Thoughts From a Herb Lover's Kitchen
I have just returned from a few days in Budapest in Hungary. It is a really magnificent city set astride the River Danube.
The town of Buda is set on the hills overlooking Pest – it is certainly a city with two distinct parts. The city has wide boulevards and is very similar to Paris.
The food and wines available in Budapest’s restaurants are certainly exciting and different to our English menu choices.
I particularly enjoyed a visit to the Central Market Hall in Budapest. It was full of shoppers deciding what they were going to put on their supper tables that evening.
The building was opened in the 1890’s and it is still a very much loved building.
I was fascinated by all the food available – pale, pink veal, paprika hanging everywhere on strings, beautiful fresh vegetables, goats cheese studded with herbs and old ladies selling large bunches of herbs fresh from their fields.
I could not resist buying two huge bunches of dill and strings of paprika for the kitchen. My suitcase smelt wonderful when I opened it upon my return.
The Market also has a cookery school and restaurant. Events are run throughout the day starting with a tasty breakfast of scramble egg, “schnanps” and a very spicy paprika/pork sausage.
You learn to cook their goulash recipes, or stuffed vegetable dishes. Paprika and poppies are hung from the kitchen ceiling and Hungarian violinists play away whilst the students chop onions and generally have fun!
Paprika appears on the dining table together with the salt and pepper as a condiment. Paprika is very high in Vitamin C – in fact six to eight times as much Vitamin C than a tomato.
Paprika is also an antibacterial agent and stimulant for the heart. It can reduce blood pressure, improve circulation and aid digestion. This spice is also used as a colouring agent in foods and cosmetics.
I was told that paprika is put into the food of flamingos kept in captivity to keep their plumage pink and beautiful!
I was so inspired by all the paprika on sale and with the weather still being so chilly in Hertfordshire, that I made this super chicken goulash.
3 rashers of smoked bacon – thinly sliced
2 large onions – sliced
1 large red pepper sliced and diced
1 tablespoon of sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
½ pint of chicken stock – I use a cube
2 stems of celery – chopped
4 chicken breasts sliced into chunks
2 tablespoons of plain flower
2 tablespoons of sour cream
Dill for decoration
Fry bacon in a large pan. Add the onions and red pepper. Fry for 10 minutes. Stir in the paprika and tomato puree and when bubbling, add the stock and celery. Add the chicken, cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the sauce and keep warm. Whisk the flour and sour cream together to a smooth paste and add the red, spicy sauce and heat through gently. Season with salt and pepper.
Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the sauce. Serve with new potatoes or thick noodles decorated with chopped dill.