The Hungarian Girl » Eastern European food

Potato pancakes

The Hungarian Girl — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:08:13 +0000

Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

6 large potatoes, peeled and shredded
2 eggs, beaten
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup (115 grams) flour
4 tbsp (50 grams)butter
4 tbsp (50 grams) oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large bowl, add the eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix in the potatoes, onions, and garlic.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Carefully flatten using the back of a spoon. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve with applesauce, sour cream, and/or yogurt as a topping.

Kotlic: Open-flame Cooking

The Hungarian Girl — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:55:51 +0000

"Kotlic" were used by herdsmen travelling the great plains of Central and Eastern Europe over a 1000 years ago.

Most of us are not accustomed to cooking outdoors with the exception of the occasional camping trip when marshmallows are roasted over a camp fire. But Patricia MacCurrach and her husband consider cooking outdoors a part of their lifestyle. The Herefordshire based couple always had a passion for the outdoors and nature. While living in Serbia for a few years they discovered how locals used a special pot that hangs over an open fire known as a “kotlic.” These hanging pots were once used by herdsmen hundreds of years ago travelling the great plains of Central and Eastern Europe. In Hungary, their known as “bogrács” and are used to make goulash and other stew based dishes.

After returning to the UK, MacCurrach and her husband decided to bring their equipment with them. MacCurrach gave a kotlic to her son who brought the cookware with him to a local arts festival. That’s when MacCurrach realized their was a market to sell the cookware, “I bought a Kotlic for myself and also gave one to my son. He was helping at the Glastonbury Festival that year and said he could have sold 50 of them on the spot. So I imported an assortment of outdoor cooking equipment and went to the Ragged Hedge Fair in the UK and sold them all in one weekend.”

MacCurrach mentions how she uses the Kotlic for a variety of dishes including pasulj corba, a traditional Serbian bean soup and riblja corba, a spicy paprika based fish soup. The pots are made out of enamel with a mottled grey finish making them easy to clean.

Recently, MacCurrach and her husband purchased a rural village farmhouse in Serbia where they make frequent trips throughout the year. They also offer accommodation and daily meals for travellers in the area. “The hospitality and the rural village life made a great impression on us,” says MacCurrach.

So, if your eager to be outdoors, why not try the kotlic for your next meal. Who knows you just might find yourself enjoying the tranquility of nature.

For more information about Patricia MacCurrach’s cookware, you can visit the Outdoor Kitchen website.

Bogrács: Hungarian cooking pot

The Hungarian Girl — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:50:08 +0000

A bogrács pot made of stainless steel.

What is a bogrács?

A bogrács is a heavy pot used to cook outdoors, usually over a wood fire. It has a distinctive round shape and is made with either stainless steel, porcelain, cast iron, or cooper with some pots containing an enameled coating. Bogrács come in a variety of sizes from small to very large. In English, the term bogrács is translated as “kettle”, “cauldron” or “stewpot”.

History of the bogrács

Bogrács were traditionally used by herdsmen for preparing “gulyás”, a stewed soup containing meat and vegetables. These men worked in the fields far away from their villages and thus required food that would sustain them throughout the long harsh winters.

Today, bogrács are still used and are often present at outdoor gatherings. Some restaurants will even use bogrács as a ornamental item when serving “gulyás”.

Further Information

How to make a bogrács pot from Lewes Hungarian Society
http://www.sussexineurope.org/societies/hungarian/bogracs_pot.htm

Retailer in San Franciso that sells bogrács
http://www.hungariandeli.com/Cookware.htm

Supplier of bogrács and enamel cookware in the UK
http://outdoor-kitchen.biz

Manufacturer of enameled cast-iron cookware from France - A good alternative if you can’t obtain a bogrács pot
http://www.lecreuset.com

John’s all-purpose Hungarian Recipe – Goulash variations
http://everythingbudapest.eu/Johns_All-Purpose_Hungarian_Recipe.html