Potato Goulash with Hungarian Paprika

This dish, which is Hungarian in origin, came to my mind recently when, tired of preparing all kinds of noodles, I was thinking about some new dishes that would incorporate more vegetables to my kids' diet. This potato dish, a vegetarian variety of the traditional goulash, was often prepared in my home years ago when not many vegetables were available during long Polish winters. In better times some kind of sausage or even bacon was added to enhance the taste. But I always liked the most simple, vegetarian version of it, served with delicate green lettuce.

A Hungarian friend I met In Switzerland told me that in her house this goulash was served with sour cream. Ever since I tried it I also add a spoon of sour cream on top. It complements nicely the strong, almost smokey, as my son noticed, "barbecued" taste of the potatoes coming from the paprika and tomato paste. Also, simple Boston lettuce salad, served plain, without any dressing just with a drop of lemon, makes a nice finish to this easy and aromatic winter dish.

Potato Goulash
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
2 lb of white potatoes (about 6-8 medium potatoes), peeled off and cut into small cubes,
1 large onion, chopped,
2 tbsp tomato paste,
2 cups vegetable broth (or water),
1-2 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika,
1 tsp caraway seeds,
1 tsp salt,
freshly ground pepper,
6 tbsp sour cream,
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley,
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil.

Preparation:
1. In a medium heavy-duty pot heat oil until hot. Add onion and fry on medium heat until transparent, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add potato cubes to the onion, mix and cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes.
3. Fold in tomato paste, paprika, caraway seeds, salt, black pepper, and mix until potatoes are well coated.

4. Pour in the vegetable broth or water, enough to cover the dish. Let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the type of potatoes. You may add extra liquid if potatoes are still hard. At the end. most of the liquid should evaporate and turn into a thick sauce. Potatoes should be soft but not mushy.
5. Divide the goulash between plates and serve with a tbsp of sour cream and chopped parsley on top.

Mac and Cheese--with a French Twist

Years ago, when my younger son was still a preschooler, he came home from a play date and said that for lunch he ate the best macaroni cheese in his life. I felt terrible that my son had the best macaroni and cheese (since I do not make it ) at someone else's home so I decided to obtain that special recipe and replicate it at home. The next day when I approached those kids' nanny about that subject, she said "Oh, we buy macaroni and cheese, the one from Kraft". I could not believe that my son's best in the world macaroni came from a 99 cents Kraft box.

Since that incident I have managed to introduce Philip to many of my home made dishes which now he likes very much and often asks for. But once in a while he gets nostalgic about that special macaroni he had at his friend's house. So I had no other choice than finally to make it myself.

I checked and compared several recipes. They often called for many other ingredients than the obvious pasta and cheese. Depending on chef's personality and origin, eggs, powdered milk, evaporated milk, and the use of different types of cheese accounted for the differences between one recipe and another.

But, instead of experimenting with any of them, I decided to go with my instinct and used simple but high quality fresh ingredients, recommended in one of the French magazines I once read.

Just after a bit more than half an hour I put a plate of my first macaroni and cheese in front of my son. He could not believe his luck. When the plate was empty in no time he admitted that this was the best mac and cheese he had in his still very short life.

Macaroni and cheese
(Serves four)

1/2 lb elbow pasta,
2/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese and 2/3 cup shredded good quality Cheddar cheese,
1 cup crème fraîche (if you don't have it, you could use Mexican crema fresca or ordinary sour cream),
2 tbsp butter,
2 tbsp breadcrumbs,
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Cook pasta in a medium pot until al dente, soft but still firm.
2. Preheat oven to 370F.
3. Grease a medium oven proof dish with a tbsp of butter,
4. Mix both cheese and cream, salt and pepper.
5. Drain cooked pasta and fold in the cheese-cream mixture. Transfer to a baking dish.

6. Top with remaining butter and breadcrumbs.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top of pasta is dark gold.
Serve with cucumber or green salads

Curried Green Lentil with Caramelized Onion

This simple and tasty dish has recently become my favorite winter comfort food. Like many other recipes on this blog, it was inspired by the recipe from Met Home.

As all lentil dishes, it is very rich in proteins and very fulfilling, and therefore perfect for cold days when we sometimes need a bit more than just a salad to make us feel warm and happy.

This curry dish is made from French green lentils, which may not be as easily available as other types of lentils, but worth looking for and trying. It has not only a very nice color but it also has more texture than other lentils.

It is a basically a curry stew with a red curry paste used alongside the traditional curry. Both curries make it spicy but not too hot. The surprising finish comes from the fried onion with honey and rice vinegar added at the end. When onion is mixed with lentil curry it makes it taste much sweeter. To contrast this sweetness, just before serving, cooked lentil is topped with Greek yogurt and coriander leaves. All the ingredients melt in the mouth releasing a perfectly proportioned spiciness.

Curried Green Lentil with Caramelized Onion
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
1 cup French green lentil, washed,
2 medium carrots, sliced,
3 celery sticks, sliced,
1 large onion, cut in thick slices,
1 bay leaf,
1 tbsp curry powder,
1 tbsp ground cumin,
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste,

1 tbsp honey,
2 tbsp rice vinegar,
4 tbsp vegetable oil,
1 cup Greek yogurt,
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. In a medium frying pot heat 2 tbsp oil. Add sliced carrot and celery and sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Add lentils, mix and cook for another two minutes. Add bay leaf, curry and cumin. Mix and cook 3 minutes.

3. Add 4 cups of water to the pot with lentils, bring to boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the lentils become soft.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining two tbsp of oil and sauté onion for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Season with half a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Stir in honey and vinegar, mix and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is caramelized.

5. Fold the onion into lentils and cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Divide the lentil curry between plates, top with yogurt and coriander leaves and serve accompanied by middle eastern bread, if you like.