small clumps. Stir to mix and pour into the prepared dish.
Bake until toasted on the top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm.
East European Caraway Beef and Rice Sausage
The countries of east Europe are a disparate lot, continually at odds over issues of religion and governance. But, as nearby neighbors, they share a cooking culture over and above those differences. This sausage and the following recipe for Hungarian meatballs in a sour cream sauce are my imaginative combining of the foods that this corner of the world can share without rancor or strife. The sausage, formed into balls and sautéed, can also be served with cucumbers in a light vinaigrette and potato salad dressed with dill and sour cream for a meze plate.
MAKES 1 POUND
1 pound ground beef
1 cup steamed white rice , cooled
¼ cup minced white or yellow onion
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon hot or sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram or ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place all the ingredients in a bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, to firm the mixture.
Leave in bulk and shape and cook as directed in individual recipes.
Hungarian Meatballs in Paprika Sour Cream with Hungarian Green Bean Salad
Hungarian Meatballs in Paprika Sour Cream with Hungarian Green Bean Salad
By curious circumstance, I found myself in Vienna in 1968, shortly after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and just over a decade after the Soviet invasion of Hungary. I was there for the International Philosophical Congress, which didn’t hold my interest long. There was much more to see and experience outside the confines of academia. Aside from the eternal beauty of Vienna as a center for music, the fine arts, and fine pastries, the streets were filled with people—Czechs as well as Hungarians—who had taken refuge in the welcoming city following the invasion of their countries. The energizing buzz over the politics of the time was everywhere, expressed in Czech, Russian, Hungarian Magyar (a language unrelated to nearly all other European languages and incomprehensible to ears unfamiliar with it), and in other tongues as well. But, as always, the food served as a binding, cohesive force. The city’s dining establishments, casual bistros and more formal restaurants alike, were filled with east Europeans, Viennese locals, and tourists like me, all looking for something good to eat. In addition to the impossible-to-resist Viennese fare, there were many Hungarian dishes which had become a familiar part of Viennese cooking. That is when and where I discovered the essential tastes and food combinations of east European cuisine, and, more important, that no matter what, food of the homeland is never left behind.
SERVES 4
Green Bean Salad
1 pound green beans, trimmed and left whole if small or cut into 1- to 2-inch lengths if large
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons cider or sherry vinegar
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meatballs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive or canola oil
1 pound East European Caraway Beef and Rice Sausage , formed into 1½-inch balls
½ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
½ cup water
2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 green bell pepper, quartered, seeded, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-wide strips
1½ cups peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup sour cream
First, make the green bean salad so it can marinate. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook rapidly until quite limp and tender but still bright green, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the
Bake until toasted on the top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm.
East European Caraway Beef and Rice Sausage
The countries of east Europe are a disparate lot, continually at odds over issues of religion and governance. But, as nearby neighbors, they share a cooking culture over and above those differences. This sausage and the following recipe for Hungarian meatballs in a sour cream sauce are my imaginative combining of the foods that this corner of the world can share without rancor or strife. The sausage, formed into balls and sautéed, can also be served with cucumbers in a light vinaigrette and potato salad dressed with dill and sour cream for a meze plate.
MAKES 1 POUND
1 pound ground beef
1 cup steamed white rice , cooled
¼ cup minced white or yellow onion
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon hot or sweet Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram or ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Place all the ingredients in a bowl, and knead with your hands until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, to firm the mixture.
Leave in bulk and shape and cook as directed in individual recipes.
Hungarian Meatballs in Paprika Sour Cream with Hungarian Green Bean Salad
Hungarian Meatballs in Paprika Sour Cream with Hungarian Green Bean Salad
By curious circumstance, I found myself in Vienna in 1968, shortly after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and just over a decade after the Soviet invasion of Hungary. I was there for the International Philosophical Congress, which didn’t hold my interest long. There was much more to see and experience outside the confines of academia. Aside from the eternal beauty of Vienna as a center for music, the fine arts, and fine pastries, the streets were filled with people—Czechs as well as Hungarians—who had taken refuge in the welcoming city following the invasion of their countries. The energizing buzz over the politics of the time was everywhere, expressed in Czech, Russian, Hungarian Magyar (a language unrelated to nearly all other European languages and incomprehensible to ears unfamiliar with it), and in other tongues as well. But, as always, the food served as a binding, cohesive force. The city’s dining establishments, casual bistros and more formal restaurants alike, were filled with east Europeans, Viennese locals, and tourists like me, all looking for something good to eat. In addition to the impossible-to-resist Viennese fare, there were many Hungarian dishes which had become a familiar part of Viennese cooking. That is when and where I discovered the essential tastes and food combinations of east European cuisine, and, more important, that no matter what, food of the homeland is never left behind.
SERVES 4
Green Bean Salad
1 pound green beans, trimmed and left whole if small or cut into 1- to 2-inch lengths if large
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons cider or sherry vinegar
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meatballs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive or canola oil
1 pound East European Caraway Beef and Rice Sausage , formed into 1½-inch balls
½ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion
½ cup water
2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 green bell pepper, quartered, seeded, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-wide strips
1½ cups peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup sour cream
First, make the green bean salad so it can marinate. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook rapidly until quite limp and tender but still bright green, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the
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