Cod in Paprika Sauce--From Hungary

During vacation I browsed through my very old recipe book, which I still keep in Poland (it always seems too heavy to bring it to the US) and discovered some old and often never tried recipes.

Many very interesting ones came from abroad, mostly our neighbouring countries, simply because they were easy to adapt, as our neighbors, like us, had limited food resources at that time. In particular, recipes from the Hungarian cuisine always caught my attention. I have already posted a recipe for Hungarian goulash, and today I would like to share a Hungarian recipe for cod.

Cod used to be a rather ordinary fish in Poland, almost always available, mostly frozen rather than fresh though. We used to serve it fried in breadcrumbs. Nowadays, when fish are more popular than ever, especially among vegetarians and those who favor a healthy diet, cod undergoes its renaissance. Deservedly so, as it is very rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin B12 and B6 and, which is very important to me, has almost no fishy aroma. I also think that, besides the healthy qualities of the cod,
the combination of red paprika and sour cream sauce make this dish very attractive.

Cod in Paprika Sauce
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1 lb of cod fillets,
1 large onion,
1 cup of white wine,
1 cup sour cream,
2 tbsp butter,
1 tsp of paprika (preferably Hungarian),
1 tbsp, all purpose flour,
sea salt,
freshly ground black pepper.

Preparation:
1. Cut cod in smaller pieces to make four portions. Season it generously with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
2. Peel off onion, cut in half and then in thin, half-moon slices.
3. Melt butter in a medium frying pan with higher walls. Add onion and fry until onion becomes very transparent. Add flour, mix, and let it cook together stirring constantly until flour becomes gold.
4. Pour in wine and let it boil for a minute. Add sour cream and paprika. Mix well, bring to boil and add cod fillets to the sauce. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes. Uncover and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Serve with cooked baby potatoes or whole grain rice.

Spinach and Gruyère Salad--In a Minute.

No simple food is too simple. I can say that based on my life experience and by how the simplest recipes tend to be the most popular. I like them too, especially after coming back from vacation when my refrigerator is still empty and many daily activities take precedence over cooking.

When I was shopping to restock my supplies, I saw this beautiful fresh spinach, and all of a sudden, a salad that my Italian friend made once sprung back to my mind. I remember that it was so easy that she brought all the ingredients to the picnic at Geneva Lake and put it together on the spot. The quality of the ingredients used--especially the cheese and the olive oil--was the only secret of this salad, as is often the case with such simple recipes, especially those coming from Italy.

I used aged Gruyère, tossed in very fresh and white mushrooms, and added the best extra virgin oil I had in my pantry. In no time my lunch was ready and after three weeks of eating tons of labor-intensive Polish food I enjoyed this easy green salad very much.

Spinach and Gruyère Salad

Ingredients:
1 bag of very fresh baby spinach,
6-8 fresh and hard white mushrooms, without stems,
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, preferably aged,
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
freshly ground pepper,
good quality coarse sea salt (I used French grey sea salt).

Preparation:
1. Place spinach in a large bowl.
2. Wash mushrooms, dry them in a towel, and slice then thinly. Toss them over spinach.
3. Using a vegetable peeler shred thin slices of Gruyere on top of the salad.
4. Season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with good bread and prosciutto or smoked salmon.

Redcurrants and Red Wine Sponge Cake--Farewell to Poland

Redcurrants. They were a horror of my childhood. Each summer my aunt made us, all the kids in the family, spend hours in the yard picking them up with our small hands. It was the most hated vacation activity I could think of. We even did not much like the redcurrants to eat as they were very sour, but my aunt terrorized us with arguments that preserves and juices made from them will be priceless in the winter. Not really. I always preferred blackcurrants, which actually were even more difficult to harvest, but their aroma and taste had imparted an uncanny attractive power to anything made of them. Meanwhile, unused redcurrant preserves often turned into wine or vinegar.

I had this difficult relation with redcurrants until I moved out of Poland. At that time, in both France and Switzerland, redcurrants were rare and pricey, but even more so in the US. When I came here, I hardly saw any redcurrants and even if I did, they were expensive and sold in tiny boxes. In restaurants they were served hanging over sophisticated desserts like jewellery.

That changed my attitude toward redcurrants and I have started to dream about using them to garnish white chocolate mousse or some other elegant desserts.

In August, the redcurrant season was almost over in Poland, but I saw small amount of redcurrants at my local market and became almost emotional imagining tens of recipes I could used them in. And they were still only one dollar a pound. Of course I bought them and made a cake. I used an interesting recipe calling also for red wine--good idea to use glass of leftover wine. The sweetness of the cake and the sourness of the redcurrants blended perfectly, and I enjoyed this cake even more so because I did not have to pick up these redcurrants myself.

Redcurrant and Wine Sponge Cake

Ingredients:
3 eggs,
3/4 cup sugar,
1 cup all purpose flour,
1/2 cup vegetable oil,
1 tsp baking powder,
1/4 cup wine (50 ml),
1/2 cup potato or cornstarch,
1 tsp vanilla extract,
1/2 lb redcurrants,
1 tsp of butter,
1 tbsp plain breadcrumbs,
1/2 cup icing sugar,
2 tbsp milk.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Using an electric mixer beat eggs with sugar until they acquire a mousse-like consistency.
3. In a small bowl mix flour, cornstarch, and baking powder, and add to the egg mixture. Fold in gently.
4. Add vanilla extract to the batter together with wine and oil .Mix all the ingredients well until the batter becomes smooth.
5. Spread butter over a baking form and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Pour over the batter and scatter the redcurrants on top.

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is set and slightly gold. Remove from the oven and cool down.
7. Mix icing sugar with milk until smooth. Turn the cake upside down as fruits likely will drop to the bottom of the cake. Pour icing on top of the cake. Cut and serve.