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Foods of the 28 NATO countries: Go Hungary
Melissa Elsmo chose Hungarian Goulash as a representative dish of one of the 28 nations that will converge on Chicago for the NATO summit.
Family Friendly Goulash
Purchase new Hungarian sweet paprika for this hearty beef based dish to ensure it is both fresh and flavorful. Goulash is best made the day before you plan to eat it. Make goulash on a leisurely Sunday, allow the flavors to meld over night in the refrigerator, and reheat it on Monday. That way it is easy to bring globally inspired long cooked dish to the table on a busy week night!
6 slices of bacon, sliced
3 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into ½” cubes
Salt and pepper
2 white onions, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup sweet Hungarian paprika
½ teaspoon Caraway seeds
¼ cup Flour
5 cup chicken broth
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
6 ounce can tomato paste
4 red peppers, diced
1 bay leaf
cooked egg noodles
sour cream and chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon in a heavy bottomed stock pot until golden brown and crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towel. Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the beef in the bacon grease in batches until deep chocolate brown on all sides (this process can take up to 45 minutes). When the final batch of meat has been browned add a little olive oil to the empty pot. Add the onions and sauté until translucent (about 6 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the paprika, caraway and flour and mix well. Allow roux to cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Add the vinegar and whisk in the tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil. Add the peppers and bay leaf to the pot. Return the bacon and browned beef to the pot. Mix well, cover and place in the oven for two hours. Adjust seasoning cool and refrigerate over night.
Serve the reheated stew over cooked egg noodles garnished with a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh parsley. Serves 8.
Article Extras
Updated: May 18, 2012 10:04AM
Global militarization makes me hungry.
While Chicago anxiously prepares to welcome world leaders from 28 countries at North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit on May 20 and 21, most city residents and workers view the NATO conference as a potentially huge inconvenience. Sure, there are bound to be motorcades, street closures, pesky lock-downs and occasional protests disrupting business as usual during the dignitary-laden days ahead, but an infusion of such notable diversity in our already culturally rich city gets my culinary wheels turning!
In the same way I’d hope summit participants will be able to enjoy a Chicago-style hot dog or quintessential Italian beef sandwich while they are in the Windy City, I want to embrace the spirit of NATO in my home kitchen.
The Gutsy Gourmet’s convenient list of national dishes served as a springboard for my research to choose dishes from each of the 28-member countries of NATO. This week we’ll take a look at 14 of these internationally known dishes:
Albania: Qofte Ferguara (fried meatballs)
Bulgaria: Monastery Gyuvetch (braised beef with rice and tomatoes & olives)
Croatia: Istarska Jota (stew of beans sauerkraut and pork)
Denmark: Frickadeller (beef and pork meat balls in cream gravy)
France: Pot au Feu (boiled beef, pork, chicken and vegetables)
Hungary: Goulash (stew of meat, noodles, vegetables, and paprika)
Italy: Ragu alla Bolognese (pasta with long cooked meat and tomato sauce)
Lithuania: Cepelinai (grated potato dumpling with meat filling)
Netherlands: Stamppot (smashed potatoes with greens and sauerkraut)
Poland: Pierogi (stuffed dumplings fried in butter)
Romania: Mamaliga (yellow corn flour porridge)
Slovenia: Gibanica (layered pastry filled with apples, raisins, and poppy seeds)
Turkey: Doner Kebap (layers spit roasted lamb shaved into flatbreads)
United States: Apple Pie, hamburger, roast turkey
Pork, sauerkraut and potatoes reign supreme among this group of dishes, but they are diverse in flavor none the less.
I am happy to say that, in addition to all of the signature American dishes, Ragu alla Bollognese, Pierogi and Pot au Feu have graced my family table. I attempted to make Lithuanian Cepelinai as part of a culinary challenge issued by a friend, but I couldn’t muster enough Baltic bravado to successfully boil the finicky potato dumplings; they were a disaster.
The outcome is assured if you look to Hungry and Slovenia for dinner time inspiration in the coming week. My simple variations on Goulash and Gibanica serve as a reminder that we can take a local inconvenience and turn it into a global inspiration at the family table.
Melissa Elsmo is an Oak Park mom, wife and chef/foodie. She speaks regularly about reclaiming the family dinner hour with nutritious meals. Check out her food blog at www.outofmelskitchen.blogspot.com.
Mel’s Foodie Hook-Up
Head away from the heart of the city while the NATO summit is under way and procure some Eastern European staples while you’re at it. A vast assortment of sausages, barrels of briney pickles and blocks of fresh Farmer’s cheese await!
Joe and Frank’s Market
7147 W Archer
Chicago, IL 60638
773 586-0026
Family Friendly Goulash
Purchase new Hungarian sweet paprika for this hearty beef based dish to ensure it is both fresh and flavorful. Goulash is best made the day before you plan to eat it. Make goulash on a leisurely Sunday, allow the flavors to meld over night in the refrigerator, and reheat it on Monday. That way it is easy to bring globally inspired long cooked dish to the table on a busy week night!
6 slices of bacon, sliced
3 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into ½” cubes
Salt and pepper
2 white onions, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup sweet Hungarian paprika
½ teaspoon Caraway seeds
¼ cup Flour
5 cup chicken broth
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
6 ounce can tomato paste
4 red peppers, diced
1 bay leaf
cooked egg noodles
sour cream and chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon in a heavy bottomed stock pot until golden brown and crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towel. Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the beef in the bacon grease in batches until deep chocolate brown on all sides (this process can take up to 45 minutes). When the final batch of meat has been browned add a little olive oil to the empty pot. Add the onions and sauté until translucent (about 6 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the paprika, caraway and flour and mix well. Allow roux to cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth. Add the vinegar and whisk in the tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil. Add the peppers and bay leaf to the pot. Return the bacon and browned beef to the pot. Mix well, cover and place in the oven for two hours. Adjust seasoning cool and refrigerate over night.
Serve the reheated stew over cooked egg noodles garnished with a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh parsley. Serves 8.
Slovenian Inspired Apple Hand Pies
Southeastern European countries like Slovenia, Bosnia, and Serbia are known for layered or rolled pastry desserts called Gibanica. My version, may taste as American as apple pie, but the addition of raisins and poppy seeds in these easy hand pies give a distinct nod to the national dish of Slovenia.
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (or more as needed), separated
2 Granny Smith apples, diced ½”
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/3 cup golden raisins
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
16-ounce package phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions*
2 teaspoon Turbinado Sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon poppy seeds for garnish.
Melt 2 ½ Tablespoons butter in a medium skillet. Add the apples and toss to coat. Add the cinnamon, vanilla and sugar to the pan. Continue cooking over medium heat until apples begin to soften and release their juices (about 6 minutes). Sprinkle the cornstarch over the apples and mix well. Cook until the liquid thickens and remove from the heat. Fold the raisins and poppy seeds into the apple mixture and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the remaining butter and cool slightly. Open the thawed phyllo and cover with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. Lay a sheet of pastry on a work surface. Brush the surface of the pastry with melted butter and top with a second sheet of pastry. Repeat with a third sheet of pastry. Brush the third sheet with butter and fold the entire stack in half vertically.
Place ¼ of cooled apple filling in the bottom corner of the layered pastry strip. Fold the corner over and fold the pastry into a triangle. Continue folding the pastry like a flag and transfer finished triangles to a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have 12 pies. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and poppy seeds.
Bake for 20 minutes checking frequently until hand pies are golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 pies.
*Phyllo can be tricky to work with. Try your hardest to keep the delicate sheets in tact, but don’t worry if you end up with a few small tears in the dough. Your pies will be fine.
