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When I was young (and dangerous), I met a handsome Hungarian man. In the mid-1970's, we took a trip to Europe. He spoke five languages, including my mother's native tongue (German). We visited his family in beautiful Budapest, and I experienced some of the wonderful (and familiar) flavors of Hungary. This was long before digital cameras were even invented, so I don't have any photos to remember the trip by. It's a shame, because I got to visit parts of Romania (including "Count Dracula's Castle") at a time when the Iron Curtain was still in force. In other words, as a 19 year old girl, I got to experience first hand what it's like to live in a Communist Country. I returned home with a deeper appreciation for my American…
View Full Recipe at A Feast for the Eyes Food…
,%20I%20met%20a%20handsome%20Hungarian%20man.%20%20In%20the%20mid-1970's,%20we%20took%20a%20trip%20to%20Europe.%20%20He%20spoke%20five%20languages,%20including%20my%20mother's%20native%20tongue%20(German).%20%20We%20visited%20his%20family%20in%20beautiful%20Budapest,%20and%20I%20experienced%20some%20of%20the%20wonderful%20(and%20familiar)%20flavors%20of%20Hungary.%20%20This%20was%20long%20before%20digital%20cameras%20were%20even%20invented,%20so%20I%20don't%20have%20any%20photos%20to%20remember%20the%20trip%20by.%20It's%20a%20shame,%20because%20I%20got%20to%20visit%20parts%20of%20Romania%20(including%20%22Count%20Dracula's%20Castle%22)%20at%20a%20time%20when%20the%20Iron%20Curtain%20was%20still%20in%20force.%20%20In%20other%20words,%20as%20a%2019%20year%20old%20girl,%20I%20got%20to%20experience%20first%20hand%20what%20it's%20like%20to%20live%20in%20a%20Communist%20Country.%20%20I%20returned%20home%20with%20a%20deeper%20appreciation%20for%20my%20American%20Citizenship,%20and%20I%20will%20never%20forget%20that.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOnce%20we%20returned%20to%20America,%20Mr.%20Hungarian%20took%20me%20to%20a%20restaurant%20in%20San%20Francisco,%20called%20%22Paprikas%20Fono%22.%20%20It%20was%20located%20at%20Ghirardelli%20Square,%20and%20we%20loved%20two%20of%20their%20dishes%20so%20much%20that%20I%20continued%20to%20make%20pilgrimages%20to%20the%20restaurant--even%20after%20the%20relationship%20ended.%20Because%20my%20mother%20was%20born%20and%20raised%20in%20Bavaria--and%20her%20hometown%20is%20just%20a%20stone's%20throw%20from%20Salzburg,%20Austria--%20%20I%20could%20detect%20similarities%20with%20a%20commonly%20used%20spice...%20paprika.%20%20One%20of%20the%20two%20dishes%20was%20a%20rich%20and%20flavorful%20%22Gulyas%20Soup%22,%20that%20was%20served%20with%20l%C3%A1ngos%20bread,%20with%20fresh%20cloves%20of%20garlic%20rubbed%20all%20over%20it.%20%20Divine.%20(My%20brother,%20clearly,%20%20remembers%20coming%20with%20me,%20to%20find%20out%20what%20I%20raved%20so%20much%20about.%20%20He%20ate%20so%20much%20l%C3%A1ngos,%20that%20he%20was%20doubled%20over%20with%20a%20gluttonous%20bellyache.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThe%20restaurant%20closed,%20years%20ago,%20I'm%20sad%20to%20say.%20A%20few%20months%20ago,%20a%20friend%20gave%20me%20a%20cookbook%20on%20Hungarian%20recipes.%20%20I%20forgot%20about%20it,%20until%20last%20week.%20%20%20Decades%20later,%20I%20found%20myself%20longing%20for%20that%20Gulyas%20soup%20from%20a%20past%20life.%20%20I%20decided%20to%20make%20my%20own%20version,%20since%20it%20was%20so%20similar%20to%20one%20of%20my%20most%20viewed%20recipes,%20%22Austrian%20Goulash%22.%20%20Instead%20of%20researching%20recipes,%20I%20decided%20to%20adapt%20my%20familiar%20recipe%20into%20a%20soup.%20So,%20I%20grabbed%20my%20camera%20and%20started%20to%20get%20creative.%20%20My%20favorite%20cut%20of%20beef%20for%20stews%20and%20soups%20is%20%22Chuck%20Eye%20Roast%22.%20%20It's%20economical%20and%20tender.%20%20I%20seared%20two%20pounds%20of%20it,%20cut-up,%20in%20a%20few%20batches.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20began%20with%20two%20thinly%20sliced%20onion,%20one%20red%20and%20one%20green%20bell%20pepper.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThree%20small%20Yukon%20Gold%20potatoes,%20cut-up,%20and%20I%20needed%20paprika%20(of%20course).%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20can%20find%20Hungarian%20paprika%20at%20my%20local%20grocery%20store.%20I%20buy%20two%20varieties--%20sweet%20and%20hot.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOnce%20the%20meat%20had%20been%20browned,%20and%20removed%20I%20had%20lots%20of%20flavor%20in%20my%20Dutch%20oven.%20Adding%20a%20bit%20more%20olive%20oil,%20I%20cooked%20the%20bell%20peppers%20until%20slightly%20tender%20and%20set%20those%20aside.%20%20Then,%20I%20added%20the%20onion%20and%20cooked%20them%20until%20tender--%20about%204%20minutes.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20added%20a%20couple%20cloves%20of%20garlic,%202%20Tablespoons%20of%20tomato%20paste,%201%201/2%20Tablespoons%20sweet%20paprika%20and%20about%202%20teaspoons%20of%20hot%20paprika.%20NOTE:%20The%20reason%20that%20the%20tomato%20paste%20is%20%22steaming%22%20is%20that%20it's%20frozen.%20%20I%20do%20that%20with%20any%20leftover%20tomato%20paste,%20once%20I%20open%20a%20can.%20Clever,%20eh?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENow,%20I%20add%20the%20browned%20beef%20back%20and%20all%20of%20the%20juices%20and%20toss%20everything%20around...%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E...%20then%20I%20added%20a%20quart%20of%20Beef%20Broth.%20%20I%20suppose%20you%20could%20use%20beef%20bouillon%20cubes%20and%20water,%20but%20that's%20not%20my%20favorite%20way%20of%20making%20soup.%20%20%20I%20added%20the%20bell%20peppers%20back%20to%20the%20soup%20and%20a%2028%20oz.%20can%20of%20crushed%20tomatoes.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOne%20tablespoon%20of%20caraway%20seeds,%20two%20bay%20leaves,%20and%20then%20the%20potatoes.%20I%20brought%20the%20soup%20to%20a%20simmer.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20decided%20to%20cut%20some%20fresh%20thyme,%20from%20our%20herb%20garden,%20tied%20it%20and%20tossed%20it%20in--%20for%20more%20flavor.%20The%20soup%20simmered%20on%20low%20for%20a%20couple%20of%20hours,%20allowing%20for%20all%20the%20flavors%20to%20build.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20realized,%20a%20bit%20late,%20that%20I%20should%20have%20added%20a%20couple%20tablespoons%20of%20flour%20%20%20to%20the%20onion,%20as%20I%20cooked%20them.%20That%20would%20have%20thickened%20the%20soup%20to%20my%20liking.%20%20I'm%20not%20a%20fan%20of%20thin%20soup.%20%20My%20quick%20fix%20is%20to%20take%20a%20couple%20tablespoons%20of%20flour%20(sometimes%20potato%20starch),%20add%20some%20water,%20while%20whisking%20away%20to%20prevent%20lumps.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20carefully%20add%20it%20to%20the%20simmering%20soup,%20while%20stirring.%20It%20thickens%20right%20up!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThere%20it%20is.%20%20An%20American%20Girl,%20who-once-%20knew-a-true-Hungarian's%20version%20of%20Gulyas%20Soup.%20%20I%20say%20this,%20because%20when%20I%20later%20researched%20recipes,%20I%20found%20that%20people%20can%20get%20rather%20%22testy%22%20if%20you%20don't%20make%20it%20the%20way%20that%20their%20grandmother%20once%20did.%20%20I%20believe%20I%20captured%20the%20flavor,%20as%20I%20remembered%20it,%20well.%20%20Now,%20it%20was%20time%20for%20my%20son%20and%20husband%20to%20taste%20it:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETASTING%20NOTES:%20%20This%20is%20a%20rich%20beef%20soup,%20with%20a%20lovely%20balance%20of%20tomato%20and%20sweet%20paprika.%20The%20hot%20paprika%20comes%20through,%20in%20a%20subtle%20way,%20because%20I%20didn't%20add%20a%20lot%20of%20it.%20%20If%20you%20don't%20like%20bell%20peppers%20(which%20my%20son%20didn't,%20and%20he%20picked%20them%20out)%20then%20leave%20them%20out.%20%20My%20husband%20likes%20them,%20and%20liked%20the%20soup%20very%20much.%20%20The%20beef%20is%20so%20tender.%20I%20wish%20I%20had%20cut%20the%20potatoes%20a%20little%20larger,%20but%20that's%20just%20a%20personal%20preference.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20served%20this%20with%20my%20first%20attempt%20at%20l%C3%A1ngos%20bread.%20%20It's%20a%20fried%20bread,%20rubbed%20with%20fresh%20garlic%20while%20hot.%20%20I%20will%20share%20how%20I%20made%20it,%20on%20my%20next%20post.%20%20It%20was%20quite%20an%20experiment%20for%20me%20to%20create,%20and%20I%20was%20happy%20with%20the%20results.%20%20I%20can%20see%20why%20my%20brother%20ate%20himself%20sick%20the%20first%20time%20he%20ate%20them.%20%20They%20are%20that%20good,%20especially%20if%20you're%20a%20garlic%20lover.%20%20I'm%20happy%20to%20say,%20I%20wasn't%20as%20gluttonous,%20tempted%20as%20I%20was.%20%20For%20a%20brief%20moment,%20I%20was%20back%20at%20that%20restaurant%20in%20Ghirardelli%20Square--%20%20but%20I%20was%20sharing%20the%20moment%20with%20the%20man%20I'm%20lucky%20to%20call%20%22My%20husband%22.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}