Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Beans , Beans are good for your heart...

I was at the butcher today as I needed some fresh chicken breast. The breasts are for my spoilt cat Pitzi who will only eat raw chicken breast or for a treat raw chicken liver. Apparently the Vet said that chicken liver was not a good thing to give cats only as a very special treat. So chicken livers are special treats only but as she is the love of our lives, after our daughter ,she gets raw chicken breast daily.

Here she is on a feather pillow on an very old handmade pillowcase which  is half on leather and half on a sheepskin. She speaks Hungarian and knows English but she pretends she does not . She will come when I say  such words as "chicken liver raw!" or " are you hungry" . This can be said in Hungarian or English and she will come.  As you can see she is not happy when her nap is disturbed.



Anyways I was in the butcher shop and I saw the smoked pork hocks hanging and realized that we had not had a bean soup for a quite a while. It did not take me long to get all the ingredients and before I knew it I was at home and getting the pot ready.

Ingredients:
1 kilo approx. smoked pork hock uncooked
250 grams beans white or kidney or mixed
5 bay leaves
3 carrots, 2 parsley roots 1 celery root cut up into pieces
2 medium onions chopped , 2 garlic cloves banged.
2 tbs oil,
2tbs flour
1tbs paprika powder
1 tbs white vinegar
a few sprigs of parsley

This is a celery root. You have to peel off the outer skin and cut off the stalk. You end up with a round ball of root. , this is what you cut into cubes for the recipe. You can add a few leaves also into the soup.




 From the picture you can see I love to combine white and kidney beans, I feel you get a slightly smoother taste.

Once you have washed the hock and the beans  you place the beans and the hock in a pot together with cold water and soak for at least 24 hours.  You should use dry beans and not the canned stuff.  The beans are soaked to get them back to their natural  state, the hock to get rid of some of the smoky salt . If you do not soak then it will be too salty and if you do not soak the beans then the soup will never be ready as the beans will not soften.

After the soaking period you are ready to start to cook.



After rinsing the hock and the beans a few times you fill up the pot again with cold water place in the hock, spread the beans around and put in the bay leaves.
You cook this on medium low  slightly covered for about 1 1/2 hour until the meat is almost soft. It will take some time so this is not something you can  whip up for a fast dinner. This is more of a weekend dish where you are not worried at the time. It is fun to put this on the stove in the morning while reading the paper and having a coffee as it almost cooks itself.  You just need a few steps and so by the afternoon your dinner is done OR put it in the fridge and have it the next day . Actually Bean Soup gets better 24 hours after making it .


Now once the meat is sort of soft and you can stick a fork in it but it does not fall apart and still feels raw, you will add the carrots, parsley roots , parsley  leaves and the celery root. NOT the onions or garlic.  This you let cook now for about 2-3 hours on a simmer.



It will look like this .If you noticed I also have cut into the skin of the hock a  bit just so it can open easier as it cooks. So you put a lid half way on the pot and just leave it alone for a few hours. No need to stir.
And you can go back to your drink  and magazine.




 When the meat is soft and you can remove the bones easily then take it out of the pot and place on a cutting board.  Cut off all the fat and the skin and cut the meat into bite size pieces.

This is the time Pitzi decides that she would like some meat, it must be the scent of this wonderful piece of smoked meat. I take a piece and mush it up, put it on her plate and let her taste it . She eats it and then looks at me for more... but I know this trick...... I will cater to her and give her another piece, she will sniff it, give me a look  , turn her nose up in the air together with her tail and walk out of the kitchen . She is saying "  it was not bad but it is not going to be my meal" .

So the meat is cut up on a plate. I placed the bones and all the fat and skin in a bag for my girlfriends dog. Dogs do not have a problem eating anything and they are so grateful.

If you go into a restaurant in Hungary and order this  most of the time you will get these pieces of fat as they do not cut them off. The Hungarians seem to enjoy eating it , I don't this is why I make my own bean soup all the time.                                                                                                                   

 Now we are ready for the roux. Put the pot back on the stove on simmer .                
 In a frying pan add the oil and the flour and fry until the flour is a beige color.  This will be the beginning of the spiced roux.









Once it is beige you add the onions and garlic and fry again for a few minutes.  This is important as this will add an additional taste to the bean soup. Many people just add the onion directly but I always think that frying it abit brings out a different flavor.


Now you take this off the burner and add the paprika powder and stir fast as you can not let the powder get even a little burned.
Add a bit of cold water 1/3 cup and put it back on the stove to mix.


After adding the water it should look like this . A beautiful red/orange colour  and you continue for about 1 minute on low heat stirring.




Now this is placed into the pot of simmer soup and stirred . You will add 1 tbs of white vinegar to this.  We add the meat back and we simmer for about 15 minutes, this is so all the  flavors get mixed.


We serve this by placing a tbs of sour cream in a bowl and ladling  the soup on top of it . 

Some people make mini dumplings to this soup but most just leave it this way .  The dumplings are made with 1/2 cup flour , 1 egg and 1 tbs water. This is stirred together and becomes a hard paste. You then drop tiny pieces of it ( size of a pea)  using a teaspoon into the boiling soup and cook for 5-10 minutes until they are ready.
This picture came out a little dark but here you can see the finished soup with the dumplings also.
I usually make a large pot of this soup and the freeze the leftovers. I take out the carrots and parsnips as they do not freeze well. When I want to use this I  it thaw out and add water and some boiled carrots. For decoration you can always use parsley leaves.

Well my soup is done , a meal in a bowl with some crusty farmer bread.  The leftovers are placed in freezer containers for a day when I am too tired to cook.  I just love when you can make 3 meals at one time.  From one 1kilo hock you can make 6 servings

Pitzi has said it is now time for my afternoon coffee. So I make my latte while cleaning up the kitchen actually not a hard job as I usually clean as I finish using anything , then I microwave a chocolate chip cookie and finally sit down with a book for my coffee break. But Pitzi wants my attention she sits beside me and stares at me wanting to talk so I tell her about Libya and give her a review of the book I am reading. .She looks forward to this coffee break every afternoon, and I must admit I do also.  What would I do without a cat who tells me that now is the time to take a break?

Monday, August 29, 2011

Lecso great on a hot day!

Today I decided on making a lecso.  This is a wonderful vegetable dish that is easy to make and can be made vegetarian also. It seems that many of the dishes here in Hungary use lecso in their menus.Whenever you see on a menu "Steak, Chicken, Fish etc  al la Hungarian way" ( magyar modra) it simply means that there will be lecso on the plate.
My girlfriend Gena , who is an amazing cook, made the lecso and then scrambled a couple of eggs in it and then stuffed chicken breast and baked it . I can  not tell you what an amazing low fat meal that was!

In Hungary there are fruit and vegetable stores almost on every corner. Everything is so fresh as for the most part it is all grown in Hungary.  As this is the season when peppers and tomatoes are at their peak , this is the perfect time to make lecso.

Ingredients: 

4 peppers, cut into long pieces, you can use green ,red and yellow  ones
3 tomatoes , skinned and quartered
3 -4 onions  quartered
3 garlic cloves smashed
1 tbls  of paprika powder
1 kolbasz cut up into circles
2-3 slices of smoked bacon cut up
if you are doing this vegetarian then ignore the meat and use oil to saute the onions.

I n Hungary I have found that all the vegetables and fruit have a taste. I think it makes a huge difference that they do not have to travel many miles to get to a store to be sold. Local produce is good for the economy and for our health . Just compare if you can .  I have noticed that here the women and men who cook always make dishes with whatever is in season. They rarely use out of season produce .If they need tomatoes in winter then they use what they have canned from the summer. But you would not see a restaurant having a tomato salad during the winter months. They would have marinated pickles , cabbage etc.

So to start the lecso ,apart from the vegetables ,you will need the meat . If you want this vegetarian ignore the meat and continue the same recipe using olive oil . You need a kolbasz which is a delicious piece of spiced sausage that has been dried . There are many types , I like to use the 'peasant' type which is not spicy hot as my husband does not like hot foods.  My husband is a Hungarian and probably the only Hungarian who does not like or eat anything that is hot!  I on the other hand love anything hot so I always have the hot sauce near by for me and our quests. But sometimes I have to add the 'heat' as otherwise the recipe would not be the same..... ok back to the recipe....

The kolbasz is made with ground meat and lots of paprika and spices. It can eaten with bread or used in cooking to give an amazing flavor to whatever you cook , whether it be soup or pasta even .  The other ingredient is a smoked bacon. This will give it a wonderful smoky taste.



So we first cut up the smoked bacon and fry it until it has released the fat and is slightly crisp.



 To this we add the onions and garlic and saute them until shiny . This is all on medium heat. Now we remove this from the heat and add the paprika powder , stirring until everything is coated and then add 1/3 cup water and put back on the stove.

 Now we add all the other ingredients , turn the heat to medium low , cover but leave a little breathing space, and let this cook for about 1 hour , stirring a few times but not too much as you do not want this to become mush. Do not let this boil just simmer and then the vegetables will stay nice.
Once it is finished it should like like this . As you see nothing is mushy .But the vegetables are not crisp they are just soft .
 So once everything is soft , taste and add a bit of salt . You actually do not even need the salt as the kolbasz and bacon will given an amazing taste.

There are so many ways to eat this . With bread ,especially if you have added a lot of kolbasz, you can add a scrambled egg to this and make it a meal.  This is also used as a base to saute chicken breast in . That is my favorite way.
Chicken breast and lecso
Just have some lecso  that you made the day before and then slice the chicken breast in half so that it becomes a thinner piece. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the pieces and quickly fry in a pan with olive oil  just so that the outside is slightly golden. Then add the lecso on top of this stir , cover and on low heat cook until the chicken is done ( around 20 minuets). This with rice or dumplings is wonderful and so easy.
Another very popular dish is using the lecso with tenderloin  or fish .

So this is  a recipe for lecso the way I make it , but it seems that every person has their own special lecso recipe. This one works for me.
After cooking, a good cold beer will go well with this on a very hot day.






 












Friday, August 26, 2011

Another very hot record breaking temperature type of day in Budapest.  I do not know how people without air conditioning are coping. Being a Friday I think a lot of people are making arrangements to visit friends with summer places either at the lake or in the mountains.  Another reason not to have a second home .

 This morning early I went to the grocery store, it was packed with people getting all their supplies for the weekend get-a-ways. I walked around trying to decide what I would make for dinner in this heat.

Smorrebrod! 

Suddenly it came to me. I could make some Danish open face sandwiches !

So lets start with the most important ! It is easy to find Danish beer here but not so easy to find the Aquavit, the caraway seed drink that is drank with the beer chaser. They also drink Gammel Dansk  which I actually prefer,  it is a Bitter similar to Jagermeister and so we will substitute.

I lived a few months in Denmark and I loved how they put these smorrebrod together. The ladies would find what was left in the fridge and make these amazing sandwiches.  The word sort of means bread and butter and depending on what goes on the bread determines the bread you use. Usually it is a dark heavy rye bread with a slightly sour taste that is out of this world. They slice it very thinly and cover it with a thick layer of butter.  If you work in a smorrebrod kitchen you are judged on how perfect your butter layer is , it has to be so many millimeters!

 As there are only two of us and it is hot , I will just make 1-2types.



 I have decided to make shrimp and egg, this calls for a white bread. You butter the bread thickly and then cut into half and place a lettuce leaf on it .



Now you are ready to add the shrimp, mayonnaise, egg and dill .
I use Hellmans mayonnaise as I like the taste but if you have the energy you can make your own also ( probably would taste better).

You will put salt and pepper on this and then serve with drinks that are ice cold. These are NOT eaten with your fingers! A fork and a knife is beside each plate and you eat slowly drinking between bites. When your shrimp sandwich is finished you are given another plate and cutlery and you start with the other types of sandwiches, usually meat or in my case I made a tomato and egg sandwich and a salami sandwich .

You should put raw purple onions rings on the salami and not use the egg and tomato but this is how my husband likes it . There are actually 'rules' as to what you put together with what food. I never got around to learning this as I was not there for so long. When I returned to Canada it was just nice to be able to make a different type of sandwich.

In a Danish buffet there are so many wonderful flavours, but to have a smorrebrod it is better with many people and lots of drinks and laughter.





Dill is used a lot in the sandwich preparation and so the lady of the house alwasy has some on hand.




Toppings  from Wikipedia......

Traditional toppings include marinerede sild, which are pickled herrings (plain, kryddet – spiced, or karry – curried), slightly sweeter than Dutch or German herrings; thinly-sliced cheese in many varieties; sliced cucumber, tomato and boiled eggs; leverpostej, which is pork liver-paste; dozens of types of cured or processed meat in thin slices, or smoked fish such as salmon; mackerel in tomato sauce; pickled cucumber; boiled egg, and rings of red onion. Mayonnaise mixed with peas, sliced boiled asparagus and diced carrot, called italiensk salat (lit. Italian salad), remoulade or other thick sauces often top the layered open sandwich, which is usually eaten with utensils. It is custom to pass the dish of sliced breads around the table, and then to pass around each dish of toppings, and people help themselves.
Hundreds of combinations and varieties of smørrebrød are available, and some traditional examples include:
  • Dyrlægens natmad (Danish: Veterinarian's midnight snack) — On a piece of dark rye bread, a layer of liver paté (leverpostej), topped with a slice of corned beef (salt kød) and a slice of meat aspic (sky). This is all decorated with raw onion rings and garden cress.
  • Eel — Smoked eel on dark rye bread, topped with scrambled eggs and sliced radishes or chopped chives.
  • Leverpostej — Warm rough-chopped liverpaste served on dark rye bread, topped with bacon, and sauteed mushrooms.
  • Roast beef — thin sliced and served on dark rye bread, topped with a portion of remoulade, and decorated with a sprinkling of shredded horseradish and toasted (ristet) onion.
  • Roast pork (Ribbensteg) — thin sliced and served on dark rye bread, topped with red sweet and sour cabbage, and decorated with a slice of orange.
  • Spiced meat roll (Rullepølse).
  • Tartarmad — raw beef mince with salt and pepper, served on dark rye bread, topped with raw onion rings, grated horseradish and a raw egg yolk.
  • Smoked salmon (laks) — Slices of cold smoked or cured salmon (gravad laks) on white bread, topped with shrimp and decorated with a slice of lemon and fresh dill.
  • Stjerneskud (Danish: Shooting Star) — On a base of buttered white bread, two pieces of fish: a piece of steamed white fish on one half, a piece of fried, battered plaice (rødspætte) on the other half. On top is piled a mound of shrimp, which is then decorated with a dollop of mayonnaise, red caviar, and a lemon slice.
As you can see from the Wikipedia information , there are many types of open face sandwiches.
It is also fun to put these together as they taste wonderful and are light and easy and perfect for a hot day .
You should never get caught up in the rules just have fun.

Lift your glass and drink to your health ....skael!  ( rhymes with coal)

Marching to a healthier BEET

"guest post from my daughter on beets 
                  www.jacquelinegaray.com"

and at the end a wonderful BEET salad you will all enjoy!

Veggie Corner: Why You Should Eat Beets

Beets, natures blood red vegetable, have a lot of great benefits to the human body and the mind.
Beets have a deep magenta hue (which makes them easy to spot in a salad, or otherwise), and belong to the same family as silverbeet. They are part of the amaranth family and although there are quite a variety of beets cultivated around the world, I think the most popular one for us is the common red garden beet or the beetroot. They can be eaten boiled, steamed, or roasted with the root and stem intact, after which it will need to be peeled before eating. Beets can also be peeled and eaten raw. A half a cup serving provides 17 percent of your daily folate requirements (folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food) and thanks to its nitrate content, beetroot has also been found to help lower blood pressure and improve stamina during exercise (even better for those long cardio sessions).
Beetroots have been known for years for their medicinal properties and are sometimes referred to as a food-medicine. Homeopaths use beetroots for cleansing the blood of toxins and helping the liver. Beetroots have also been used as cancer treatments; the pigments in the dark red blood-like juice are bound to specific anti-carcinogens. Beetroots also contain a high amount of anti-oxidants, which fight free-radicals as well as combat aging. Eating Beetroots increases the uptake of oxygen in your blood by almost 400%, which is a staggering number and contributes to high energy.
Beetroots healing properties have been used for thousands of years; Hippocrates swore by the use of beet leaves for binding wounds. The Romans used beetroot as an aphrodisiac and to treat fevers, constipation, as well as disorders of the blood. In the middle ages it was used to cleanse and strengthen the blood. Nature tells us that the beetroot is good for the blood because it bleeds dark red blood when cut.





How else can beets help? Well, I know a lot of people who suffer from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and beetroot is one of the foremost vegetables in aiding with bowel support. Beetroot is known as food for the bowels for those suffering from constipation, IBS, Crohns or just bloating; eating beets soothes and protects the bowel. The beet greens are also very nutrient rich and contain beta- carotene and other carotenoids, which function as anti-oxidants. As previously noted, they also contain vitamin C, iron, potassium and folate.  You can use them in green smoothies!

Marinated beets are found in many stores and so are readily available.

A really great way to eat beets is to to peel and cut up beets and eat them in salads, or put them in to shakes. The best way to eat most vegetable, not just beetroots, is to eat them raw. Cooking vegetables breaks down important enzymes and rids the vegetable of nutrition. This doesn’t mean that you should totally subscribe to a raw diet, however, in some cases it can be more beneficial to your health. If you are boiling the beetroot, keep in mind that Vitamin C, which is plentiful in the beetroot, is still water soluble.

 This is the way they are kept in a cool place in a vegetable store. They cut the leaves off as apparently they last longer that way.
When you are buying beetroots make sure they are firm, with unblemished roots. If they are unwashed they will keep for longer. It is also important not to buy the wrinkly ones, these are no good. You can store them in a cool place for a week or two and under proper conditions they will keep longer. If you’re using the leaves, these will keep in the fridge for a day or two. If you cook the beetroot it can be frozen and kept in the freezer as well.
I should also note, if you intend on peeling and chopping beetroot, it will stain your fingers and your cutting board! This is something to keep in mind if you don’t want purple nails. Buy yourself a pair of gloves for chopping.

Here are some other Little Known Facts from the beetroot fan clubwww.lovebeetroot.co.uk:
- Beetroot contains high amounts of boron, which may explain its reputation as an ancient aphrodisiac
- Beetroot also contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used to treat depression
- The colouring from beetroot is used to colour things like strawberry jam and tomato puree
- Massaging your scalp each night with the cooled water from boiling beetroots is reputed to cure dandruff
- betanins in the roots are used as red colorants to intensify the color of tomato sauces, jellies, jams or cereals
- the leafy tops are rich in beta-carotene, iron and calcium
- beetroot can be used to make wine
- beetroot pulp is fed to horses that are in severe training or that are allergic to dust
- medicinal purposes. Although eating beetroot alone is no cure for cancer, beetroot should be included in a balanced diet, because it can assist with the following:
- Lowering the cholesterol
- Liver function
- the fight against cancer
- Aids tissue growth
- reduces risk of osteoporosis
- improves sex drive
- stabilizes blood sugar
- helps with anemia and fatigue
- protects artery walls because it has high antioxidant properties

Now for a great recipe.....
My favorite beetroot recipe so far, which is loaded with vitamins (especially vitamin C) is Beetroot and Carrot Salad. Here is the recipe:
What you need (Serves 1)


2 small beetroots                                                
2 medium sized carrots
Balsamic vinegar to taste
1 tsp Olive oil (EVOO: extra virgin olive oil)
Roasted pine nuts and sunflower seeds
Salt and pepper to taste or lawrys seasoning salt ( if you have )




Directions
First, wash and peel the beetroot, then grate the raw beetroots. Next, wash and peel the carrots and grate them. I should note here, a lot of people don’t wash carrots before they peel them. I tend to wash everything, because you don’t know where it’s been, who has handled it, as well as what kind of fertilizers were used. The best method is to wash everything first no matter what. Better safe than sorry!













 The red of the beet looks fabulous against the orange of the carrot!  You really need gloves for this though.

Next, I pour the balsamic vinegar  and the Olive Oil  over the beets and carrots and mix thoroughly
Add the roasted sunflower seeds and  pine nuts . This is a REALLY simple way to get a lot of really great benefits. Keep in mind beets are a natural laxative so if you want to overdose on this veggie, make sure you are near a toilet.
I roast the seeds before adding them as I feel it brings out a stronger flavor that is needed in this salad to make it extra special!.
Your finished salad should look like this . The carrots very quickly take on the red of the beets. Adding a little Lawry's seasoning salt and you have the perfect easy healthy salad for the summer.
I have served this salad to many people who do not like beets and after tasting this they changed their minds.  Most did not know beets were even in the salad! An amazing salad that is like a vitamin in a dish . Enjoy!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

One man's junk another man's treasure...

Today on my way to the store  in 40 degree heat to buy Rum and limes I saw how Hungary deals with their 'old stuff'.  Each district has a certain day that they can throw out anything they don't want or need any more. I am talking not just about clothing but window frames, old pots, foam mattresses, old Ikea furniture that is past it's prime etc. even dead plants, absolutely everything can be dumped . It sits there for a few days while people ( junk collectors mostly) come and pick up what they need from it and then whatever is left the city comes with trucks and picks up. This is a great way to eliminate a lot of trash in the dump sites. It shows how things can be re-used. 
So the thing is that each junk collector stakes his junk area. He sleeps in his car or has his family hang around to make sure that no one else takes anything from this pile. They then go home , cars and trucks completely packed with junk . They sort it out , clean it up and then take it to Flea markets to sell. Re-cycling at it's best!

                                                                  PASTA




Today being another really hot day I decided to make a pasta salad.
Again as typical of my recipes it is simple and fast and there is no order of how you mix things.
Ingrediants:     for 2 people  about 150 grams of good Italian Pasta
                      balsamic vinegar and regular vinegar , a bit of Soya
                     1/2 spoon of  oregano, Lawreys seasoning salt, thyme,and  parsely
                      small jar marinated forest mushrooms
                      small jar marinated artichokes
                      red pepper and garlic
                      a bit of soya sauce
                                                               Olive Oil

Boil the pasta for 10 minutes until it is al dente and then quickly rinse it with cold water and add 1 tbs spoon of Olive Oil and 1tbs spoon white vinegar, 1tbs of Balsamic vinegar and  one clove of garlic that has been pressed thru a garlic press and stir and let cool.

Once cool add the artichokes adding also a bit of the oil they were marinating in .
Then add the forest mushrooms and again add a bit of the oil they were marinating in.
Just do not add too much as at the end you can adjust the taste.



So with the cute mushrooms it will look like this . These little mushrooms are so cute, every time I take them out of the jar I expect a little  leprechaun will also jump out. These are tiny baby Italian mushrooms and if you can find them it is so much better to use them as they fit the size of the pasta. If not then try and find the smallest marinated  mushrooms available.
Now add the oregano , the thyme , the seasoning salt and soya.  Remember to add these after the marinating oils have been added otherwise you might have a very spiced up salad. The marinating oils have a great taste with their own herbs so try and keep that in mind ....always taste first then add..


So now we add the red pepper, we need this for colour!
Here in hungary we can find these red peppers. They are actually used
for stuffing ( you can stuff that Korozott you made last night into them LoL) but I use them here as I prefer the taste.  They are thinner skinned so they are better in a salad.  They do not get all mushy.


OK so now we have added everything we will place this in the fridge to cool nicely and to have all the tastes mingle. Before we use this salad we will taste and see if we should add any more spices. Some times the pasta soaks up the liquid and you need more oil.
Just before serving add a few sprigs of parsley, it again will give it a nice bit of color. I use sprigs as not everyone likes parsley and with a sprig you can remove it easily.
I am lucky as I have a herb garden on my roof top terrace and so I have the thyme  and parsley from there.
You noticed I did not add onions.
I feel that a salad like this with the wonderful marinated mushrooms and artichokes does not need the onions. Some times I think we just add onions just to add onions.

You can also exchange the mushrooms and artichokes for carrots , broccoli  , cauliflower and peas. Just increase the balsamic and olive oil amounts. When my daughter was younger she loved this salad and being a competitive swimmer the carbs were a fast form of energy and also  relaxing serotonin. Check her out at
www.jacquelinegaray.com.

Well I am off to make the Mojitoes as i have the rum and limes now!






Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A Taste of Hungary



Well it is hot , hot, hot today and so no cooking!  I decided to make cold things and one of my favorites is
                                                                      KOROZOTT . 

This is a goat/sheep cheese dish and is wonderful with pita, crusty bread, tomatoes, red peppers etc. in the hot hot months of the year. Easy cocktail party appetizer also . It makes a wonderful filling for cherry tomatoes and peppers and celery sticks.  So easy to make and can be made a few days ahead to allow the tastes to mingle. 
The ingredients are the following....1 tbls   anchovy paste
                                                     1 tbls    caraway seeds
                                                     2   green onions
                                                     200 grams sheep cheese ( best if you can get it in a tube that has been creamed slightly)
                                                     100 grams of  goat feta ( you can use regular cottage cheese also see below)
                                                      1/2 tbls of Hungarian paprika powder


I also used around 50 grams of butter ( you can also use margerine )
I like Lurpak as it is calorie reduced and softens very quickly so it is easy to use. it has a wonderful taste even on plain fresh bread.






1/2 of a small onion shredded  ,this is just to give it more of a taste but is not necessary if your green onions are very fresh .

For many years while I was living in Toronto I could not find the goat or sheep cheese that felt right for this recipe , then I found out that many Hungarians use cows cottage cheese either creamed or plain. You can use that also just you will have to add 1 TBLS of French's mustard. This will give it the bite that you normally would get with the fetas.



OK so lets start, there is no right or wrong way to do this .....just mix everything together .




Add the sheep cheese from the tube and the goat cheese  and mix them .









It will look like this .
Now to make this colorful add the caraway seeds and the red Hungarian paprika.
You can also add hot paprika at this time  around 1/3 tbls if you want this to be spicy.
Mix this together and add the anchovy paste the butter and the green onion...                              

A for anchovy paste   LOL





                                                                               
Once you add the butter this will soften up and become very creamy.









I use a cheese grater to grate onions I find this much easier. If you add an onion do not add a sweet onion it will change the taste of this .
OK now it is done and should look like this with the bits of feta and the caraway seeds showing a bit .
The paprika adds the color but my camera does not show the richness of the paprika.  I have sprinkled the top with  a bit more paprika and now this will be refrigerated until it is time to eat!



Now all you have to do is spread this on bread or a pita, stuff a tomato or a red pepper and you have a great simple snack or meal on a very hot day.



    
  I love this tin of paprika , they have so many wonderful ways of marketing paprika here.






Over the years when a new visitor comes to Hungary and visits us  I will always have korozott in a bowl on the table together with a kolbasz ( hungarian sausage) and of the old favorite...the  ice cold Kosher Szilva Palinka. The PLUM Palinka!
 



After  long trip to get to Hungary what better way to say WELCOME! 

This is a A True Taste of Hungary.