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January 18 

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Saint of the day:

Saint Margaret of Hungary

The Story of Saint Margaret of Hungary

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St. Margaret of Hungary Daughterof King Bela IV, she became a Dominican novice at twelve in a royal convent built on an island in the Danube. Although she was a princess among nuns who were of noble descent, she objected to any special treatment and went out of her way to perform the most menial tasks and the most exacting labors on behalf of the squalid poor and most advanced hospital cases. The extend of her labors and fasting and hours of prayer brought on the fatigue of which she died on January 18. her feast day is January 18th.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=727
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_Hungary_(saint)

 

Prayer:

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dt4.jpg


Visit:
Esztergom Basilica

 

Castle Hill | Szt. István tér, Esztergom 2500, Hungary

+36 33 411 895

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Her monastery was among those suppressed in 1782, part of the suppression of all monastic orders by the Emperor Joseph II. At that time, her remains were given to the Poor Clares. They were kept in Pozsony (today Bratislava) and Buda (Budapest). The relics were partly destroyed in 1789 but some portions were preserved and are now kept in Esztergom, Győr, and Pannonhalma.

In art Margaret is usually depicted in a Dominican nun's religious habit, holding a white lily and a book.

 

Recipes:

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PORK WITH APPLES AND CIDER CREAM SAUCE

SZÉKELYALMÁS
 

Ingredients

  • 1⁄3 cup olive oil

  • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter

  • 1 1⁄2 lb. pork loin, cut into 1⁄4″-thick slices

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1⁄2 cup flour

  • 3 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 wedges each

  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 1⁄2 red Holland chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

  • 1 1⁄2 cups regular or hard apple cider

  • 1 cup chicken stock

  • 1⁄2 cup heavy cream

  • 1⁄4 cup Dijon mustard

  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped marjoram

  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

  • Cooked white rice, for serving
     

Directions:

  1. Heat 2 tbsp. each oil and butter in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat.

  2. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper, and dredge half the pieces in flour;
    add to skillet, and cook, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute.

  3. Transfer to a plate, and set aside; repeat with 2 tbsp. oil, remaining butter, and remaining pork and flour; transfer all pork to plate.

  4. Return skillet to heat, and add remaining oil; add apples, garlic, onion, and chile, and cook, stirring occasionally,
    until soft, about 3 minutes. Add cider, and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

  5. Add stock, cream, and mustard, and bring to a boil; return pork to skillet, and add marjoram.

  6. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until pork is cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes.

  7. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with parsley; serve with rice.

Hungarian-Style Stuffed Cabbage 
 TÖLTÖTT KÁPOSZTA

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Ingredients

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 large head cabbage, cored

  • 3 tbsp. olive oil

  • 8 oz. smoked ham steak, cut into 1⁄4" pieces

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 large yellow onion, minced

  • 5 1⁄2 cups chicken stock

  • 1 1⁄3 cups fine yellow cornmeal

  • 1⁄2 tbsp. Hungarian hot paprika

  • 1⁄2 tbsp. Hungarian sweet paprika, plus more for garnish

  • 1 tsp. roughly chopped parsley, for garnish

  • 1 Italian frying pepper, thinly sliced into rings and seeded,
    for garnish

  • 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

  • Sour cream, for serving


 

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  2. Add head of cabbage and cook, pulling off each outer leaf with tongs as it becomes tender, 2–4 minutes per leaf.

  3. Transfer cabbage leaves to a baking sheet; set aside and continue boiling cabbage until you have 12–15 leaves.

  4. Cut and discard thick ribs from leaves. Thinly slice remaining cabbage core; set aside.

  5. Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ham; cook until lightly browned, 3–4 minutes.

  6. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5–7 minutes.

  7. Add 2 1⁄2 cups stock; bring to a boil. Whisk in cornmeal and the hot paprika, plus salt and pepper; set filling aside.

  8. Working with one cabbage leaf at a time, lay leaf flat on a work surface with what was the stem end facing you.

  9. Place 1⁄4 cup filling in the center of leaf. Fold top of leaf over filling.

  10. Fold in half crosswise, completely encasing the filling at the top; roll cabbage into a tight cone shape.

  11. Place sliced cabbage in the bottom of an 8-qt. saucepan. Arrange stuffed cabbage leaves, overlapping slightly, over top.

  12. Sprinkle with sweet paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk tomato paste and remaining stock in a bowl; pour over cabbage.

  13. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, partially covered, until tender, about 45 minutes.

  14. Transfer stuffed cabbage to a serving platter. Strain sauce, discarding sliced cabbage; spoon sauce over the top.

  15. Garnish with parsley, sliced pepper, and sour cream; sprinkle with more sweet paprika.

 

Apricot Peach Jam

 

Ingredients:

  • 50 dkg pitted apricots

  • 50 dkg of peeled peaches

  • 1 lemon juice and peel

  • 30 dkg sugarInstructions
     

Directions:

  1. Cut the peaches into small pieces and cover for 2-3 hours with the sugar
    and lemon juice and the lemon peel of lemon. 

  2. Then boil it in a pan, put it back on the spice,

  3. stirring constantly until it reaches the baking point, cook for 12 to 15 minutes. 

  4. Bring it hot in bottles, close it and let it cool on its head.

 

Hungarian Carnival Doughnuts

Farsangi Fánk 


Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk (105-115 degrees F), divided

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 

  • 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons bread flour

  • pinch salt

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

  • zest from 1/2 lemon

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons rum

  • 5 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted

  • vegetable oil for frying
     

Topping:

  • Powdered sugar

  • Apricot or favorite jam
     

​Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup of the lukewarm milk.

  2. Stir to combine. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.

  3. In the bowl of a large food processor fitted with a dough blade or a large bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest.

  4. Mix in the yeast with milk, eggs, and rum.

  5. Slowly add remaining milk, then butter until a soft dough forms.

  6. Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and let rest until doubled, about an hour.

  7. Flour a large work surface and add dough. Roll the dough out until it is 1/2 inch thick.

  8. Cut out the doughnuts with a 2 1/2 inch circle cutter and place on baking sheet lined with parchment.

  9. Cover and let rise until doubled, 15-30 minutes.

  10. While the doughnuts are rising, pour vegetable oil into a large pan until it is 1 inch deep.

  11. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Right before placing in oil, stick your thumb into the center of the doughnuts to create an indentation.

  12. Place a few, being careful not to overcrowd, indentation side down, into the hot oil and immediately cover with a lid.

  13. Fry just until lightly browned, about 40 seconds. Remove lid and flip to fry other side just until golden, keeping lid off.

  14. Place on towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.

  15. Serve sprinkled with sugar and topped with jam.
     

 

Hungarian Doughnut Ribbons 
Csörögefánk, Forgácsfánk
 

 


These doughnuts might be called dough-knots as you literally making a kind of knot on the pastry ribbons before frying. They are tasty and indulgent without being too heavy. February is the time of the year when in Hungary traditionally doughnuts are eaten. Before lent there is a brief time of plenty and celebrations. These may be called in Hungarian ‘woodchip doughnuts’ because of their shape. (Italians have the same fried pastry “chiacchiere di carnevale” and other different regional names, but these are well-known in other European cuisines too as I found out.
It’s a good recipe, the flat doughnut ribbons will puff up and bubble somewhat and get a good texture with a slight crust. The plenty of icing sugar and dollop of jam makes this really come alive and kicking.

 

Ingredients:

(Makes about 25 pieces)

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  • 2 cups white pastry flour

  • 2/3 cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon of icing sugar

  • 2 oz butter (room temperature)

  • 3 egg yolks

  • 1 pinch of salt
     

For frying

  • sunflower or vegetable oil
     

To serve:

  • powder sugar, apricot jam
     

​Directions:

  1. First cut 50g of butter into thin slices onto the flour in a mixing bowl, and crumble together until even textured

  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead till smooth, easier on a flat surface.

  3. Wrap in cling film and rest for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.

  4. Prepare a plate lined with kitchen paper and put a pan with a good amount of vegetable oil on the heat, depends on the size of the pan but you need enough oil for the dough bits to be well covered and dumping about happily when frying.

  5. Lightly dust a flat clean flat surface with flour and roll the dough out to a thin square shape, about 3mm thickness, make it a bit thinner to get a crunchier result.

  6. with a pastry cutter, pizza cutter or a knife cut longish oblong shapes as a guide about 2”x 5” but really you could go freehand here of what you prefer.

  7. Cut a straight vertical line in the center of each shapes then holding one side fold tuck and pull through the opening, creating a dough-knot

  8. Fry the doughnuts in batches in quite hot but not smoking oil, checking and turning them until they just light golden brown

  9. Take them out to a plate lined with paper to soak up any excess oil then transfer to a serving plate, dust generously with powder sugar whilst warm, serve with apricot jam.

     

 

Craft of the Day:
Hungarian Cookies (Sugar or Gingerbread)

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Art of the Day:
Hungarian Sausage (Stunning!) I just had to share!

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Traditions:

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Winter chasing & spring awaiting festival!

“The march of the bushos!”

Members of Mohacs Busok (Mask-people from Mohacs town) steps

out from their local base on February 21, 2012 prior to their carnival masquerade.
The Busojaras (Hungarian, meaning 'Buso-walking') is an annual celebration of the Sokci (Croatians) living in the town of Mohacs, held at the end of the
Carnival season and ending the day before Ash Wednesday. 

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