hearty belly-filling food

Last weekend, I made Hungarian Chicken Paprikash and German Spaetzle noodles.

Paprikash is a dish my mom used to make on occasion, and I absolutely loved. But, as all things go, it faded from memory. That is, until I met Brigita in New Zealand, a Hungarian girl that I befriended and became one of my closest friends while our time in Wellington overlapped. Paprikash was one of her home favorites and, had we had a few spare dollars for the paprika, we would have made it. Luckily, I have a ton at home now, and the spare container of sour cream in the fridge screamed out for it :)

As for the spaetzle, it just seemed appropriate and I was curious about how they were made. The recipes I found seemed easy enough, so it was worth a shot. Especially since I bought a bag of egg noodles as back-up :) You don't need a lot for a full serving of these... they are VERY filling!

(what the leftovers look like, since this was made on the same day as
the outdoor chicken drama and brownie splurge and I didn't think to take photos:)

---

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

(adapted from the Food 52 recipe)

You'll need:

• 6 - 8 chicken thighs (with bone and skin)
• salt & pepper
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 2 medium onions, sliced into rings
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
• 5 Tbsp paprika (you can use a mix; I used 4Tbs Hungarian and 1Tbs smoked)
• 1/4 tsp (or more) Aleppo pepper flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream (full fat, please!) brought to room temperature

Instructions:

Salt and pepper the chicken thighs. In a dutch oven over medium heat, brown the thighs - skin side down first - until golden. Set the thighs aside. (Can be done in batches.)

To the dutch oven (with the chicken fat), add the onions and cook until soft and slightly browned. Add the tomato paste and garlic, cooking until fragrant (2-3 minutes). Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pot. Add the tomatoes, paprika, and pepper flakes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken thighs and any juices that collected with them, and bring to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered for 1-2 hours until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then whisk in the sour cream. Do not allow the heat to rise too much, or the sour cream will curdle.

Serve with egg noodles or spaetzle.

Yields: Serves 4-6

Time:

Prep: 20 min

Cooking: 1-2 hours

---

SPAETZLE

You'll need:

• 3 cups AP flour
• salt
• 4 eggs
• up to 1 cup milk
• 1 Tbs butter

Instructions:

In a large pot, fill two-thirds with water and add a heavy dose of salt. Cover and set to boil.

In a large bowl, mix 3 cups flour and a pinch of salt. Create a hollow in the middle of the flour.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and 1/2 cup milk until fully blended. Pour the egg mixture slowly into the flour, whisking it with a fork as you go. Add additional milk until the consistency is like a thick cake batter (more runny than dough, less runny than pancake batter).

Once the water is at a full boil, pour the batter into a gallon-sized plastic bag. Cut a tiny corner off the bag (you're looking for a stream of batter that is approximately 1/8 inch wide) and pipe into the bubbling middle of the water. The noodles should float to the top and, eventually, you may find it hard to find open spaces to let the stream into the water. A free hand (your own or someone else's) can use a utensil to create gaps.

The noodles only need to cook for 3-5 minutes, so let them cook for a couple additional minutes after you finish piping, then into a strainer they go (I scooped them into the colander, so I could re-use the water in case of a disaster).

The agitation of the water should break up the noodles, but if not you can break the pieces up after they cook.

In a large pan, warm the butter on medium and toss in the spaetzle to coat. (I don't know how necessary this step is; some recipes included it, others didn't. It is possible to fry/brown the spaetzle, but I didn't have any luck with it. The technique didn't hurt, but it did add calories and extra dishes to wash.)

Yields: Serves 4-6

Time:

Prep: 10 min

Cooking: 5 min

---

What's your favorite winter ethnic dish?

Much Love,

Able-Bodied Girl