Cevapcici

Today's Balkan themed grill party was a gread success! Cevapcici, one of the most emblematic dish of the Balkan region played the main role. So that I avoid to offend anyone, I just call it Balkan dish as each folk in this region claims the rights to call it "their own national food". It's an outstanding dish and so easy to make. Traditionally it can be served with mustard, mustard onion, ajvar, sour cream/créme freche or even with yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 500 g minced pork meat
• 500 g minced beef meat
• 500 g minced lamb meat
• 3 medium onions
• 8 cloves garlic (1 head is perfect as well)
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. red paprika powder (édes-nemes)
• 2 pinches chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. marjoram
• 2 Tbsp. tarragon mustard (mix mustard with tarragon)
• 1 egg
• oil for frying

Directions:

Finely chop the onion it is almost minced. Chop the garlic as thoroughly as you possibly can (or simply press it). Add these to the meat in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper and all the other herbs. Mix it well with your hands. 

1. Take a kitchen plank and a large knife. Make small tight rolls while using the knife (ca. 6cm long and 3cm thick). The point is to make the rolls as tight as possible otherwise the cevapcici falls apart while you are baking them. If you are not sure, try to make it as tight as possible, then put them into the freezer for about 30 minutes, then cut the rolls into pieces.

2. Use a gnocchi, croquet and noodle maker machine (see picture below) and make ca. 6cm long and 3cm thick cevapcici rolls.

Preheat oil in a frying pan, fry the cevapcici while continuously turning them around until crispy. Make sure they don't stick to the bottom and/or get burned! It takes about 10 minutes.

OR: Heat your grill to medium high and cook the cevapici for about 2-3 minutes per side, turning once, until they are cooked through and a deep brown color. Do not overcook them.

For those who want to be professionals and real cevapcici experts, here is a small hint. 

Forrás: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FyXW18ZgdtI

 

Forrás: http://www.haztartasiaruhaz.hu/images/termek/711214_tok_szaggato.jpg

 

Pörkölt, the Hungarian goulash

The sun is shining, everybody is hungry, wonderful smell is hanging above the patio (and above the whole neighbourhood as well), men are standing around the fire, goulash/pörkölt is currently in progress. 

Ingredients for the pörkölt:

• 2000 g pork shoulder cut in cues
• 3 medium onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 medium red coloured Californian paprika
• 3 tomatoes
• 40 ml dry red wine
• 20 ml water
• salt, pepper
• ground cumin
• red paprika powder
• 4 Tbsp. lard
• 3 1/4 Tbsp. chilli (Erős Pista)
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Ingredients for dumplings (nokedli/galuska):

• 1000 g flour
• 2-3 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• water for the texture of the dough
• water for cooking/boiling dumplings

Ingredients:

Melt and heat lard in a Kotlich on camp fire over medium heat. Cook onions in oil until soft, stirring frequently. Add red paprika powder (carefully! make sure it doesn't burn otherwise it's bitter) then meat cubes and freshly pressed garlic. Add the cubed meat and while stirring the meat will begin to fry, releasing its natural juices. Sprinkle salt and pepper over it while adding herbs and chilli. The meat should thus be cooked in its own juices for about 1,5 hours. 
Then: add vegetables cut in smaller pieces, red wine and let it cook/sauté for another 2-2,5 hours. Once the juice has virtually evaporated, a small amount of water or dry wine can be added. The liquid must never cover the meat. Don't forget to stir once in a while.
Serve hot/warm with dumplings/rice/noodles/smashed potatoes/parsley potatoes. 

For the dumplings: combine all the ingredients. Add as much water as needed to get a quite thick dough. Stir until dough is smooth and no longer sticks to spoon.
Bring salted water in a large pan to boil.  

Preferred tool for making dumplings is a spaetzle plane. 

Push the batter through a spaetzle plane propped on the pot, or use a spoon to tear off pieces of the batter and drop them into the water. Drop dumplings into rapidly boiling water; boil covered and cook until rise to the top of the water.

Fresh vegetables and spicy marinated chicken from the grill

It's BBQ season! Summer time means different things to different people. For you it is maybe the perfect time period to go on vacation, be lazy on the terrace or in the garden or simply just the season of sunshine. For me, summer means barbecue. As often as possible!

Ingredients:

• 250 g champion
• 1 pc.zucchini
• 1 pc. red paprika
• 250 g chicken breast fillet
• salt, pepper, curry powder,
• 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 Tbsp. oil

Directions:

Cut chicken into cubes. Make a marinade from the above mentioned ingredients (salt, pepper, curry powder, soy sauce and oil). Marinate the chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
In the meanwhile: cut champion, zucchini and paprika. The small pieces get quicker grilled and look better.
Well... your only thing to do is to put on the grill, set the table and start.
Don't get in panic if it's raining outside. The solution for you is the table grill! Wonderful interactive family event at the dining table. Each member can grill his own food. Fantastic!

Note: if you are using table grill, please, make sure you only put one portion each person on! It ensures the grill doesn't get over loaded and creates a nice long, conversation-filled eating. Use wooden grill spoons to avoid scratching.

Honey BBQ chicken wings with home-made French fries

Nice weather and weekend again. Nothing is better then to enjoy all the beauties of nature and season with the both of you, sitting on the terrace and having a wonderful dinner. 

Ingredients:

• 10 chicken wings 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced 
• 1 teaspoon of salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder 
• 2 Tbsp. of lime juice 
• 3 Tbsp. BBQ sauce 
• 1/2 Tbsp. chili (replace with tomato if you don’t like hot) 
• 2 Tbsp. honey

Directions: 

Make a chicken- marinade from all the ingredients. Marinade the wings for at least 1 hour (1 night would be the best).

Put the wings on the grill and grill from at least 15 minutes until golden brown. Brush with remaining marinades.

Serve with fresh home- made French fries or on a bed of salad such as cucumbers, lettuce and cabbage.

Thai chicken nuggets with sweet chili sauce

Just because it is not hot or it is raining outside, we don't have to stop enjoying the pleasure of grilling. Here there is an example to illustrate how to make something delicious and tasty withing seconds. Whether it's an easy appetizer or a main course, you surely will score good points at your family and friends.

Ingredients:

• 500 g chicken fillet
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley
• 1 pinch chili (Erős Pista)
• salt, pepper, ground ginger
• 1 tbls. peanut oil
• 1 pc. double baked bread (Dutch toast)

Elkészítés:

Get your mincing machine. Cut the chicken and onion into pieces, peal the garlic cloves and wash the parsley and remove the leaves from the stem. All of them
Grind all of them (meat, garlic, onion and parsley) then mix them with the rest of the ingredients. (Note: crush the Dutch toast with your hands into powder!). Mix until homogeneous and easily formable.
Form small nuggets with wet hands and grill them for 5-10 minutes.
Serve hot with sweet chili sauce.