I also raised the internal temperature of the roast to 175F. Rabinovitch suggested 160F, but at that temperature you only get medium rare beef, and never mind the tenting, you can’t be too careful with pork. With 175F internal temperature the pork was succulent and tender and most of all fully cooked. I had a much smaller roast as the one suggested, but I did not reduce the sauce and I am glad I didn’t, because the extra sauce will come handy with the leftovers. 

This is a great way to prepare a roast; my taste buds must have adjusted to Canadian standards, because at first all Europeans find the food overly sweet and I was no different. Even to this day, I strive to bake with less sugar, not because I am hung up on using sugar, I simply don’t care for the overly sweet stuff. Oh but this roast was lovely! It is an ideal dish for a dinner party.

SWEET AND SPICY PORK ROAST

1.5 kg boneless single loin pork roast 

salt to taste 

2 tsp olive oil 

1 small onion, finely chopped 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1/4 cup cider vinegar 

1/4 cup molasses 

1/4 cup liquid honey 

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 

2 tsp soy sauce 

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce 

1-1/2 Tbsp cornstarch 

• Trim any excess fat from the roast and place it in a dish. 

• Lightly sprinkle salt on all sides and let the roast sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. 

• Preheat the oven to 375F. 

• In a non stick skillet heat the oil over medium heat and cook the onion and the garlic until it wilts. 

• Reduce the heat to low and add the vinegar, molasses, honey, mustard, soy sauce and hot pepper sauce and bring to the boil. 

• Dissolve cornstarch in 1 Tbsp of cold water and add to the sauce. 

• Cook sauce for 3-4 minutes then set aside. 

• Place a wire rack inside a roasting pan and pour in 1/2 cup of water. 

• Transfer the roast to the wire rack. Discard the juices. 

• Brush the roast with the sauce you have prepared and place it in the preheated oven. Set the timer for 30 minutes. 

• After 30 minutes, brush the roast with the sauce again. If the water evaporated replenish. The water vapour will make it sure that the roast remains succulent and the sauce will not burn. Set the timer for 30 more minutes. 

• Baste again and replenish with water if needed. Place a meat thermometer in the middle of the roast and place the roast back in the oven. Again set the timer for 30 minutes. When the internal temperature reaches 175F take out the roast. At the end you would have cooked the roast for 1.5 hours and basted it with sauce twice. 

• Immediately tent the roast with aluminum foil. Do not let the aluminum touch the roast; the caramelized sauce will stick to it. 

• Let the roast relax for 10 minutes. 

• Transfer the roast to a cutting board and pour the contents of the roasting pan into the skillet with the sauce. 

• Stir to combine and bring to the boil. 

• Meanwhile slice the roast and arrange it on a platter. 

• Pour some of the sauce over the sliced roast and serve.

HONEY WAFERS

Honey Grahams and Honey Graham Crumbs are staple items in the well stocked pantry. But I have not been happy with their quality of late. Something is different about them. It must be the whole wheat and the soy content. I looked for recipes on line, but they all called for graham flour and wouldn’t you know I was unable to find graham flour. The addition of whole wheat flour was a definite taste killer. I experimented with substitutes and the one thing all the recipes had in common is they puffed up and all of them were ghastly soft. I came to the conclusion that honey wafers should not contain leavening agents. I tried making them with butter, but the wafers were still too soft. I don’t often use margarine, but using margarine instead of butter made a huge difference. Until I find graham flour, I am afraid this is as close to honey grahams as I will get. 

I used full sized rimless baking sheets. One baking sheet is the perfect size for one batch of wafers. For variety, I did a batch with white sugar too. They all crisped up, had a pleasant flavour and were easy to make. I will continue to experiment. I aim to reduce the fat content, but only to the point, that it will not alter the flavour.

1 cup block margarine at room temperature 
1/3 cup brown sugar 
1/8 cup liquid honey 
2-1/4 cup flour 
1/4 tsp salt 

• Preheat the oven to 375F. 
• Beat the margarine, sugar and the liquid honey until very fluffy. 
• Lower the speed to mixing. 
• Add the salt. 
• Gradually add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat to combine. 
• Cut two sheets of parchment paper to fit a full size baking sheet. 
• Press the dough onto one of the sheets. 
• Lay the second sheet of parchment paper on the top and evenly roll the dough fully covering the parchment. 
• The dough will spill out here and there. Trim them off and patch it in places the dough didn’t quite make it to the edge. You want as even of a rectangle as you can manage. 
• Cut the dough with a pizza cutter to the desired shapes. Do not use a ruler; it will stick to the dough. You don’t want to sprinkle more flour onto the dough either; it will alter both the texture and the taste of the wafers. If you cannot cut evenly, it does not matter, these are only wafers. 
• Bake it in a preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until the edges start to get a little color. 
• Remove from the oven and immediately re-cut the crackers along the pre-existing lines, because they will fuse together during baking.

POTATO FLATBREAD

Quickly thrown together from fresh dough and leftover garlic potatoes, this was a lunch extender to accompany a bowl of cream soup today. There are endless variations of potato filled flatbreads but this was my concoction. Best eaten hot off the pan. The recipe makes 3 potato filled flatbreads.

POTATO FLATBREAD

2 eggs 

flour 

1-1/2 cups leftover seasoned mashed potato [mine was with garlic] 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

salt and pepper to taste 

• Place 2 eggs into a mixing bowl. 

• Add sufficient flour to make soft pliable dough. 

• Divide into six parts and form them into balls. 

• Roll two balls into thin 8 inch rounds. If the dough sticks to the roller, you need to knead more flour into the dough. 

• Spread 1/2 cup of seasoned mashed potato on the round, leaving 1 inch around the perimeter free. 

• Lightly wet the edge with water and lay the second round on top. 

• Press down on the perimeter sealing the potato filling inside. 

• Repeat with the remaining dough. 

• Heat a non stick skillet on medium heat and drizzle it with olive oil. 

• Add the potato filled flatbread and lightly fry it on both sides. 

• Season and place on a platter and serve immediately.

LARDED POTATOES - ZSÍROS KRUMPLI

We fetishise food. We are told that this ingredient or that ingredient is currently fashionable and good for us and that we should eat it. Quinoa is like that at the moment. I was never a joiner and most importantly I was never a snob. I don’t believe that’s how cuisine works. Food is not fashion. Food is basic, food is unaffected. Food is primal. 

Take the humble larded potatoes. Hungary lived on it for years. It was the first hot dish young people were thought to make, in case they got hungry. Now nobody is willing to admit that they ever tasted it. Just look for zsíros krumpli on the Internet and you will get anything but. 

Zsíros krumpli can be basic, or made with chicken or pork drippings. Add some caraway seeds or freshly chopped parsley and you get caraway seed or parsley potatoes. If you don’t have homemade lard, use drippings or replace the lard with butter. We used to LIKE this. In fact we liked it so much that it was part of our Christmas feast. I don’t want szardellás palacsinta for Christmas, I want zsíros krumpli. “But lard is so fattening!” So is all that red meat you guzzle up with your salad. 

I would like to have a serving of zsíros krumpli. See how easy it is? 

LARDED POTATOES

2 potatoes per person* [any type] 

1 Tbsp homemade lard or meat drippings 

salt and pepper to taste 

• Place a wide bottomed pot on the stove and fill it halfway up with hot water. 

• Bring the water to the boil. 

• Meanwhile peel and chop the potatoes into even sized cubes. 

• Drop the potatoes into the boiling water. Make sure the potatoes are not crowded and are covered with water. 

• Bring to full boil. 

• Cook until the potatoes are tender, but not so soft they fall apart. Keep an eye on them, don’t overcook. 

• Immediately drain off all the water. 

• Add the needed lard or meat dripping to the potatoes and cover with a lid. 

• In a few minutes the lard will melt, gently shake the pot to evenly grease the potatoes. 

• Serve immediately.

* As a side, one potato for every person

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIE BARS

Ah the love of peanut butter! I never got into it myself, but everyone else in this family LOVES peanut butter. Did you know there is a National Peanut Butter Lover's Day in the United States? Canadians are not as weird as that or are they? The Canada Food Guide of yesteryears had a daily peanut butter intake, for some days even twice, which I never followed anyway. Even back then I knew it was hogwash. I wish now I kept an old issue for a laugh. But the love of peanut butter has been curbed, because more and more people are allergic to it. Olivia can’t take nuts [any nuts] to school anymore. Could it be that we overdosed on peanut butter? Hard to say, but the one thing is certain I would never miss the stuff if it disappeared for good. But since I cook to please even I will do the occasional peanut butter recipe.

Teeth? What about the roof of your mouth?

Peanuts was a syndicated comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz.

This yummy peanut butter recipe was adapted from the Brown Eyed Baker. I had a couple of bars myself, and I surprisingly enjoyed them when they first came out of the oven. This had to have been in no small part due to the quality of Adam’s, which is the brand of  peanut butter I use. It has no additives, no fillers and it actually tastes like roasted peanuts, which essentially what Adam’s is. All that Adam's contain is: peanuts. What does your peanut butter contain? The same with the chopped block chocolate I used. No brand of chocolate chip can come close to Callebaut. I can’t stress enough the importance of quality, use quality ingredients and they will always make the foods you make taste good. 

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIE BARS

1-1/2 cups flour 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 egg 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

1 cup good quality dark chocolate, chopped 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

• Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. 

• In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set it aside. 

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy and light. 

• Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. 

• Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until the flour is just incorporated. 

• Add the chopped chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. 

• Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and lightly press into an even layer. 

• Place in the preheated oven and bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until the center is set. 

• Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. 

• Cut into bars and store at room temperature in an airtight container.

BREADED CAULIFLOWER - RÁNTOTT KARFIOL

We ate meat once a week while growing up and the rest of the time we had pasta or vegetable stews called “főzelék”. To replace the meat we put all sorts of things on top of the stew. A poached egg, a couple of slices of unsweetened French toast, fried bread cubes, fried potatoes, a tiny bit of leftover meat with sauce, a drizzle of paprika grease or some breaded deep fried vegetables. We called them “feltét”, which means “to put on top”.

Breaded cauliflower makes a tasty meat replacement, but it can be a nice appetizer too. Serve it with a sauce or sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan. We happen to like them golden fried with just pepper and salt. Breading vegetables is easy. It will never cease to amaze me the trouble people go into making up a batter just the right consistency, which invariably ends up too little at first and in the end way too much. Dipping the vegetables into the batter is pretty useless too, because most of the coating will slide off during frying. The Hungarian way is much easier plus you will never end up with naked veggies on your plate. 

BREADED CAULIFLOWER

1/2 head cauliflower 

1-2 eggs, beaten slightly 

3/4 cup flour 

salt and pepper 

oil for frying 

• Cut apart the florets, but leave them fairly large. 

• Rinse and dry with a paper towel. 

• Sprinkle the florets with salt. 

• Place flour in a medium sized bowl. 

• In a different bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a fork, making sure the yolks and the whites are truly mixed. 

• One by one dip each floret into the flour, then into the beaten egg and into the flour one more time. 

• Place the florets on a tray. 

• Slowly heat up 1 to 2 inches of oil in a fry-pan. Make sure the oil is not too hot, because the batter burns easily. 

• Turn the florets to lightly brown on all sides. 

• Drain on paper towels. 

• Serve hot or cold.

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY TEA CAKE

We have Olivia here throughout the week. I love the darling, but we needed a brake from chocolate. The weekend is the perfect time for us to bring out the adult flavours. It was time for sour cream, lemon, and blueberries. Let me tell you, no yogurt will compare to full fat sour cream. I used salted butter both in the cake and the frosting and it perfectly balanced the flavours. The fresh lemon juice did the same; it enhanced the blueberries and balanced the sweetness of the icing sugar. What a delicious slab cake this is, I thought I died and gone to heaven. 

We have a row of young blueberry bushes in our garden and they serve us well with berries year around. These ones were picked by my darling in the hot sun last year and I froze them on trays and later we packed them into freezer bags. I asked for two cupfuls and he brought up two bags, one had ice crystals and the other was almost perfect. 

It is best if you use frozen berries unthawed, but I didn’t want ice crystals in my cake. I put the frozen blueberries in a fine sieve and rinsed them with a burst of cold water. This got rid of the ice crystals, but slightly thawed the berries. I drained them and transferred them into a bowl. Fresh berries are not as fragile, but frozen berries require a bit of careful handling. Still it is important to coat the berries with flour if you want them well dispersed throughout the cake. Warning, this scrumptious cake is too good and too large for two people. It begs to be shared. Ann! Come and get cake!

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY TEA CAKE

Cake:

3/4 cup 14% sour cream 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

3 cups flour 

1-1/2 tsp baking powder 

3/4 cup salted butter 

1-1/2 cups sugar 

finely grated zest of 1 lemon 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

 3 large eggs 

 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen 

1-2 Tbsp flour to coat the blueberries 

Frosting:

1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature 

2 cups sifted icing sugar 

3/8 cup 14% sour cream 

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

• Preheat the oven to 350F. 

• Fully line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. 

• In a bowl combine the sour cream, baking soda and the fresh lemon juice. 

• In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and the baking powder. 

• Place the blueberries in a separate bowl. 

• Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. 

• Add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until very fluffy. 

• One by one add the eggs, beating well. 

• Add the sour cream mixture and beat until just combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. 

• Sprinkle the flour over the berries one tablespoon at a time. 

• You don’t want excess flour on the berries. Damp flour will make floury pockets inside the cake. Just move the bowl side to side gently and the berries will coat with flour. If flour is left in the bottom of the bowl: discard it. 

• Gently fold the flour coated blueberries into the cake batter. 

• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. 

• Smooth out the top with an offset cake spatula. 

• Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until center springs back when lightly pressed. 

• Let the cake cool in the pan. 

• While the cake cools make the frosting. 

• Combine all ingredients and beat until fluffy. 

 • Put the frosting in the fridge while the cake cools. 

• Re-beat the frosting and spread on top of the cake. 

 • Slice and serve.

PUFF PASTRY WITH CHOCOLATE

Speaking of chocolates... There used to be a miniature candy bar called “BUM SZELET”. Bum means bang and it is pronounced boom in Hungarian. It was a tiny, cheap revolting nougat and it cost 1 forint back in the sixties. I don’t think it had chocolate in it, but this old couple of the family used to bring each of us kids a “BUM Csoki” on Thursdays. Even with our limited experience with good chocolate we thanked them and left our BUMs on the table. We never ate them. After gifting us with the BUMs, Erzsi néni and Bendi bácsi made a b line to the table and stuffed themselves with pastries. Between mouthfuls we got to hear the latest news on Erzsi néni’s knee pains. Aren't children cruel and observant? I have to admit they were not alone picking Thursdays to drop by; Thursdays were baking days at the Vári house. Here I am sitting with my newly operated knee and thoughts of Erzsi néni’s knees and BUM Csoki are floating by. I don’t know if it’s my knee or the memory of BUM Csoki that pains me more.

PUFF PASTRY WITH CHOCOLATE

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry, thawed 

1cup of good quality chopped dark chocolate 

1 egg 

1 Tbsp water 

• For best result thaw the puff pastry in the fridge overnight. 

• Heat the oven to 400F. 

• Roll half of the pastry into a 12-inch square. Always roll from the center outward and avoid stretching the dough by hand. 

• Cut the dough into 9 squares. 

• Arrange the chopped chocolate in the middle of the squares. 

• Orient the square so a corner is pointed away from you. Fold this corner down just past the filling and press firmly to seal. 

• Then fold over to one side, forming an open-ended envelope. 

• Brush the filled pastries with the egg mixture. 

• Place the pastries onto 2 parchment lined baking sheets. 

• Bake the pastries for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Be careful this burns easily. 

• Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.

COCOA SNAILS WITH YEAST - KAKAÓS CSIGA ÉLESZTŐVEL

Cocoa, Sardines and the Old School 

I grew up with the puff pastry version of cocoa snails, but these are far better known and are simpler to make. Long before my time, a Hungarian pastry chef from Göd made cocoa snails famous. I used to go to Alsógöd [it was near the Pest side of Budapest] with my grandma; she had distant relations there. Grandma’s relatives prided themselves with the tiny inland fish they pickled. They brined the fish in wooden barrels. This was an odd thing to do in a sausage loving country. I was a fussy eater so I never tried the sardines. 

This brought back memories of the Red Cross packages we received when the 1956 Revolution was put down. There was of course no help during the bombing, while we were stuck in the basement for weeks with nothing to eat. But when the Red Cross packages finally arrived we got a few woolly skirts, a frilly pink bed jacket and I recall getting a huge tin of evaporated milk that was so thick we thought it must have gone bad. The same with the big can of cheez whiz. It was so salty we didn't know how to use it. At school we were given sardine sandwiches and a watery cocoa drink. I would have preferred a slice of bread with lard, but we were told we should be thankful for what we got. So we drank the cocoa and threw the sardine sandwich in the garbage. The large metal drum in the hall was full of sardine sandwiches by the end of recess. We were hungry, but we were not starving hungry. Feeding seven year olds sardines in a landlocked country was idiotic. But I don’t think foreign aid is well thought out. It first and foremost serves corporate interests and much of the donations end up as waste. 

It was about the same time I first tasted real cocoa and tropical fruits. During the revolution Olgi néni, my grandmother’s sister was stuck in Wienna visiting her half sister. She was one of the few who tried getting back to Budapest and not flee from it. When the bombs stopped and the trains were finally running, she arrived bearing bags of cocoa, coffee, oranges and bananas from the Austrian relatives. Eventually the stores started to carry cocoa and coffee and even bananas made an occasional appearance.

I wonder where they are now. The photo was badly damaged not long after taken; I had brothers and not much of my possessions survived them. I brought this photo with me to Canada in 1967 and a few years ago I pieced the brittle fragments together. I regret not every one of my classmates made it onto the final picture. I forget why I wore that ribbon on my chest; it must have marked some academic achievement, because they wouldn't have given me a ribbon for good behavior. Bányai Jolán tanárnő, my 5th grade teacher, not the one in the picture, once described me to my parents as a likable, smart kid, but prone to be an anarchist gang leader. Have I stayed in communist Hungary I may not have survived.

My elementary was not in the best part of the city, but it was an architectural wonder. It still is, and the only way I can describe the feeling going up the magnificent staircase, the wide halls and the marble posts is reverence. Elementary schools my children attended here in Canada were architectural hovels by comparison. 

I tried these snails with chocolate ganache, but I really didn’t like the way the ganache stained the risen dough and clumped into one area. These snails are best with cocoa. If you don’t like the sugar crystals, use powdered sugar instead. When making yeast buns, the most important factor is beating the dough until elastic. This poses no problem if you have a stand beater. Just pile in the stuff and set to beat. When the dough clears the sides of the bowl, it is ready. Hand beating is a little trickier. You can’t just pile the ingredients into the bowl and beat it. You have to start with beating the yolks and the sugar and then gradually, alternatively start adding the dry and the liquid ingredients. I would not knead this dough on a floured board, kneading would take up too much flour. Beat the dough by hand inside a large stainless or enameled bowl instead. Your arms will hurt, but the dough has to be light and elastic. It’s also important to use egg yolks only. I think the fluffiest yeast loaves come from the Jewish tradition. I made good yeast loaves for years, but when I made my first challah it simply blew me away. Anyway, I wrote the recipe for hand beating. If you have a stand beater, you will know where to make the shortcuts. 

COCOA SNAILS WITH YEAST

4-1/2 cup flour 

1/4 cup soft butter 

1/4 cup sugar 

1-3/4 cups lukewarm milk 

2 tsp instant yeast 

1 tsp sugar 

2 egg yolks 

Filling: 

vegetable oil or clarified butter 

scant 1/2 cup cocoa 

generous 1/2 cup icing sugar 

• Rub the butter into the flour and set it aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and the sugar until fluffy.
• Add the instant yeast and let the mixture stand for ten minutes. 
• Add half of the milk. 

• Gradually add the flour mixture and the remaining milk, ending with the flour. 

• Beat vigorously until the dough is very elastic. 

• Plunk the dough into a well floured board and cover with the mixing bowl. 

• Let the dough rise until it doubles in volume. [Not longer] 

• Lightly flour the cutting board and place half of the dough in the middle. 

• Roll the dough into a large rectangle. 

• Brush the top with oil or with clarified butter. 

• In a bowl whisk together the cocoa and the icing sugar. 

• Spread the top with half of the cocoa mixture. 

• In jellyroll fashion, roll it up. 

• Cut the roll into1-1/2 to 2 inch segments and place the snails on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

• Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough and cocoa mixture. 

• Let the snails rise for 40 minutes and then place in a preheated 375F oven to bake. 

• When the snails start getting a nice colour they are ready. 

• Do not over bake. These snails should remain soft, with fluffy insides. You can glaze them, with a light vanilla glaze, but I like mine with a light sprinkling of icing sugar.