GARLICKY PORK CUTLETS WITH BROCCOLI

Even though I seldom end up using the exact amounts suggested in a recipe, for me the most telling part is the ingredient list. If or when I read the preparation and eliminate the superfluous steps, sometimes a completely different recipe emerges. It may even look the same, but the taste will be different. That is why in the comment sections one may see “this was simply the best” and someone else will call it “the worst recipe ever”. It’s not just that people like different things, no two people will make the same recipe exactly the same way. 

The difficulty with stacked recipes is unifying the ingredients. That’s when the leftovers are better than the day before; time brought the flavors together. In this case, merging all the disparate parts elevates the humdrum to a flavor packed, delightful dish. But you have to follow the steps as laid out below. 

Garlicky Pork Cutlets with Broccoli 

1 Tbsp oil for the baking pan 

1/2 head of broccoli florets 

4 to 6 garlic cloves 

1 medium onion 

4 pork cutlets 

salt and ground black pepper to taste 

1/8 cup flour 

1/4 cup + olive oil 

1/4 cup butter 

2 Tbsp flour 

1/2 cup milk 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

• Preheat oven to 400F. 

• Oil a baking dish and set it aside. 

• Wash, separate and thinly slice the broccoli florets lengthwise and set them aside. 

• Clean and thinly slice the garlic and set them aside. 

• Slice the onion and set it aside. 

• Pound the cutlets thin between layers of plastic wrap. 

• Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

• Roll them into 1/8 cup flour and discarding the remaining flour. 

• Next place a large sauté pan on medium heat. 

• Add 1/4 cup oil or more to cover the entire bottom of the pan. 

• Add the garlic and slow fry until fragrant. 

• Scoop out the garlic and set it aside. 

• Add the onions to the pan, sprinkle lightly with salt and sauté, turning it over to just to sear it. 

• Push the onions to one side of the pan and add the cutlets. 

• Slow fry the cutlets on both sides for 2 minutes. 

• Remove pan from heat. 

• Transfer cutlets to the prepared baking dish. 

• Arrange the onions on top and pour the remaining oil from the pan over the stacks. 

• Cover with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven and bake until the cutlets are tender. 

• Meanwhile arrange the broccoli florets on a pasta plate and sprinkle with salt lightly. 

• Add 1/2 cup of water. 

• Place the plate of broccoli florets in the microwave and cover. 

• Microwave the broccoli for 2-3 minutes to partially cook, just until bright green. 

• Remove the plate and set it aside as is. 

• In a small bowl make slurry from the flour and the milk and set it aside. 

• Place the sauté pan back on medium heat and add the reserved garlic and the partially cooked broccoli florets, reserving the broccoli stock in the pasta plate. 

• Roll the broccoli florets into the garlic and oil in the pan for a couple of minutes. 

• Remove broccoli from the pan and set it aside. 

• Add the butter to the pan. 

• When the butter melted add the reserved broccoli stock and the slurry and slow cook until sauce is thickened. 

• Stir in the heavy cream. 

• Taste the sauce and adjust the salt. 

• When the cutlets are ready, remove the foil and set the baking dish on top of the stove. Don’t turn off the oven. 

• Divide the broccoli florets on top of the cutlet stacks. 

• Spoon the prepared sauce over the stacks and return to the oven uncovered until the top begins to get a bit of color, but the broccoli florets sticking out from under are still green and serve.

HUNGARIAN VEGETABLE PICKLES - TÉLI CSALAMÁDÉ

“Még nyílnak a völgyben a kerti virágok…” Petőfi Sándor, Szeptember Végén 

On such lovely September day I wasn’t thinking of fall looming in the background. Not even a backache deterred me from pickling and I managed to put away twelve smallish jars of csalamádé. And then two days later… gloomy skies and wind. Sigh. Not that the summer was great with the wildfires and the smoke and the struggling garden. Two prolific fruit trees are dead; one dying and neither the walnut nor the cherry tree producing fruit this year... I really shouldn’t mourn the end of summer. Yes folks you don’t have to “believe in climate change” if reality didn’t hit you over the head by now, I don’t know what rock you crawled under. 

The beauty of this recipe it doesn’t require chemical preservatives. Old Hungarian recipes relied on the use of szalicil and lately sodium benzoate. I never found szalicil in Canada, by now outlawed in Hungary as well, and even though sodium benzonate is available on mail order, I think it is preferable to use the North American canning method to process this iconic Hungarian recipe. Vegetable pickles of course come in many forms. This one is a winter pickle which should last on the shelf from one pickling season to the next. The flavor is distinctly European, one can tell by the flavorings used; caraway and mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, fresh dill, and if you can get it grape leaves. I didn’t use grape leaves, even though I have grape leaves aplenty in the backyard, leaves, but for the first time no grapes... Anyway I left the grape leaves out, because this year’s csalamádé was stuffed into smaller, approximately 2 cup, bottles. Grape leaves make the pickles crunchier, but they don’t contribute to flavour. 

This recipe is universal. It will work with any type of vegetable, though red cabbage and beets will color everything red. Traditionally 80% of csalamádé is made from white cabbage, but you can add as many or as few other vegetables as you like. The basic components of pickling are water, vinegar, salt, sugar and spices. 

Don’t use chlorinated water! Use only distilled or sodium free bottled water. 

Don’t use iodized salt. Use only coarse, kosher or pickling salt. 

Regarding sugar: Hungarian recipes traditionally call for white granulated sugar. Brown sugar would change both the appearance and flavor of the pickles. 

As for the vinegar, Hungarian recipes favor 10% white vinegar for pickling. North American recipes call for 5% white vinegar. 10% and up vinegar is corrosive and used here for cleaning, so even if you could get 10% vinegar it may not be suitable for human consumption. Both Allen’s and Heinz make white pickling vinegar at 7%. These may not be available year around, but sure to make an appearance at pickling time and one bottle can last for years. 

Hungarian Vegetable Pickles 

For the Brine: 

12 1/2 cups of distilled or sodium free bottled water 

3 1/2 cups of 7% pickling vinegar 

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar 

1/4 cup coarse salt 

1 heaping Tbsp caraway seeds 

1 heaping Tbsp mustard seeds 

1 heaping Tbsp black pepper seeds 

6 bay leaves cut in half 

For the Vegetables: 

1 head of white cabbage, thinly sliced 

3 bell peppers, red and yellow, thinly sliced 

1 red banana pepper on the hot side, thinly sliced 

1 English cucumber [you can also use a couple of field cucumbers, but peel them if they are waxed], thinly sliced 

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced 

1 large onion, thinly sliced 

4 green tomatoes, thinly sliced 

12 cloves of garlic 

1 pkg fresh dill 

12 [approximately 2 cups or 500 mil] wide mouth bottles and their caps 

• Make the brine first. 

• Put all brine ingredients in a large pot and bring it to a rolling boil. 

• Remove from heat and pour the brine through a fine sieve, reserving the spices for use later. 

• Let the brine cool down completely. This will take a couple of hours. 

• In the meantime wash and drain the 12 bottles and their caps. 

• Set the caps aside and place the bottles in the oven and turn the heat to150F. 

• After the pilot light is off set the timer for 20 minutes. 

• Remove the bottles one by one and place them on the counter. 

 

• Next prepare the vegetables. 

• Wash all the vegetables under cold running water and place them on a tray. 

• First remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and discard. 

• Cut the cabbage into quarters and discard the cores. 

• Slice the cabbage very thinly, as if you were preparing coleslaw. 

• Divide the sliced cabbage between two of the largest bowls or containers you have. This will make it easier to make the csalamádé uniform. 

• Quarter the peppers. Cut off the tops, remove the seeds and membranes and discard. • Julianne the pepper slices and divide between the two bowls. 

• Thinly slice the English cucumber. If using field cucumbers and they are waxed, peel them first. Divide the cucumber slices between the two bowls. 

• Peel the carrots, cut off the ends and discard. Thinly slice the carrots across and divide them in the two bowls. 

• Thinly slice the onion and the green tomatoes and divide them in the two bowls. 

• Toss contents of the two bowls. 

• Clean the garlic cloves and place one into each prepared bottle. 

• Divide the dill between the bottles. 

• Next divide the reserved spice mixture from the brine between the bottles. 

• Stuff the bottles with the prepared vegetables leaving a quarter inch headspace. 

• Pour the reserved by now room temperature brine over the vegetables, again leaving a headspace. 

• Wipe the rims with dampened paper towel. 

• Place 12 lids in a small pot with water and bring it to almost simmer to soften the seals. 

• Pour off the water and place the lids over the bottles. 

• Put on the screw caps on and transfer the bottles to the oven. 

• Turn the heat to 150F and process for 1 hour. 

• Remove the bottles and set them out on the counter. 

• The popping sounds will signal the bottles are sealed. 

• Check for the seal, the lid should not move up or down at all, and store.

PEASANT GULYÁS – PARASZTGULYÁS

It’s a soup. Thick or with ample stock, what Hungarians call “hosszú lével”, gulyás is a pleasantly spicy, or fiery hot peppery soup. It can be made with either stock or water. Even though this one is made with sausages, the flavor is unmistakably gyulyás. Serve it with sour cream just like a gulyás. It never occurred to me to make gulyás from sausages, the idea came from cookta. 

My pet peeve is misused ingredients. One can’t claim authenticity with the wrong ingredients. Authentic Hungarian herbs and spices are Hungarian paprika [not Spanish], peppercorns, garlic, marjoram, caraway seeds [not cumin], flat leaf parsley [not cilantro], and dill. 

 

Peasant Gulyás 

3 slices of bacon, chopped 

2 Tbsp oil 

1 onion, diced 

2 cloves of garlic, crushed 

good pinch of caraway seeds, [don’t replace with cumin] 

1 hot Hungarian sausage, sliced 

1 Ukrainian sausage, sliced 

 1 tomato, chopped 

1 green pepper, diced 

2-3 potatoes, chopped 

1 large carrot, sliced 

salt and ground pepper to taste 

2 Tbsp Hungarian Paprika 

4 cups homemade pork stock or water [not chicken stock] 

14% sour cream for serving 

• Cut the bacon into strips and place it in a medium sized pot. 

• Slice the sausages and set them aside. 

• Wash, peel, slice and dice all the vegetables, and set them aside separately. 

• Fry the bacon slightly on medium heat, but don’t brown it. 

• Add 2 Tbsp of oil, the onions, garlic and the caraway seeds and sauté until the onions are translucent. • Add the sausages and continue to sauté, turning them over, for a couple of minutes. 

• Next add the tomato and the green pepper and continue to sauté for a few minutes longer. 

• Add the potatoes and the carrots and season with salt and pepper. 

• Add the Hungarian Paprika and give everything a good stir. 

• Finally add the pork stock and slowly simmer until the potatoes and the carrots are well cooked. 

• Adjust the salt and put a lid on the pot. 

• Serve the gulyás in the pot with sour cream on the side.

The following day I added a chunk of sliced purple cabbage and the gulyás became a borsht.

PASSIONFRUIT SYRUP CAKE BARS

We enjoyed these cake bars to the last wonderful crumb. But it’s only for those who cannot get hold of fresh passionfruit. Good ones that is. I tried. I found it once locally, but it didn’t look anything like on the pictures, worse, it tasted putrid. Then I ordered French passion fruit curd from Amazon. Well it looked fine, but I didn’t like the weird aftertaste. I had one more trick up my sleeve; I ordered a bottle of passionfruit syrup. Granted it has a few additives, but I made these cake bars with it and wow! We loved them. I kept the leftover for a more elaborate cake. There you have it. I always knew passionfruit had to be lovely; my old Aussie friend in Prince George used to lament her pavlova wasn’t the same without it. Well at the very least I now know what the Aussies have been raving about. This is a one bowl cake and fairly easy to make. 

Passionfruit Syrup Cake Bars 

3/4 cup flour 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

4 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup soft butter 

1/4 cup passionfruit syrup 

1/4 cup 14% sour cream 

Passionfruit Icing: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter 

1 1/2 cups icing sugar 

3/8 cup passionfruit syrup 

• Preheat oven to 375F 

• Fully line a square cake pan with parchment paper. 

• In a smaller bowl whisk the flour with the baking powder really well and set it aside. 

• Separate the eggs. 

• In a beater bowl beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. 

• Reduce the speed and add the sugar gradually, beating on medium speed. 

• Reduce the speed again and add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating on low speed. 

• Gradually began to add from the passion fruit syrup, the reserved flour mixture, and the sour cream; ending with the flour mixture. Avoid overmixing! 

• Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven until light golden ~ 20 minutes or until the edges began to pull away from the pan and the cake middle springs back. 

• In the meantime make the passionfruit icing. 

• Add all the ingredients to a clean beater bowl and beat for 4 minutes or longer. 

• Next, remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. 

• I cut the cake into squares while still hot and we sampled a couple of squares with a dab of icing on top melting down... It was delightful! 

• When the cake cooled to room temperature I spread the remaining icing on top.

CHICKEN BREAST TOKÁNY - CSIRKEMELL TOKÁNY

Tokány is a Hungarian word for meat cut into long, thin slices and cooked with the “dry stewing method”. Some cooks call it a ragout, except ragout cooks longer and this tokány cooks more like a stirfry. Tokány can have paprika, sometimes little or not at all. I have authentic Hungarian paprika so why not use a lot? But paprika alone does not make it a paprikás, besides the tokány’s cooking method is different from paprikás. You can read more about the paprika culture here. 

Chicken Breast Tokány 

1/2 chicken breast 

3 Tbsp olive oil 

1/2 onion, diced 

1 clove of garlic 

 salt and pepper to taste 

1 Tbsp Hungarian Paprika, more if paprika is not Hungarian 

2 tomatoes, quartered 

1 red bell pepper, sliced 

• Cut the chicken breast into long, thin slices. 

• Dice the onion and slice the garlic. 

• Quarter the tomatoes and slice the pepper. 

• Place the oil on medium heat in a non stick sauté pan. 

• Add the onions and the garlic and sauté until translucent. 

• Add the sliced breast meat and sauté turning it over until no pink is showing. 

• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 

• Stir in the Hungarian paprika. 

• Add the tomatoes and the pepper and continue to sauté until the tomatoes break up. 

• Taste and adjust the salt and cover the pan for five minutes before serving. 

• Tokány is traditionally served with potatoes and 14% sour cream.

WALNUT MUFFINS

Now walnut muffins may not be a common fare, but when you have a giant walnut tree in your backyard, walnut muffins is a natural consequence. A word of caution when buying packaged walnut meat, if the walnut pieces are worn at the edges, there is a good chance they are rancid. Don’t buy rancid nuts these are toxic. Buy only fresh nuts, even if you have to crack them yourself, and always freeze what is left. Shelled nuts don’t keep well in the cupboard. At first I overloaded the muffins with finely ground walnuts and the result was a cakelike texture, soft and delicate. Not at all the robust muffin I was looking for. This time I increased the flour and decreased the ground walnuts. If walnut extract is unavailable, use walnut essence, the flavoring used for homemade liquor. Get it from a health food store or a wine shop. Not to muddy the walnut flavor, I added only 2 teaspoons of cocoa for color. This is a walnut muffin and not particularly chocolaty. 

Walnut Muffins 

1/2 cup finely ground walnuts 

2 cups flour 

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/4 cup soft butter 

4 Tbsp oil 

3/4 cup sugar 

2 eggs 

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp walnut extract or 1 tsp walnut essence

1/2 cup 3.25 buttermilk 

1/2 cup 14% sour cream 

2/3 cup chopped walnuts for the top 

• Preheat oven to 425F. 

• Line a muffin tin with large parchment liners. 

• Using a grinder or a food processor finely grind the walnuts and set it aside. 

• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and the salt until truly combined. Set it aside. 

• Add the soft butter, oil, sugar and the lemon juice to a beater bowl and beat until fluffy. 

• Add the eggs one by one and beat to combine. 

• In a measuring cup whisk together the sour cream and the buttermilk. 

• Alternating, gradually add the flour mixture, the sour cream mixture to the butter mixture on low speed. 

• With a wooden spoon stir in the fine ground walnuts. 

• Divide the batter in the prepared muffin tin. 

• Arrange the chopped walnuts on the top and bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. 

• Reduce heat to 400F and bake 12 minutes longer. 

• Test one of the middle muffins with a cake tester. Bake it a bit longer if needed. 

• Remove the muffin tin from the oven and place it on a wire rack.

HUNGARIAN SLOPPY JOE - LECSÓS SLOPPY JOE

Oh so good, but don’t make this for gentile company… because eating it is sloppy. I was long gone from the table and Jimre was still working on it. He ate it with knife and fork. As he said it was very tasty. I got some mild Italian sausage meat [not the actual sausages] wanting to make sausage rolls. But it was more than I needed hence my thought drifted to lecsó. It ended up being a cross between lecsó, the Hungarian version or ratatouille, and ragu. Plus I just pulled a couple of French breads out of the oven and the next thing is two substantial sloppy Joes are on the table. 

The prep is similar to lecsó, incorporating the sausage meat of course. The vegetables are diced uniformly with added caraway seed, mustard, brown sugar and a stalk of celery. The bun should be Kaiser or 2 slices of French bread as it is here. 

Hungarian Sloppy Joe 

220 g mild Italian sausage meat [mine was Johnsonville] 

2 Tbsp oil 

1/2 onion, diced 

2 cloves of garlic, crushed 

2 large or 3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped 

1 red pepper, diced 

1 yellow pepper, diced 

salt and pepper to taste 

1 tsp Hungarian paprika 

1 tsp mustard 

1 tsp brown sugar 

1 stalk of celery, diced 

2 Kaiser rolls or 2 slices of French bread as long as wide 

• Heat the oil on medium high in a large non stick sauté pan. 

• Add the onion and the garlic and sauté until translucent. 

• Add the sausage meat and break it up with a wooden spoon. 

• Cook stirring until no longer pink. 

• Add the rest of the ingredients except the celery and the Kaisers. 

• Stir to combine and place a lid on the top. 

• Slowly simmer until tomatoes break down. 

• Remove the lid and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced, still moist but almost all the liquid is gone. 

• Add the diced celery slices and stir for two minutes. This will give a nice crunch to the lecsó. 

• Divide the lecsó between two kaisers.

COATED FRIED BUNS – BUNDÁS ZSEMLE

I have an oven version on file already; I was just feeling a bit nostalgic for winter, Yes Winter! – In the midst of wildfire smoke and that is when I began to write down the more authentic version of bundás zsemle. In January, when the wind was howling outside and inside my family sat by the woodstove with a large tray of piping hot fried deliciousness… those are my memories of Bundás Zsemle. 

In Hungarian “bunda” means furcoat and ‘bundás zsemle’ roughly translates to ‘bun in fur coat’. IMO furry bun is a bit of a stretch. In Hungarian, the word ‘bunda’ conjures up a fluffy covering and not so much a fur coat. Plus fur is hair right? And as such doesn’t sound appetizing. But then what to call these? Coated Fried Buns? You could say Coated Fried Buns [ergo bundás zsemle] is the Hungarian equivalent of French toast and yet it has never been a breakfast fare. Always a salty deep fried evening snack or a meat replacing accompaniment to a vegetable stew during lean times. 

You really need good crusty buns but these are hard to come by. What I can get in Kamloops is nothing like the crusty buns I grew up with. Yes I do make them, but not too often. I found the best replacement is a couple of days old French bread. Not the long skinny ones, the short ones with the wide breath. You could also use thick slices of sourdough or ciabatta buns, but only from white flour otherwise the flavor will not be right. Avoid soft buns and whole grains of any type. Always make it from stale bread and deep fry it to crispy golden magnificence. 

COATED FRIED BUNS 

4 crusty buns or 4 thick slices of stale French bread 

2 eggs 

1/4 cup milk sprinkling of salt 

 1/4 cup flour 

oil for frying 

salt to taste 

• Cut the buns in half. 

• In a shallow bowl whisk the egg, milk and the salt until well combined. Use the salt sparingly; it is only for the small amount of batter coating the buns. 

• Place the flour in a separate shallow bowl. 

• Heat an inch of oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. 

• One by one dip the buns into the egg mixture to coat. 

• Next lightly dip both sides into the flour. You want a bit of flour to stick to the egg wash but don’t dip it more than once. 

• Then dip the bun into the egg wash again. The order is this; egg wash first, flour next and egg wash once more. 

• When the oil is ready, slice the coated buns into the oil.  

• Turn the buns over with a kitchen thong and fry until both sides are golden brown. 

• Let the buns drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes, sprinkle with salt and eat!

GARLICKY PORK CUTLETS AND BROCCOLI

Both are. Both are garlicky. Lightly sauté the garlic in oil and use the garlic flavored oil to cook the chops and flavor the broccoli. Russian garlic is expensive, but it’s the way garlic used to be. I would double the amount of white garlic, the ones in the mash bags have little aroma and flavor. But if you leave the minced garlic sitting around for a few hours it should get more pungent. Just wrap it up not to stink up the house. Notice, remarkably small amount of oil needed. 

to increase pungency of garlic chop and pound with salt

and set aside for a few hours to develop

Garlicky Pork Cutlets And Broccoli 

3 cloves of Russian garlic 

sprinkle of salt 

1/4 head of broccoli 

4 boneless pork cutlets or chops, pounded thin 

2 Tbsp flour 

1/4 cup light olive oil, not extra virgin 

salt and pepper to taste 

fresh lemon for drizzling, optional 

• Chop and crush the garlic with a bit of salt and scrape it into a small bowl and cover with wrap. 

• Next trim the fat off the chops and using a handheld tenderizer pound them very thin. 

• Place the flour with a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl. 

• One by one coat the cutlets with the flour. 

• Place the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. 

• Add the prepared garlic and cook stirring for a few minutes. 

• Add the cutlets to the pan and fry them in the oil on both sides until no pink shows. 

• Place a lid on the pan and continue cooking. 

• In the meantime wash the broccoli and separate the florets and slice them lengthwise. Place them in a shallow bowl, with 1/4 cup of water, cover with a plastic dome and microwave for 7 minutes or until tender but still vibrantly green. 

• Keep an eye on the cutlets, moving them around the pan and the garlicky oil, occasionally turning them over with a kitchen thong, but always replacing the lid. 

• When the broccoli is done, add the broccoli stock to the pan. Replace the lid and cook for a few minutes until the stock and the garlicky oil come together. 

• Remove the lid and add the broccoli. 

• Heat through, turning the broccoli florets over a few times to coat them with the garlicky oil. 

• Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

• Transfer everything to a warm serving dish and lightly sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and serve. If you don’t have fresh lemon just omit this step.

Cover the meat with wrap before pounding

Sauté the garlic in 1/4 cup oil

Microwave the broccoli rosettes covered

Cook the meat covered until the end

CORN ON THE COB

The Iroquois gave the first recorded sweet corn, called 'Papoon' to European settlers in 1779. Up until then the only corn existed in other parts of the world was animal feed. Oh people ate it too… Field corn or otherwise called dent corn has a dent in the kernels and darker yellow with larger kernels than sweet corn. Dent corn is very starchy with little or no sugar content, which explains why some people hang onto the old ways of cooking corn with milk; sometimes with lemon or butter; why they still add sugar and the worst part… why they boil it for a ridiculously long time! Except there is no chance ending up with feed corn from the supermarket! And like bloodletting or smearing burns with grease, holding onto traditions is not always in our best interest. Yet the argument how long to cook corn goes on. Once vacationing with Hungarian friends we had a bit of a fiasco over the corn. The vibrantly fresh corn we brought up from the market was totally destroyed and then my friend who cooked it complained how long it took… I was incredulous and said “I never heard of cooking corn for hours… you just boiled the life out of it” was my tactless response. But my friend wouldn’t budge and insisted that’s how you cook corn. I thought how odd! But the ongoing dispute over corn is not restricted to Hungary. Just do a search on cooking corn. The AI gives the correct response, 7 to 10 minutes, but home cooks and even some chefs… advise cooking corn for 25 to 45 minutes! One celebrity chef salted his corn in the pot… Well salting the corn in the pot just toughens it up. Always, always salt corn at the table. 

Corn is BEST when it’s young and tender and the husk is bright green. Avoid corn with faded, drying husks. Don’t forget to check for well formed kernels. Don’t rip off the husks at the supermarket unless you intend to cook it the same day. The husk keeps the corn fresh a little bit longer. 

Corn On The Cob

 

• Boil sweet corn for seven to ten minutes and don’t add salt to the cooking water. Salt hardens the kernels during cooking. 

• Serve the corn promptly, right out of the pot with salt and butter. 

• Bring a large pot of water to full rolling boil. 

• Add the corn. 

• When the water comes back to full boil, set the timer to 7 to 10 minutes depending on the maturity of the corn. Young tender corn from the beginning of the season needs less time. 

• Test the kernels with a fork for doneness and consume the corn right away with salt and butter. 

• That’s all there is to cooking corn on the cob.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEACH MUFFINS

My dear girl made some peach muffins while glamping and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. This one is my version with the last of the white Callebaut. Save On discontinued it and I may not be able to buy it again. Costco sells Callebaut pastilles, but for this purpose one needs block chocolate. Lindt could be all right, but Callebaut is better! The Italian deli downtown sells dark and milk Callebaut… they just might carry white chocolate as well. Ever hoping for the good things to stay the same, but that’s not how the world operates.

glamping at Canim Lake

 White Chocolate Peach Muffins

 

3 fresh peaches, peeled and chopped 

1 cup of white Callebaut chocolate, chopped 

 1/4 cup soft butter 

4 Tbsp oil 

 3/4 cup sugar 

 2 eggs 

 2 1/2 cups flour 

 1 tsp baking powder 

 1/2 tsp baking soda 

 1/2 tsp salt 

 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 

 1/2 cup 3.25 buttermilk 

 1/2 cup 14% sour cream 

• Preheat oven to 425F. 

• Line a muffin tin with large parchment liners. 

• Wash, peel and cut up peaches and set aside. 

• Chop the white chocolate and set aside. 

• Add soft butter, oil, sugar, eggs, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a beater bowl and beat until fluffy. 

• Add the lemon juice and beat to combine. 

• In a measuring cup whisk together the sour cream and the buttermilk. 

• Alternating, gradually add the flour and the sour cream mixture to the butter mixture and stir it with a wooden spoon to combine. [From here on end don’t beat the batter] 

• Gently fold the chopped peaches and white chocolate into the batter. 

• Divide the batter in the prepared muffin tin. 

• Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. 

• Test one of the middle muffins with a cake tester. The cake tester will not come out completely clean, it will have some melted white chocolate on it. Don’t confuse the melted white chocolate for the batter. Bake it a bit longer if needed. 

• Remove muffin tin from the oven and place on a wire rack. 

Peaches should be ripe but still firm 

 Glorious! Absolutely glorious!

SUMMER CHILI with CHICKEN and CANNED BEANS

The ground chicken breast and the fresh chopped tomatoes make this a delightfully light chili. Using canned instead of dried beans cuts out the presoaking and the cooking time is reduced to 35 minutes. Inexpensive canned beans tend to fall apart, so it’s worth using good quality canned beans. 

Summer Chili with Chicken and Canned Beans 

1 can of six beans

3 Tbsp olive oil 

1 pound ground chicken breast 

1/2 large onion, diced 

2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped 

1 large yellow tomato, peeled and chopped 

1 large red pepper, diced 

2 cloves of garlic minced 

1 tsp chili powder 

1/2 tsp ground cumin 

1 Tbsp fresh oregano chopped or 1/2 tsp dried 

large pinch of chili flakes  

pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder 

pinch of ground cinnamon 

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

• Open the can of mixed beans, drain and rinse under cold running water and set it aside to fully drain.

• Add the oil to a large non stick sauté pan and place it over medium heat. 

• Add the ground breast of chicken and the onions and sauté stirring to break up the meat. 

• When the meat is no longer pink add the tomatoes the diced red pepper and the garlic. 

• Next add the chili powder, ground cumin, oregano and the chili flakes. 

• Stir and cover with a lid. 

• Continue to simmer for 20 minutes. 

• Add the beans to the pan and continue to simmer for 35 minutes or until most of the liquid is reduced.

• Add salt and ground pepper to taste. 

• Add the cocoa powder and the cinnamon and stir. 

• Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

• Garnish with chopped Italian parsley and serve with garlic bread.

BAKING WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF YEAST

There are several types of yeast: active dry yeast, instant yeast, rapid rise yeast and fresh or cake yeast. For me the most frustrating ingredient has been the yeast. Old Hungarian recipes all call for fresh yeast. Fresh yeast has never been readily available where I live. Dried yeast has a long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature. Fresh yeast has to be refrigerated and is good for a few days. But don’t believe the claim fresh and dry yeast are the same. They are not. Cake yeast will produce loftier buns and loaves by far. To this day better bakeries still use it in Canada. The old bakery in Brock used to sell me blocks of it, the new establishment declined. Not that there are good bakeries left in Kamloops, but I digress. 

When it comes to Hungarian recipes, baking powder is also a challenge. In Hungary baking powder is sold in 10, 12 or 15 gram packets, so “Add 1 pkg of baking powder” may or may not hold true. Then the recipes with szalalkáli…I had to give those up. While szalalkáli is a really good leavening agent in Hungary, namely ammonium-bicarbonate, it is on the Hazardous Substance List in North America. But then so is Kinder Surprise, well not here, but in the States. 

Types of Dry Yeast 

The most common yeast in Canada is dry yeast. There are two types of dry yeast available: Active Dry Yeast and Instant Yeast. When it comes to how much yeast is required in the recipe, they are interchangeable. The only difference is traditional Active Dry Yeast needs an extra step to "wake it up" or activate it, called proofing. Fast Rising Yeast or Fast Acting Yeast, can be added without proofing. 

Proofing dry yeast is to prove the yeast is alive. Dissolve contents of the packet in warm liquid with some sugar. In 5 to 10 minutes, the mixture should be foamy. If not, the yeast is dead and should be discarded. Like everything in life, dry yeast has an expiry date after which it will not work. So liquid and sugar is a requirement to activate it. None of this is needed with Instant Yeast; it can be added to the flour mixture. However… Instant Yeast has a shelf life too, so if you are not quite sure how old it is or it expired, you can certainly try to activate it in warm liquid and sugar. Keeping all your yeasts in the fridge is a good idea though. All types of yeast can be frozen which lengthens their life. 

1 package active dry yeast = ~2 1/4 teaspoons = 1/4 ounce = 7 grams 

DRY YEAST VERSUS CAKE YEAST 

7 grams instant yeast = 1/4 ounce instant yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast = 21 grams fresh yeast

14g dry yeast=50g cake yeast 

1 kg flour requires	4 tsp dry yeast
1 kg flour requires	50g cake yeast

• For every 1 cup of flour use either 2g dry yeast or 3g fresh yeast. 
• For every 5.3oz flour use either 2g dry yeast or 3g fresh yeast. 
• For every 150g flour use either 2g dry yeast or 3g fresh yeast.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

Hungarian recipes are written in metric, and kitchen scale being the quintessential tool for home baking. Conversion is unavoidable. Just remember this: 1Kg = 100 dkg = 1000 gram!!! And provided you can read or translate Hungarian recipes, there will be other pitfalls aplenty. 

Not that the old imperial measures or the ml volume based recipes have not posed challenge for the standard cup user. Even the cup is not the same in North America and England or Australia. So I weigh and measure out every recipe and still I have to repeat some before I am satisfied. As much for myself as for you dear reader, I jotted down some useful conversions to help with home cooking.

1 Kg

100 dkg

1000 grams

1 lb	453.5 grams
1 ounce	28 grams
1 quart	1 liter
1 cup	240 ml
1 Tbsp	15 ml
1 tsp	5 ml

1 cup	16 Tbsp	48 tsp
3/4 cup	12 Tbsp	36 tsp
2/3 cup	10 2/3 Tbsp	32 tsp
1/2 cup	8 Tbsp	24 tsp
1/3 cup	5 1/3 Tbsp	16 tsp
1/4 cup	4 Tbsp	12 tsp
1/8 cup	2 Tbsp	6 tsp
1/16 cup	1 Tbsp	3 tsp

1 gallon	4 quarts
1 quart	4 cups
1 quart	2 pints
1 pint	2 cups
1/2 pint	1 cup
1 cup	8 fluid ounce
1/2 fluid ounce	1 Tbsp

ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR AND BREAD FLOUR

1 cup	150g
1/2 cup	75g
1⁄3 cup	50g
1/4 cup	37g

 CAKE & PASTRY FLOUR

1 cup	130g
1/2 cup	65g
1⁄3 cup	45g
1/4 cup	32g

 WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

1 cup

120g

 GRANULATED, LIGHT BROWN, DARK BROWN

SUGARS

1 cup	200g
1⁄3 cup	67g
1/4 cup	50g
2 Tbsp	25g

ICING SUGAR

1 cup	130g
1⁄3 cup	45g
1/4 cup	32g

BUTTER

4 sticks	1 lb	2 cups	450g
1 stick	1/4 lb	1/4 cup	110g
1/2 cup	8 oz	8 Tbsp	225g
1 Tbsp butter	1/2 oz	3 tsp	15g

MOST FATS

1 cup	225g
1⁄3 cup	75g
1/4 cup	60g
2 Tbsp	30g

 OTHER INGREDIENTS

Cornstarch	1 cup	120g
Potato Starch	1 cup	190g
Cocoa Powder	1 cup	120g
Rolled Oats	1 cup	100g
Honey	1 cup	300g
Corn Syrup	1 cup	325g
Peanut Butter	1 cup	250g
Graham Crumbs	1 cup	125g
Chocolate Chips	1 cup	175g
Coconut	1 cup	100g
Baking Powder	1 tsp	3g
Baking Soda	1 tsp	5g

 FRESH FRUITS

Apple 3-4 medium	1 pound	3 cups sliced	1 cup 175g
Banana 3-4 medium	1 pound	1 3/4 cup mashed	1 banana 118g
Peaches 4 medium	1 pound	3 cups sliced	~150g
Pears 4 medium	1 pound	2 cups sliced	1 cup=226g
Cherries	1 pound	3 cups	453.5g
Strawberries sliced	1 quart	4 cups	1 cup=280g
Raspberries		1 cup	125g
Blueberries		1 cup	125g
Cranberries		1 cup	36g

 FROZEN FRUITS

Raspberries	1 cup	150 g
Blueberries	1 cup	150 g
Cranberries	1 cup	110 g

 DRIED FRUITS

Raisins	1 cup	150g
Dried currants	1 cup	160g
Dried cranberries	1 cup	140g
Dried blueberries	1 cup	150g
Dried apricots	1 cup	130g
Prunes	1 cup	150g
Dried cherries	1 cup	140g