# What's cookin, Hungarian?



## kranne (May 7, 2009)

As most of the members live far away from my country and I would be really interested, my question would be:

What comes to your mind if I say Hungarian food?


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## Scotch (May 7, 2009)

Goulash. Chicken Paprikas. Love them both.


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## katybar22 (May 7, 2009)

paprikash and homemade spaetzle, yum


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## justplainbill (May 7, 2009)

Paprika sour cream sauces.  Pepper salami. Weinkraut.  Try taking a look at Bende.com


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## kranne (May 7, 2009)

spaetzle: I thought it's something I don't know... it turned out that I do. I haven't heard this name yet. I thought their english name is noodles. 
I'm still looking for what u mean with weinkraut.  
and how did u get to know Hungarian food? do u have some acquaintances or relatives, or travelled somewhere to europe or how? 
I checked the site, thanks... I haven't thought that there's such a site like that. I was amazed.


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## Scotch (May 7, 2009)

America consists of people from every part of the world, including Hungary. Most of us are mixes of various nationalities, what President Obama called "mongrels" (referring to himself). For example, my last name is of Irish origin. My mother was from Canada but her parents were from England, and she also had French ancestors (or so she said). My father was mostly English and German, but there's some Italian and Russian in there, too. That side of the family has been in the U.S. since before the Revolutionary War (1776). I'm white, but based on the family name and history, I'm sure I have a lot of black cousins. 

My wife is Jewish, and her father's father and mother were Hungarian. 

My son-in-law is half Austrian. 

My niece and nephew are half Japanese. 

All of this makes for some great food! 

Here's some more information on Hungarians in the United States: CLICK ME


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## ellakav (May 7, 2009)

toltott kaposzta!!!!!!!!!!
kalacs, levkar.  my folks were Hungarian


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## kranne (May 8, 2009)

ellakav said:


> toltott kaposzta!!!!!!!!!!
> kalacs, levkar.  my folks were Hungarian



 can they cook paprikáskrumpli? Or maybe lecsó or töltöttpaprika? These last two are hard to cook abroad, cause u need some kind of paprika/capsium that I've met only in Hungary. It's yellow and longer than than one we call Californian paprika/capsium.


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## linicx (May 8, 2009)

I used to have Chicken Paprika with bread dumplings and Liver Dumpling Soup for lunch everyday when I lived in Chicago. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. I can't find a great recipe for either dish. .


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## kranne (May 8, 2009)

Yeah, I know these things, but still, as I haven't been to America, it's hard to imagine. Especially, as in Hungary there aren't many imigrants, as in western Europe. It's something different to know about it and to live in that culture. Sometimes I'm really jealous. And I was also surprised cause I thought there will be someone in a few days that will answer me something, but I didn't expect u to know that much. 

I'll check out the site, thanks.


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## kranne (May 8, 2009)

linicx said:


> I used to have Chicken Paprika with bread dumplings and Liver Dumpling Soup for lunch everyday when I lived in Chicago. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. I can't find a great recipe for either dish. .



Try to google the Hungarian names of these and type english and recipe after it. I cannot send u links yet, sorry...
chicken paprika: paprikás csirke or csirkepörkölt
bread dumplings: nokedli or galuska
liver bumpling soup: májgaluska leves

If u cannot find a good one or an english recipe, than I'll let u know how I make them!


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## linicx (May 8, 2009)

*Thanks*



kranne said:


> Try to google the Hungarian names of these and type english and recipe after it. I cannot send u links yet, sorry...
> chicken paprika: paprikás csirke or csirkepörkölt
> bread dumplings: nokedli or galuska
> liver bumpling soup: májgaluska leves
> ...



I was able to use Google to find english recipes for the soup and chicken.

Would you please share how you make the broth for chicken paprika and the liver soup?


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## kranne (May 8, 2009)

linicx said:


> I was able to use Google to find english recipes for the soup and chicken.
> 
> Would you please share how you make the broth for chicken paprika and the liver soup?



Ok, I'll try to do my best!  Hope u will understand it, as I ned to use dictionary in some cases... I usually don't use cookery books when I cook, just but some of these and some of those, but I'll try to put down the amounts.

chicken paprika:
1 cut up chicken (any parts of it will do, so if u like only the leg, it's okay to put only that in it)
2 onions
1 or 2 tomatoes
2 tablespoons of oils or fat (u can use any... I never use margarine for this
about 1 tablespoon of paprika (make it red...)
salt
pepper
white pepper (not necessary if u don't have any)
water

Saute the chopped onion in the oil, then add the chopped tomatoes also. Put the chicken into it, add the salt and pepper and steam it for 5-10 minutes. U can add the paprika before steaming, or after it. Just be careful, don't get it burnt, cause then the taste will go wrong... After steaming, add water. Water should cover about the half of the meat. Cover an cook for about an hour. (Till the meat gets tender enough) If u find that all of the water evaporated, u can put some more in it.
Before finishing the cooking, u can add some sour cream to it. If it's not creamy enough, add some flour to the sour cream.Stir it while adding it to the chicken, and boil it once more.

Some ppl like this food without sour cream, some adds it freshly before eating it. Every option is possible and tastes good, if u ask me. 

For dumplings type into google: hungarian nokedli (dumplings) and there will be a recipe at recipezaar.


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## kranne (May 8, 2009)

*liver soup*

Going on with the liver soup: I'll translate the most famous cookery book in hungary, written by Ilona Horváth, to give u an official recipe.

First of all, cook some soup, that contains some bones, vegetable (carrot, white carrot /root of parsley/, peas, onion, parsley, celery, tomato) The most important is to add some carrot and onion and some other vegetables. What u have at home. U can use either pork or lamb or beef bones or some leftovers from a chicken. Put some salt and whole pepper if u'd like. Put some water in it. It depens how much u'd like to cook... Cover and cook these for 1 or 2 hours.

Liver dumplings (from Ilona Horváth):
ingredients:
1-2 chicken liver 
1 tea-spoon of oil or 1 decagram fat
1 tea-spoon of grated onion
1 roll of bread sopped in milk
1 egg
flour
salt, pepper (powder), marjoram

Saute the onion in the oil. Get it off from the flames. Cut the liver into very little pieces--> u can just scrape it with a knife and it will become almost like a cream. Get the bread out of the milk squeeze it and crumble to pieces. Put everything (the oonion, bread, liver, egg and spices) together, stir it. U have to add so many flour, that u make it like some hard cream, but not too hard. 

It can happen that it won't work for the first time, than try to add more or less flour to it. Hope it will be all right.

I think that's all!


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## ellakav (May 8, 2009)

kranne said:


> can they cook paprikáskrumpli? Or maybe lecsó or töltöttpaprika? These last two are hard to cook abroad, cause u need some kind of paprika/capsium that I've met only in Hungary. It's yellow and longer than than one we call Californian paprika/capsium.


 

when I was still living in California I was able to find the Hungarian
peppers in, of all things, a Mexican grocery!  now I live in Missouri,
which is pretty rural and they don't have anything like that.  I order
my paprika online from Otto's.  my Dad was the cook in my family and
he made all those things that you listed pretty regularly.  my grandmother on his side made stuffed cabbage whenever she came to visit and I
haven't tasted such ever again!  I wish I had known to get her recipe
but at the time I was only a child!


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## mbasiszta (May 8, 2009)

Hola all you Foodies out there. My last name is "Basiszta", so kranne will know I have at least some Hungarian in me. I love Hungarian Goulash, but it has to have lots of hot Humgarian Paprika - the real stuff.

A recipe that got lost in my family over the generations was for a good Hungarian Peasant bread. My grandmother made it with whole garlic cloves, so if you were lucky when you got a slice of bread (or when you tore off a piece when grandma wasn't watching) with some garlic - it was heavenly.

Can you help me with a genuine recipe for that bread, Kranne?

My grandfather was a Husar and we have blood from the stepps.

It is nice to have a landsman in our group.

Martín (in Panamá)


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## ellakav (May 8, 2009)

mbasiszta said:


> Hola all you Foodies out there. My last name is "Basiszta", so kranne will know I have at least some Hungarian in me. I love Hungarian Goulash, but it has to have lots of hot Humgarian Paprika - the real stuff.
> 
> A recipe that got lost in my family over the generations was for a good Hungarian Peasant bread. My grandmother made it with whole garlic cloves, so if you were lucky when you got a slice of bread (or when you tore off a piece when grandma wasn't watching) with some garlic - it was heavenly.
> 
> ...


 
if she doesn't have one (unlikely!)  I have one for a garlic peasant
potato bread that totally rocks.  
my maiden name was Chordas.


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## justplainbill (May 8, 2009)

ellakav said:


> when I was still living in California I was able to find the Hungarian
> peppers in, of all things, a Mexican grocery!  now I live in Missouri,
> which is pretty rural and they don't have anything like that.  I order
> my paprika online from Otto's.  my Dad was the cook in my family and
> ...



Some 5 years ago we bought a few pounds of paprika from Otto's  because the price seemed reasonable.  However, to us, it seemed flat tasting as if it was cut with flour.


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## mbasiszta (May 8, 2009)

ellakav said:


> if she doesn't have one (unlikely!) I have one for a garlic peasant
> potato bread that totally rocks.
> my maiden name was Chordas.


OMG, that would be wonderful. Please share your garlic-potato bread recipe. I love making unleavened breads. It is not a religious thing for me, but rather memories of my grandmothers' cooking.


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## ellakav (May 8, 2009)

mbasiszta said:


> OMG, that would be wonderful. Please share your garlic-potato bread recipe. I love making unleavened breads. It is not a religious thing for me, but rather memories of my grandmothers' cooking.


 

well, it's not really unleavened...it uses roughly a T. of yeast.
the closest I have to unleavened is a sourdough potato bread
recipe, which is also good.


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## mbasiszta (May 8, 2009)

ellakav said:


> well, it's not really unleavened...it uses roughly a T. of yeast.
> the closest I have to unleavened is a sourdough potato bread
> recipe, which is also good.


No worries. I just thought all peasant breads were unleavened. See what I don't know? hahaha

I love to bake bread. The smells throughout the house drives everyone mad. I make all kinds. Any recipies you would want to share would be appreciated.

Baking sourdough bread is my absolute favorite, with sourdough rye being tops on my list. I use a combination of dark and light rye. I will have to put that up, too, but it would not be appropriate on this thread.


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## Constance (May 8, 2009)

Hello and Welcome!

The first thing I thought of was cabbage rolls, but don't know if that's something you eat in Hungary.
Is Moravia in your general area? I have an older friend who is of Moravian descent, and one of her husband's fave dishes was sweet peppers, leeks, and a little garlic, sauteed together in olive oil. You eat that with crusty bread, to soak up the juices. 
I have added anchovies to that.


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## kranne (May 9, 2009)

Hey hello again! I'm glad that I found so many ppl interested in the topic! 

Martin! I'm sorry, but I don't have any recipes for bread, but I can check Hungarian sites and books for the recipe and translate! Just let me know, if u need it! Baking a bread with Garlic is not a bad idea, anyway!


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## kranne (May 9, 2009)

Constance said:


> Hello and Welcome!
> 
> The first thing I thought of was cabbage rolls, but don't know if that's something you eat in Hungary.
> Is Moravia in your general area? I have an older friend who is of Moravian descent, and one of her husband's fave dishes was sweet peppers, leeks, and a little garlic, sauteed together in olive oil. You eat that with crusty bread, to soak up the juices.
> I have added anchovies to that.



If u meant cabbage rolls stuffed with some meat, than yes, it's a Hungarian food. 

Moravia is not part of Hungary. After checking wikipedia, I got to know, that it's part of the Czech Republic. So it's not that far away, as it's still central Europe.  That food you mentioned sounds interesting though. It could be a good starter for a dinner on Sunday!


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## justplainbill (May 9, 2009)

There was a time when the Czechs and the Slovenskos were ruled by Hungary.


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## David Cottrell (May 9, 2009)

Cold cherry soup comes to mind Kranne. I've tried several of the other dishes that have been mentioned. Spatzle I think is the German name for the noodle concept. I spread the dough on the back of a cookie baking pan and then scrape off bits into boiling water - a few at a time. I especially like them with goulash. 

Of course there are the pastries!!  Oh yes, the fruit or nut filled pastries. Good recipes have no borders! with the internet and places such as discuss cooking I can find wonderful recipes from everywhere!

I must learn about the paprika you mentioned. I have what the container says is Hungarian Paprika but I'm not certain that it is the same. Thanks for asking and be ready to share a recipe or two! 

Certainly there are Hungarians here - I well remember when the Soviet tanks rolled into your city to crush the rebellion. Yes, you are here, we are you and you are in us like it or not!


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## David Cottrell (May 9, 2009)

Kranne, does Dobos Torta mean anything to you. Please understand - I am not really a baker and my name should not be mentioned beside his. My Dobos Torte is not beautiful but it is a treat!

Have you ever checked into facebook.com? If you do please look me up. I am the David Cottrell living in Norwalk, Ohio USA. Right now my little photo is the same as I am using here - a Ukrainian and American flag together. No - not any Ukrainian in me other than what ever comes from being born here. Of course in Eastern Hungary there are Ukrainian and Hungarian populations mixed together I guess. Food mixes together. Everyone claims the best as their own! )


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## kranne (May 9, 2009)

Cold cherry soup: Of course I know it! Try to make it from apple or both! It's very good, especially on hot summer days!

By pastries u mean dumplings made of boiled potato and flour and the rest with some fruit in the middle? That's the favorite food of many hungarian children! 

And of course, dobos torta is also a great food. To be honest, I've never been brave enough to try and bake one! I always buy it in the cake-shop.

About hungarian paprika: it looks like this:






Yes I'm on facebook, I'll check u!


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## ellakav (May 9, 2009)

mbasiszta said:


> No worries. I just thought all peasant breads were unleavened. See what I don't know? hahaha
> 
> I love to bake bread. The smells throughout the house drives everyone mad. I make all kinds. Any recipies you would want to share would be appreciated.
> 
> Baking sourdough bread is my absolute favorite, with sourdough rye being tops on my list. I use a combination of dark and light rye. I will have to put that up, too, but it would not be appropriate on this thread.


 

pretty much all of my bread recipes have some kind of leavening in
them, but I do have a couple without it.  I will PM you the recipe I 
have, and a sourdough potato recipe as well.  I know what you mean
about baking bread - it is just the best smell.  especially on a cold
winter afternoon out here, along side a big pot of soup or stew.
it's the only thing about winter I will miss this year!  somehow, the
smell of the bread just isn't the same with the a/c on!
I'll post those up later today - right now I have to go catch up on
laundry!


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## ellakav (May 9, 2009)

justplainbill said:


> Some 5 years ago we bought a few pounds of paprika from Otto's because the price seemed reasonable. However, to us, it seemed flat tasting as if it was cut with flour.


 
Really?  I've always been pretty happy with them, especially with
the spicy and I don't always do spicy well!  Anything is possible, 
though.  I imagine a lot of places cut their spices with flour or
cornstarch to save a buck!  I just started using them because
they were recommended to me and Hungarian paprika is pretty 
much unheard of where I live.  the stuff you buy in the stores
here is crap.  like rust colored sand.


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## msmofet (May 9, 2009)

Sauerkraut Soup 

4 smoked ham hocks or smoked pork knuckles 
1 ring smoked kielbasa
1 lb. sauerkraut - rinsed
1/2 oz. dried mushrooms
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans
10 c. water
2 Tbls. Flour and Crisco (vegetable shortening)
Hungarian paprika, salt and ground pepper to taste

Place hocks in water and bring to boil. Add mushrooms, kielbasa and beans. Simmer 1 hour. Add sauerkraut and cook for 1/2 hour. 
Brown flour in melted Crisco and add 1/2 c. water, mix well. Simmer till well blended and then add to soup.
Turn off and let stand. Remove kielbasa and hocks. Cut kielbasa into rounds, remove meat from hocks and add back to soup.


Stuffed Cabbage

1 pound ground beef 
1 pound ground pork 
2 rings smoked kielbasa - 1 ring chopped small for filling, 1 ring sliced into rounds for layers.
1 lg. onion - chopped fine
3 lg. cloves garlic - chopped fine
2 Tbls. Hungarian paprika - or to taste
1 Tbls. Dry parsley 
1 Tbls. salt 
1 Tbls. Ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. MSG (optional)
2 lg. cans Sacramento tomato juice
2 lg. bags sauerkraut, save juice
2 lg. heads cabbage 
 
 
Par cooked rice - 3/4 c. rice, 1 c. water and 1/2 tsp. salt - mix together, bring to boil. Turn off, cover and let sit while you prep the rest.
 
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. 
 
Core head of cabbage, place in boiling water and ladle water into core. BE VERY CAREFUL! Remove leaves as they separate and plunge into large bowl of ice and water. Save small center leaves. Drain leaves and remove center ribs from leaves. Chop ribs and small center leaves.
 
Make layers: Layer some of the sauerkraut, then a layer of chopped cabbage ribs and leaves and then a layer of sliced kielbasa rounds in bottom of lg. Dutch oven (or 2).  (if you have any filling left over from the leaves layer it with the kraut and kielbasa layers) 
 
Mix beef, pork, spices, 1 ring kielbasa (chopped small), onion, garlic and rice (save any liquid). Mix well. 
 
Lightly pack a small handful of the meat mixture and place in the center of a cabbage leaf. Fold top part of leaf over mixture, then fold in the sides and roll until mixture is completely encased. Lay rolls on top of sauerkraut and sliced kielbasa layers in pot. Repeat the layers and rolls till pot is almost full. Ending with a kielbasa layer. Fill pot with the kraut juice and tomato juice (and any rice liquid).
 
Cover pot and simmer 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until filling is completely cooked. Add more tomato juice if needed.


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## David Cottrell (May 9, 2009)

kranne, when I mentioned Hungarian Pastries I was thinking of those big nut rolls. Most excellent! Of course there are too many others to think about. Thanks for looking me up so soon on facebook - good to meet you! David


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## justplainbill (May 11, 2009)

kranne said:


> spaetzle: I thought it's something I don't know... it turned out that I do. I haven't heard this name yet. I thought their english name is noodles.
> I'm still looking for what u mean with weinkraut.
> and how did u get to know Hungarian food? do u have some acquaintances or relatives, or travelled somewhere to europe or how?
> I checked the site, thanks... I haven't thought that there's such a site like that. I was amazed.



Weinkraut= feherboros izesitessel=Savanyitott kaposzta


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## mbasiszta (May 11, 2009)

justplainbill said:


> Weinkraut= feherboros izesitessel=Savanyitott kaposzta


Ooppss, are we supposed to us an online translator to figure out what this means. It is in Hungarian, at least, isn't it?


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## Claire (May 19, 2009)

msfot, I had to laugh .... I make cabbage rolls once every winter, and it is pretty much as you describe.  My recipe is from Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Slovak, and other eastern European women, which I just cook from memory.  My mother in law taught me to core the head of cabbage, then spear it with a huge fork.  Boil the cabbage until the leaves are pliable and tear off easily.  THEN, the trick that really helps, "shave" the spine of the leaf of cabbage.  That way it rolls much more easily.  I use V8 vegetable juice because Sacramento isn't available here, but I agree with you that it is best.  I recently made this for a dinner party and was surprised at how much people loved it.  Good quality paprika is the real trick to this meal.  I live in a small midwestern town, and get frustrated at times when I can't find just what I want.  But I've got a "spice guy" who can get me both hot and sweet paprika.  Oh, by the way, I don't precook the rice, just put it in raw.  The slow cooking actually makes it so that the rice absorbes the flavor of the sauce I cook it in.


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## mbasiszta (May 19, 2009)

Okay, "justplainbill" doesn't want to translate. So this American Hunky will have to wonder why. But Cabbage Rolls are another thing. They are kind of like hamburgers in my family: you can fill them with anything you want and they will probably be great. And you don't always have to cover them with tomatoes.


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## justplainbill (May 19, 2009)

mbasiszta said:


> Okay, "justplainbill" doesn't want to translate. So this American Hunky will have to wonder why. But Cabbage Rolls are another thing. They are kind of like hamburgers in my family: you can fill them with anything you want and they will probably be great. And you don't always have to cover them with tomatoes.



See
Ferihegy Kft.

PS = sorta means translates to


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## msmofet (May 19, 2009)

Claire said:


> msfot, I had to laugh .... I make cabbage rolls once every winter, and it is pretty much as you describe. My recipe is from Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Slovene, Slovak, and other eastern European women, which I just cook from memory. My mother in law taught me to core the head of cabbage, then spear it with a huge fork. Boil the cabbage until the leaves are pliable and tear off easily. THEN, the trick that really helps, "shave" the spine of the leaf of cabbage. That way it rolls much more easily. I use V8 vegetable juice because Sacramento isn't available here, but I agree with you that it is best. I recently made this for a dinner party and was surprised at how much people loved it. Good quality paprika is the real trick to this meal. I live in a small midwestern town, and get frustrated at times when I can't find just what I want. But I've got a "spice guy" who can get me both hot and sweet paprika. Oh, by the way, I don't precook the rice, just put it in raw. The slow cooking actually makes it so that the rice absorbes the flavor of the sauce I cook it in.


 hello. what made you laugh?  btw both of those recipes are from my aunt's hungarian mil. i used to call my aunt's husband "uncle hunky" because i have 2 uncles and to cousins with the same name. the original recipe calls for uncooked rice but my mom would parcook the rice to speed the cooking and it still absorbs the tomato juice and i have "sauce" to pour over the rolls which i love!!


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