Monday 19 March 2012

Soup or Stew? That is the Question

start of preparations for making gulyásleves [click to enlarge] 

Now who are we to argue with Miss Smith? Or even to question a single word of what she has written? After all, Delia, as she has become to her many, many followers and admirers, is the woman who has re-educated an entire nation on the boiling of an egg, who has made eating for one fun and whose three part Cookery Course has become legendary.

Delia Smith, a kitchen legend in her own lifetime

And yet we dare! For in one thing, and it may well be the only thing, she is seriously misinformed and thus has, never intentionally, we are certain,  misguided countless aspiring cooks the length and breadth of the land. We refer, of course, to Hungarian Goulash.

the receipt for Delia Smith's so called Hungarian Goulash

To Miss Smith, whose wisdom in all things culinary is without parallel, Hungarian Goulash is a casserole dish, flavoured with paprika and which, on her recommendation, "goes very well with braised cabbage", and for which she gives a receipt in Part II of her trilogy. Alas, in this instance she is incorrect, wrong even.

our cook/housekeeper, Tímea, begins by frying the onions

Gulyásleves is a soup. Named after the word for herdsman, gulyás, this is a hearty meat soup, leves, whose origin most likely lies deep within the country as a nourishing and warming food served to the returning labourer.

the beef meat is chopped into cubes before adding to the onions

Today it has become ubiquitous, appearing on every menu from the smartest of Budapest restaurants to the lowliest csárda, wayside inn. Without exception it is good, full and flavoursome, a meal in itself, richly satisfying. But nowhere is it better than made in the home and there is none to compete, in our view, with Tímea, our cook/housekeeper, when it comes to producing this excellent lunch or supper dish.

And so, for food lovers everywhere [with profuse apologies to vegans and vegetarians] we offer you on this occasion Hegedus Gábor Zsoltné Tímea's very own, delicious gulyásleves.

served in readiness for eating on the dining room hotplate

Move over, Delia, darling!!


240 comments:

  1. When my parents were young, they had an elderly Hungarian lady in their circle of acquaintances, and she taught my Mum (who then taught my Dad) to make Szegeden goulash (you will no doubt find my spelling incorrect, I am quite sure there should be an accent somewhere, but since I don't read, speak or write Hungarian, I'll leave that to you). Auntie Peregovic's (again, not sure about the correct spelling of her name) recipe called for Sauerkraut, and her goulash was rich and thick enough to classify as stew. Your gulyásleves looks delicious, and I wouldn't mind a plate of it today for my lunch break, especially since it has gone rather cold again after a lovely warm spell during last week.

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    1. This is most interesting and clearly a regional variation from Szeged, a town in the south of Hungary quite close to the border with Serbia.

      We have enjoyed, and are enjoying, the most wonderful warm spring weather [yesterday 20C] and are sorry to learn that it has become cooler for you.

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  2. That looks delicious. Delia cleary didn't employ the right people to do her research.
    Chicken Tikka Masala, Spanish frittata, Yorkshire pudding, all regularly attempted by cooks across the land, but never quite right. You really need a native to show you how its done. Of course, chicken tikka has no origin in India, yet is the most popular choice of curry.
    I simply cannot take Delia seriously since witnessing her emotional outburst at the football game!
    I'll be looking at recipes now, casseroles, stews and soups are ideal for feeding the family.

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    1. The rather maddening thing about all of Delia's receipts is that they work, thus contributing to what we have always felt, on the rare occasion we have seen one of her programmes, a somewhat smug attitude. And, yes, we have never quite understood her connection with Norwich Football Club - or whichever club it is.

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  3. Just the other day I was thinking of goulash and wondering what it was, thinking I'd refer to my vegetable medley as goulash and I see that would not be correct and thank goodness I didn't call it that, I guess I'll stick with medley. Ha. And it looks delicious in that wonderful bowl displayed above.

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    1. Your medley of vegetables does sound rather good but probably, in the true Hungarian sense of it, could not be called goulash.

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  4. Mistakenly, I thought you were actually going to give us Timea's recipe - alas no.
    A couple of years ago, Giffords Circus, had an Hungarian horseman performing for them, and we watched him cooking Goulash over an outside fire. He had a large cauldron hanging on a chain over the fire. He started it before the show, and we watched him stirring it during the interval, and by the end of the performance it looked to be ready, and smelt delicious.

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    1. We are so sorry, Rosemary, but thought that if we were to publish her receipt, badly translated by us, the results might not be as they should leading to mutinous and dissatisfied Followers!!

      What you describe here is very typical as gulyásleves is very often cooked over an outside fire. Most interesting to have seen it.

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  5. I have never been to Hungary, but have sat on mountain sides in Austria and eaten goulash suppe - and very nice it was too.
    Simple, hearty food.

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    1. That sounds to have been great fun. And it would make an excellent outdoor meal, particularly in chilly weather as, possibly, one might find on an Austrian mountain side.

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  6. i.am.not.familiar.with.Delia.and.her.cook.book...i.only.have.one.cook.book..my.mothers.old.
    recipie.book.
    i.love.to.invent.meals.i.enjoy.a.good.stew.during.winter.months.
    i.ate.goulash.once...but.as.you.say..could.it.have.been.goulash..!
    Timea..just.makes.it.look.so.easy..and.of.course.it.must.be.delicious.

    Thank.you.lance.and.jane..great.post.
    val

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    1. There is absolutely no reason at all why you should know of Delia Smith. In her day, and she has done several come backs since, she became a British institution largely on account of her very successful television programmes.

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  7. Well being as my name is Delia and i am a vegetarian to im just chuckling away ;-) But i have to say that the old and tradition recipes are the best and those that are handed down through the generations of the family no matter what the top cooks of the world say so i agree with you. Enjoy it, dee x

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    1. Well, Dee, we really appreciate this comment particularly as you are a vegetarian and so cannot have a great deal of interest in this post!! But we do agree with you about traditional receipts passed down through families.

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  8. I have never visited Budapest without having some goulash, and I have never been disappointed with it.I lost all interest in Delia when she advocated using frozen and heavily processed food in her latest book. You're so lucky to have the lovely Timea - her goulash looks authentic and delicious!

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    1. We are delighted to read this and to know that you have never been disappointed with the gulyásleves in Budapest.

      We too could never quite understand Delia advocating the very things which, you would think, a person with a passion for food and cooking would be keen to avoid.

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  9. That looks absolutely delicious - whatever it's called.
    I have to accept that, as you say, Delia's recipes 'work' and I have a battered (no pun intended) copy of the 'Complete Cookery Course'. However, I am fundamentally resistant to her personality and her attitude so I'm actually quite glad to hear she got things wrong. Is that awful of me? Axxx

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    1. In the 1980s when we attempted some cooking, we relied very heavily on Delia as our rather marked books show but, like you, could never quite reconcile ourselves to her personality and, also like you, we now rather delight in all these years later finding her wrong - at least once!!

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  10. I suspect that it would be rather a good idea to plan a trip to Hungary so that I can experience the real thing. I expect that like other national dishes there are as many different variations as there are families! It would, therefore, be a good idea to plan a trip to as many interesting areas as possible to sample these varieties as well as the scenery, of course!

    By the way, the dishes your goulash graces are served in are ever so lovely... As for Delia -- as they say in Lancashire: There's nowt so queer as folk!

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    1. You have given us such a good idea, Katherine, to sample the local gulyásleves whenever we are in a different region of Hungary to see if there are, in fact, noticeable differences. And one day you really should visit Hungary for yourself to try some of the very many dishes which are particular to this country.

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  11. I have had not made Hungarian Goulash for ages and I cannot remember what recipe I last used, possibly one from 'Around the Word Cooking' book. It would definitely not have been Delia's recipe. I am not a fan of hers and I have non of her books! These days I am inclined to look for recipes from blogs from the country concerned. The books do get opened for my favourites, but they do not have as much use as they used to!! Mostly nowadays, if it is not a 'real' recipe I am after I just do my own thing :) Diane

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    1. We do agree with you, Diane, that blogs provide a wonderful source [no pun intended] of inspirational receipts, particularly when they come from the country of origin. Additionally, we think that some of the most delicious meals we have had have been when people have done, as you say here, their 'own thing'.

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  12. There is a Hungarian sandwich vendor near here in Bristol who also offers Goulash to all the office workers she visits. It is supposed to be quite good!

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    1. This is most encouraging. We are always so glad to hear positive things about Hungary particularly in these times when, as a country, it is generally having a bad press.

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  13. Poor Delia. Norwich City lose to Newcastle on Sunday and on Monday she gets her soups and stews mixed up.

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  14. Sorry about the second comment -- I've been having connection problems and thought that my original had not gone through. It's be on/off, on/off all morning! :-(

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    1. Katherine, absolutely no need to apologise at all. Connection problems now seem to be an every day occurrence here so we fully understand. But it is all exceedingly frustrating and time wasting.

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  15. Jane and Lance, my boyfriend is absolutely crazy about goulash, I don't know if the version he loves is the real one but it sure looks like yours. Also the recipe has a very interesting story. I feel very close to Hungary not only because we are neighbors but because I've met lots of Hungarians and they were amazingly friendly, with a lovely education...not to mention alluring :)). Here in Romania the Hungarian ladies are legendary for their beauty.

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    1. How wonderful. Your boyfriend, and you of course, will be welcome here at any time to try Tímea's gulyásleves.

      We have only been to Romania once, very briefly, but as it is so close to us it is high on our list of places to visit. We think that there is a daily train to Bucharest from Budapest which we very much hope to take later this year, and then travel on to Constanta on the Black Sea, somewhere we have long promised ourselves to go.

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  16. Dear Jane and Lance,
    I am quite sure that Tímea's delicious looking recipe is a well kept secret, handed down through many, many generations and Tímea is not about to give the secret away to the multitude of your followers !!!! haha.
    It looks divine and I wouldn't say no to Tímea coming around to our house and cooking up a gulyásleves storm.
    I adore food and always want to taste the regions favourite recipes when abroad. Unfortunately, I have never been to Hungary but my sister has so I must ask her if she has tasted an authentic gulyásleves .... knowing my sister, I'm sure that she has.
    I can't be too hard on Delia ..... her books have been on my bookshelf for many years and are splattered and well-worn !
    Have a lovely week Jane and Lance, filled with platefuls of gulyásleves and other delicious dishes ! XXXX

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    1. We really are so fortunate to have Tímea and would be at a complete loss as to how to cope without her. She has now been with us for over seven years and, during that time, has surprised us with the most wonderful food, the receipts for which have often, we know, been those of her mother and grandmother.

      Like you, Jackie, we love food. Do ask your sister about the gulyásleves, but better still come to Hungary for yourself. Both you and your husband would always be more than welcome, and we have a spare room ready and waiting! So, something to think about!

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  17. I love Timea, what a treasure she is!
    The soup looks delicious. I have never made it but I must look for a real recipe, I will take your very good advice and not look to Delia on this one!
    Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Oh, Dani, you are so right. Our nickname for Timea is Nemzeti Kincs which is National Treasure, we should be absolutely bereft without her.

      The trouble with trying to make an authentic Gulyás soup is the difficulty in tracking down the special ingredients outside Hungary. The tubes of magic that Timea employs are a complete mystery to us!!

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  18. Jane and Lance, you have made it into the kitchen! Even if only to employ a camera! I'm almost weeping with pride here, to have played a small part in the great swaying influence of Blogtopian living that has gently convinced you to cross that threshold again, perhaps for the first time since the 80's. Thank you, by the way, for manning the saucepans back then when the rest of us were making fools of ourselves in legwarmers on the dancefloor; you were never ones to follow the crowd.

    And look at wonderful Tímea, so professionally and confidently showing the onions! May we see more of her?

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    1. Yes, we think that you must have been right....the 1980s.....yes, the time of Prawn Cocktails for 'posh' parties, Black Forest Gateau for 'sweet' and Goulash for those stylish suppers when we were proud to show that we had travelled the world....well, at least to indicate that we had gone to France by ferry!!!! How well you know us, dearest Mise, are you certain that we have never met?

      Timea is a star, we agree. We wonder whether, as our blogging anniversary approaches, that we should turn ourselves into a food blog and Timea can post a receipt a day for a year.Perhaps then we can publish the results...Meals from the Motherland.....and really give Delia Smith something to worry about?!!!

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  19. A hearty divine looking meal indeed!

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    1. It is, Gina, one of our favourite dishes.

      Thank you so much for signing up as our latest Follower. We hope that you will continue to be interested in what we write.

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  20. Dear Jane and Lance,
    I must point out that you should be very, very careful when posting about your beloved Timea. Lest someone such as myself decides to try and spirit her away from your employment. Personally I have over the years found that the art of soup and or stew making is the benchmark which separates a good Cook/Chef from a great Cook/Chef. Oh my, I think I may have just caused myself to be removed for any invitation to dine with you. But one last question before I close this comment, how is Timea’s bread making skills, uh, just curious. – gary

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    1. Fortunately for us, Timea has no passport and only speaks Hungarian. However, we are keeping a close eye on her as there may be attempts to kidnap her from closer to home. One has to make every effort to keep a good cook!

      Timea does not make bread or other pastries and has a limited range of pudding receipts. HOWEVER, her mother is a wizard at these things and so, between the two of them, all possible culinary avenues are covered.

      And, dearest Gary, you would be welcome at our apartment for any meal at any time. What fun it would be to share tales of Blogland whilst eating heartily and enjoying a tipple or two of Palinka!

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  21. Jane and Lance, I love soups. I would be happy having it every day. I agree soups made at home are the best. The one you highlight looks delicious. I looks much like what I think of as a beef stew. How wonderful to have an accomplished housekeeper to satisfy all your culinary desires. Bon Appetit' Bonnie

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    1. Soup is really a staple part of Hungarian fare and, indeed, we love them too. They make such a satisfying meal without too much trouble, especially if one has not had to make them in the first place!!

      We eat a wide range of soups throughout the year, mainly vegetarian and progressing to cold fruit soups in the summer. Blackberry soup is another Timea speciality!

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  22. Jane and Lance - when we first arrived in Hungary we stayed for a month at a small apartment hotel off of Andrassy. One evening all the guests were invited to have gulyasleves outside in the courtyard. Accordingly, we trooped downstairs at 6pm - only to see our cook for the evening walk in with the bogracs and start to light the fire. We waited, mingled with the other guests, observed how the gulyasleves was put together - and finally sat down to eat at around 9pm! It was, of course, delicious. We had this soup many times over the next 4 years, and in fact our son wants us to make it for his birthday meal at the end of the month. However, it won't be anywhere near authentic if we can't find the tubes of paprika cream - the search is on!

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    1. Oh, what fun this all sounds! Of course, when the Gulyás is made on the outdoor fire [bogracs]it really is rather special. What a wonderful introduction to Hungary to see the soup being made and then to share it in the company of the other guests. Perfect!

      As you say, without the magic tubes, all is lost!

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  23. My Mom used to make goulash back in my childhood, I haven't had it in years though. Yours looks quite tasty!

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    1. Without a doubt, just a taste of that paprika would whisk you back in time to your childhood! How lovely to think of your mother making it for you so many years ago....

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  24. Transport me please to a spot at your table in what I imagine to be a goulash like no other... Oh to have a cook such as she would be a dream come true.

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    1. As we really dislike going in to the kitchen let alone cooking in it, Timea is, indeed, our idea of a dream come true. And, she is such a tidy cook. A photo opportunity was possible at every stage of the process.....completely unlike the bomb site which would have been the result from our culinary efforts!!

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  25. lol, I loved this post.This looks scrumptious.I have heard about Hungarian stew its divine looking.Im loving the idea of meals from the Motherland too.You know Im greek and I love to share my greek food.Many have asked me for recipes.So I would LOVE to see you publish your recipes from your country.You have a happy follower here.

    God Bless and have a lovely new week Jane and Lance.Many hugs to Timea.Love that name to!

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    1. Meals from the Motherland.....yes, we are quite warming to the idea. We love Hungarian food and also the fact that we eat what is in season as there is rarely anything else that is readily available in the market. This does lead to great excitement when the first cherries appear and so on!!

      Wishing you a happy week too!

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  26. My does this look delicious. I don't think that I have ever eaten hungarian food. I received a gift of spices from there once but I lacked the courage to try using it.

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    1. Oh, Adrienne, what a treat you have in store one day! Hungarian Paprika is a staple flavouring and always adds wonderful colour, heat and spiciness to a dish. We love it, so do give it a try!

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  27. Well I never knew that! I've always been under the popular misconception regarding Hungarian goulash too!
    Oh dear poor Delia - her books served me well enough in my early days learning to cook, but her more recent "short cuts" and her overly long lists of ingredients sent her to the back of my cookery bookshelf a while ago.
    Timea's authentic version looks very tasty, and how wonderful to have someone to cook for you! I wish!!

    Have a great week Jane and Lance, and thanks for an interesting post!

    Gill xx

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    1. Yes, we feel very fortunate indeed to have someone cook for us. We are really no cooks ourselves and are not particularly interested in food except for eating it, so the idea of having someone to cook for us was something we have always aspired to. Timea is the dream come true.

      Delia has, as you say, probably had her day.

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  28. Dear Jane and Lance,

    My mom used to make Hungarian Goulash often. Of course, she was Irish and not exactly a gourmet cook, but I did love this dish. Her's was more like a stew, and from what I remember, had beef chunks, onions and carrots, paprika and stock. It was cooked in a pressure cooker and as I write this, I can once again hear the sound of the rattlle and whistle as the steam came seeping out. When it was done, it was poured over egg noodles. It was one of the few meals that she could get me to eat without an argument.

    Thanks for bringing back a nice memory.

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    1. Arleen, your mother's Hungarian Goulash sounds very much like the one that Timea makes. The ingredients are exactly as you say but with the addition of parsley,potato chunks, white carrot and the measured contents of an orange tube and a red tube, the contents of which are a mystery to us!!! Timea makes tiny 'galuska' which are dough balls and are added finally to the soup when all is cooked.

      How wonderful that you have this memory of your mother's cooking from so many years ago. And, no doubt, you can, with a stretch of the imagination, bring back the very aroma in the kitchen!!

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  29. That looks delicious!

    I had some very good goulashes whilst in Berlin. Most were more stew-like, each was a bit different, all were wonderful.

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    1. Perhaps there are as many versions of this basic dish as there are countries in the world? A Goulash World Tour....now, that would be something!!

      We are still wanting to go to Berlin.....

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  30. The goulash soup looks wonderful, Jane and Lance, and is set off beautifully by the pretty china. I love soups and stews of all kinds and will now try to find a good recipe for goulash. I have a couple of Delia's earlier books on my kitchen bookshelves and do use some of her recipes, but I'm horrified to read that she now advocates using heavily processed foods. Sigh...

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    1. Oh dear, Perpetua, how the mighty Delia has fallen!

      Perhaps this is not the most timely of soup posts as really the weather is warming up here and thoughts are even now turning to Gazpacho, but Gulyásleves really is the most versatile of dishes and does make a meal in itself so is the perfect all in one lunch or supper!

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  31. This is how it's done! You set the world aright one recipe at a time -- with pictures! Well done, fairy godparents, very well done.

    And I must add that, though all my kitchenware is white with clean lines, I honestly adore your china. 'Twould be out of step in my minimalist abode but I can appreciate fine taste when I see it. I just blew it up to get a better view of the pattern and got a clearer view of the goulash, instead. Quite obviously the result of excellent ingredients and loving hands who know just what they are doing.

    In short, a most delicious post. Step aside, dear Delia, indeed.

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    1. Well, dearest Fairy Goddaughter, we do tend to believe that a good meal can work wonders in putting many wrongs right and putting a smile where there were frowns. Perhaps Brussels would do well to take this idea up?!!

      The china is Booth's 'Floradora' pattern and has, as you may imagine, been with us for positively decades. Plain white china is the order of the day in Brighton, where it seems more suited and, we think, sets off food rather better. Still, the 'Floradora' seems absolutely indestructible and so it remains.....!!

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    2. Indestructible is a wonderful quality in China -- indestructible and beautiful? Even better!

      In answer to your question, the A - Z is a blogging game throughout the month of April. You can add your blog to the list -- and find out more about it -- here, http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html .

      Jó hétvégét!

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  32. One of my favourite memories ... sitting in a clearing in a forest near a lake in Slovakia and eating Goulash, slow cooked in a big pot over a fire for several hours. It was delicious and apparently a very traditional recipe albeit slightly different from the Hungarian version. The sight of 'Rambo' the Pug drooling in front of me was slightly offputting though!

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    1. Although we have never been brave enough to go camping, we absolutely love the idea of eating outdoors with food cooked in the way you describe here. It is all the tent pitching, the creepy crawlies and the shower blocks miles from the tent that we could not bear!!!

      Hungarians do love dogs and many restaurants in the countryside have large notices which welcome well behaved dogs!!

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  33. As others have noted, Delia's recipes work, but I've find her TV presentation rather 'charm-free' and laboured.
    Recipes which also work everytime we've tried them are those from the Hairy Bikers and I find these 2 gents rather more cheery and inspiring :-)

    The goulash looks absolutely wonderful!

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    1. As we have not had a television of our own for 30 years, we have to think back a long time to when we last saw Delia on the 'box'. But, how perfectly you describe her. Yes, charm free and somewhat sanctimonious in our view.

      We have no idea who the Hairy Bikers are but they do sound like much more fun. The Two Fat Ladies were favourites of ours and their baked lamb receipt is a winner.....but,all that red nail polish....divine!!

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  34. That looks so good, I'll have to do a little research to come up with an authentic recipe. Since my grandmother was Hungarian, I hope that the instincts to interpret it properly are buried in my DNA.

    I have barely heard of Delia Smith, but of course in America we had Julia Child, who right or wrong, and regardless of whether I would eat what she was making, was always beyond cavil.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. We did so enjoy the film Julie and Julia and we could certainly see many parallels between Julia Child with the doyenne of English kitchens of yesteryear, Fanny Craddock. Even her name in these politically correct days might prove problematic!!!!

      Yes, surely, Paprika must be flowing through your veins so we hope that your Goulash adventure will be successful and tasty!!

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  35. Goulash is cooked in our household on regular base. I make it like my mother prepares it, a slow cooked stew(!) of beef cubes, browned with onions and pieces of carrot,celery, cut up pieces of potato and spices, plenty from pepper to paprika and then set to simmer, together with chicken broth and a can of pealed tomatoes, there is mustard and some ketchup and finished with red wine and resins and sour cream.....It is mouthwatering and thick and delicious. We eat it with potato dumplings and sweet and sour red cabbage. Very germanized.....LOL! And then there is Goulash soup, also prepared like you said!
    I remember a restaurant in Dresden, where we went out to lunch sometimes, called Szegedin, where Hungarian specialties were served! Most amazing, also that above mentioned Goulash Szeged style, with sauerkraut!
    : )
    How ever we call it, it's most beloved in our family!

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    1. Gosh, Victoria this all sounds very delicious. And, red cabbage, oh how mouthwatering, we love it. What a talented and inspirational cook you are, and how marvellous to have all those German influences in the mix!

      We sometimes think that it would be wonderful to eat our way around every restaurant and countryside inn in Hungary as the regional variations are so very interesting. And, with our Hungarian friends Viktor and Zoli who are true foodies, we are doing a good job of sampling every delicious delicacy on offer in Budapest!!

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  36. Dear Jane and Lance: Now you have answered this question for ever and always. When eating it in a restaurant here in Switzerland one gets it either as a stew or as a soup. I really like it as a soup and eat it when it is cold outside as it is heart- and soulwarming dish. Just what I would need today as it is a cold and dreary day! Thanks!

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    1. Yes, heart and soul warming, what a wonderful way to describe this dish. When we wrote this post, it rather resembled saying goodbye to a fond friend as, now that the weather is warming up significantly, we do not expect to taste the Gulyásleves until the nip of Autumn is next in the air!

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  37. Dear Jane and Lance- I applaud your bravery! I have enjoyed the 'English stew' version, so I must now try your proper one! It looks delicious... Jane xx

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    1. It is delicious! Only stuffed cabbage beats it as our favourite Hungarian dish!

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  38. The anti-Delia fest going on in your comments section, connived at and approved, I'm sorry to note, by you Hattats, is nothing short of disgraceful. It bears a lot of the hallmarks of snobbery, based as it is on some well rehearsed middle class attitudes, dislike of what they call 'processed' food, football, and people whose success is based on television appearances.
    All the food we eat is processed. Most of it is selectively bred and maintained in life by chemicals. Then all sorts of dreadful things happen to it post harvesting, but you're all bright so you can look it all up. You don't need me to go through it all in horrible detail. Delia suggested some short cuts in the way of pre-prepared foodstuffs, which saved time (altho' not money). Delia happens to like football, and is actively engaged in it as a director of Norwich City Football Club. So far that isn't an illegal activity (no matter how much you may wish it was), and my guess is that it's followed by more people than all of Blogger's blogs worldwide combined. But then that sort of approval probably confirms in your minds her iniquities. Her emotions got the better of her in a champagne fuelled incident at a match, at which she exhorted the home crowd, in stentorian tones, to get behind her team. Generally, however, she conducts herself well, mores the pity - Norwich matches have seemed a little flat since she was muzzled.
    You all manage to sound like so many little Englanders, little Germans, little Americans, or wherever. Accusing you of being as fascistic as the English and Scottish National Trusts would be very harsh, since they are the true heirs of the Nazi Party, but you come close.
    And then this business of soup or stew. Actually goulash, however one may translate the word, is a stew. You will note that Wikipedia, admittedly not an authority to rely on without corroboration from other sources, bracket gulyasleves, bogracsgulyas, porkolt, and paprikas together as 'thick stews', altho' it notes along the way that gulyasleves translates as 'goulash soup'. Wikipedia confused as ever! All authorities agree that the essential difference between a soup and a stew is one of thickness. The French, to whom these things really matter, through the Académie de la Science et la Philosphie Culinaire, has laid down a complicated rule to judge whether a dish is a soup or a stew which is solely based on consistency and not confused local supposition. Goulash is a long way over into the stew sector of the diagram. There is no doubt in my mind that a Hungarian cowman's 'soup' (gulyasleves) is a stew. The Académie don't actually rule on goulash specifically because, being French, they don't recognise it as food. Nor do they recognise it as a respectable philosophical concept.
    Love, Alec xxx
    (Oh and thanks for the tins of minced beef, Delia!)

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    Replies
    1. Oh, Alec, this post does seem to have hit a nerve or two with you.
      We should like, if we may, to focus on the matter in hand, that of the Hungarian Goulash or Gulyásleves as it is accurately known. Whatever Delia's strengths, which certainly are many and, clearly in your eyes at least, go beyond the boundaries of the kitchen, in the matter of soup or stew as applied to this particular dish, she is sadly mistaken. Perhaps she has never had the good fortune to travel to Hungary and sample it for herself? Regrettably, Wikipedia [never in our book to be treated as a definitive view]mistakenly confuses the 'Porkolt' which is indeed a stew from the 'Gulyásleves' which is, as we can testify first hand the length and breadth of Hungary, a soup. For no doubt to be in your mind, dear Alec, that it is a stew, is oddly worrying, especially given that the 'Académie' has not pronounced on this matter.Perhaps it is Wittgenstein and not Delia who has led you up the culinary garden path?

      However, whilst in the matter of soup or stew, we can readily accept lively debate, dissension, discord and, even, denial, we are saddened that you should align both ourselves and our commentators with fascist ideas or ideals. That is unacceptable and a step too far.

      Delete
  39. I eat very little meat because T is veggie, and I don't cook for two. I don't miss it but funnily enough I have some fond memories of goulash and when I try to think of whether it was a soup or a stew, it has always been a stew. Perhaps Delia has misled a generation! :)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. In general, Hungarian dishes tend to be meat based and quite rich although lighter and vegetarian options are becoming more commonplace than they were even a few years ago.

      In Hungary, Gulyásleves is, without exception, a soup!

      Delete
  40. How interesting! We eat alot of Goulash in Poland! My Dad used to make it (he was a soup expert) But I'd presume it is a little bit different (altered) in Poland, because when I once tried "real" Hungarian goulash it was SPICY. :) Which, I think, had more to do with the cook's tastes than anything else. But yours looks fabulous, and I'm sure, tastes even better! :)

    Hugs,

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    1. Although we have not tried a Polish version [maybe later on this year as we are planning a trip to Krakow], we can confirm that the Hungarian soup is usually quite spicy, the extent to which, as you say, depending on the individual cook. Tímea's certainly always tastes exceedingly good - we are most fortunate.

      Delete
  41. I'm off to the market to buy some beef. I could just do with a bowl of that right now.
    Wally

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    1. It really is very good indeed. It is usually offered in small bowls as a first course, or larger ones as a main course and always with plentiful supplies of fresh bread.

      Delete
  42. Pleaase invite me for dinner! - I'll bring the dessert ; )

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    1. We sincerely hope, dear Demie, that you know that you would be welcome at any time, and not only for dinner. Perhaps one day? We very much hope.

      Delete
  43. Hungary now has two, or three, new national folk heroes!

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    1. Dear Faisal, how very kind and generous. But we fear that you exaggerate!

      Delete
  44. Hello Jane and Lance,
    I'm a first time reader of your Blog and definetly like what I see so far. I have apparently been woefully led astray when it comes to Hungarian goulash. I was taught by a gentleman from The Czech Republic to make it with Chicken and mushrooms and sour cream over gnocci. Although I love this recipe, it sounds like today I have learned it is not Hungarian Goulash at all.
    A new Follower,
    Archguy

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    1. We are delighted to welcome you. Yes, we fear that you may well have been misled because certainly, in Hungary, we should not expect to find mushrooms, nor would it be traditional for the meat to be chicken. But, whatever, you seem to have come across a delicious sounding Czech dish. Therefore, who cares?

      Delete
  45. We are just about to see the change of season from summer to winter here so the Goulash (it deserves a capital G) is a good idea for a winter meal. I wonder how it can be transported, hot, to outdoor workplace sites?

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    1. Indeed, we think that it would make the ideal dish for the outdoor workplace but, as you say, there could be a problem in transporting it hot. A normal thermos would not do with all the pieces of meat and vegetables.

      Delete
  46. If you're a working girl who likes something warm inside her then this is the perfect supper for you.

    I had 'fresh' vegetable soup for lunch today at Langlands garden centre, fresh having recently left it's tin! It was served in a tiny porcelain bowl that could have served as a wash basin for Thumberlina. I'm quite fond of Delia's programmes, however, I don't think she likes cooking very much. By the look of disgust on her face and the way she handles food, you'd think she was picking dog muck up.

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    1. Dear Mitzi, as always your wickedly wicked comments cause us to laugh out loud. We cannot possibly say about Delia, but we are informed on the very best authority that the goddess of the kitchen, if there can be one other than yourself, N, positively loathes cooking at home and buys in for dinner parties. Or so it is alleged.

      Delete
  47. My mother made what she referred to as Hungarian Goulash on a regular basis when we were kids. I remember it having beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and that Oklahoma staple of sour cream. It was so dang good; I cannot tell you!!!

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    1. Sour cream is also a staple of many Hungarian dishes, although not gulyásleves, and we fear that we end up eating rather more of it than we should!

      Your mother's dish sounds delicious too and we wonder if you continue to make it for yourself?

      Delete
  48. Yummy! I recognize the 2 paprika tubes on the countertop -- I was able to find them in a european deli here. :) Bon appetit!

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    1. Essential ingredients, or so we are led to believe by Tímea. But how splendid that you are able to get them for yourself and a European Deli sounds the greatest of fun.

      Delete
    2. Yes, I also discovered Eurocreme, which is not good.

      Please, if your chef makes great aranygaluska, I'd die to have the recipe. My grandma used to make those and they are definitely one of my favourite childhood memories.

      Delete
    3. We asked her this very day. Yes, she can, although does not care to make puddings, but we shall certainly pursue the matter and, who knows, a receipt may be forthcoming!

      Delete
  49. Hello! I also think that it will be very yummy...Thank You very much for sharing this post!

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    1. Yes, Amin, it really is a delicious dish and one which we suspect you would very much enjoy. Perhaps you have something similar in your country?

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    2. How interesting, perhaps we may read about it on your blog one day?

      Delete
  50. Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Amin. You are most kind always.

      Delete
  51. It certainly looks delicious. Perhaps Timea should write her own book? I prefer a book with lots of pictures!

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    1. We do so agree, Gaynor, that it is always helpful, particularly when trying out a new receipt, to have a picture of what the finished dish looks like.

      Delete
  52. I would guess, and it is only a guess Jane and Lance, that you would wash this down with a bottle of Hungarian "Bulls Blood" which to me would make it even more perfect and dare I say authentic? Just a thought.

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    1. Now we suspect, Andy, that you are beginning to know us too well! If not the 'Bulls Blood', then certainly one of the many excellent Hungarian wines. At present a Villányi Pinot Noir!

      Delete
  53. how utterly delicious..... despite having had a delicious risotto made for me tonight, my 'mother's day' treat (a day late I know) ...... I am now hungry again......I love the warmth of paprika!!

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    1. How splendid to have been treated to a Risotto for Mothers' Day. It is so nice to feel appreciated!

      Paprika is such a splendid spice, adding warmth to a dish without being overly aggressive. And, the colour, just marvellous!

      Delete
  54. That looks absolutely delicious. I believe we must go to the source for ethnic dishes--to folks who live in the place a dish comes from.

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    1. Mary, we could not agree with you more. We are quite certain that Timea, her mother and her grandmother before them could all make this iconic Hungarian dish in their sleep!!

      Delete
  55. Timea's looks SO much better than the version I grew up with (and even Delia's looks better). While my mother was generally a very good cook, her version of "Hungarian Goulash" struck fear in my heart. I absolutely hated it: over cooked elbow macaroni, slimy stewed tomatoes, ground up hamburger, and onions, and I-don't-know-what-else. Cheese was supposed to be sprinkled on top. I have to stop describing it. I'm experiencing some PTSD. ;)

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    1. This does, Elizabeth, we are afraid to say, sound absolutely ghastly, perhaps not least the 'ground up hamburger' which somehow resonates above all else. It rather reminds us of some of the meals we experienced as very young children in the post war period when rationing was still in force.

      Delete
  56. Dear Jane and Lance,

    As ever, your posts get the discussion going.
    As Austro-Hungarian Empire once claimed Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is ot a surprise that we also have goulash. However, over the years ithas been corrupted and adapted to our land and it now cosists of tender beef, tomatoes, paprika, carrots and onions. Quiet different to the original judging by your cook's recepie.
    As for Dehila,... Well, she is a national treasure in the UK and people will buy anything she sells just because it has her name on it. What bothered me was when she did a tv programme and a whole book on how to boil an egg and make a toast. I thought it was particularily patronising and i bad taste - clearly a scheme to make money and not to promote and celebrate cooking. I think that's when i lost "the love" for her.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. You are right, it is the corruption of the original over the years, and in different countries, which has resulted in the various stews and casseroles which today go under the title of goulash.

      Delia's attempts to teach the nation how to boil an egg and make toast were not, as we understand it, the most successful of her programmes. Perhaps that was trying to be just a little bit too clever for words.

      Delete
  57. My computer didn't allow me to finish the last message!
    She clearly was wrong when it comes to goulash and i am glad you put her right :-)

    Bon apetit!
    Red

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    1. Thank you for the vote of confidence. We doubt that she will now have sleepless nights!

      Delete
  58. Pity I didn't catch up with your reply much earlier. It was, from my point of view, highly satisfactory :D A B+ perhaps. While you rose like the native brown trout beautifully to my fly, my pleasure is a bit tempered by the fact that you didn't always get the irony. Or are you now playing me! I bet you are. I shall have to try harder. Incidentally anything resembling a fact in my comment is either slightly distorted, or entirely made up. But then you knew that. I like you Hattats. Love, Alec xxxx

    ReplyDelete
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    1. We do, in fact, much appreciate the irony to be found so very often in your comments here, always most welcome, as in your own posts. However, we also feel that we cannot allow to pass without challenge any comment which might, if misconstrued, cause offence to our readers and commentators.

      All of that said, we love your extended trout simile, and who knows who has hooked whom?!! Now, where are our brown shirts?

      Delete
  59. Dear Jane and Lance,

    I was surprised to see you in the kitchen and relieved to see you were there to record and not usurp Timea. It warms my heart to think of you eating the lovingly prepared goulash from your beautiful china.

    xo,

    Jen

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    1. Fear not, Jen, it was a flying visit simply for the purposes of taking the pictures. We shall not return in a hurry, nor would Tímea allow it as without a shadow of doubt she regards it as trespass on our part!

      Delete
  60. Dear Jane and Lance, Timea's soup looks absolutely delicious, and your dishes are so pretty too. Perhaps Delia can be forgiven as her cookbooks are rather old now and I don't think things were quite as well researched then as they are now. Perhaps Delia had never even tasted the 'real McCoy' when she wrote the recipe? Maybe it's time for Jane and Lance's authentic Hungarian cookbook, to be printed, complete with amusing and startling anecdotes about their time as spies!!
    Welcome back, I have missed you! Love Linda xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As always you are so kind and generous, Linda, and in the light of this comment how can we possibly hold a grudge against Delia? All is forgiven!! As you say, and we think that this may well be so, in the past, and certainly when her Cookery Course was first published, things were far less well researched than now.

      Cook book or not, too dangerous to relate stories of spying!

      Delete
  61. Better Goulash than Gulag I always say....

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  62. May I have some of that right now, please? Does anyone really understand paprika the way Hungarians do? I doubt it. And I see Rubye Jack has mentioned sour cream accompaniment. (I tend to go overboard on the accompaniment, but it's just so perfect with this sort of dish!) Delicious post, my friends. Good enough to eat!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. You are so right, Susan, about the Hungarian understanding of paprika which is, as you will know, so much an integral part of so very many dishes.

      When we first came to Hungary we were, to put it mildly, less than keen on the sour cream which accompanies so much. Nowadays we eat alarming quantities of it, and love it.

      Delete
  63. Even in these Eighties days we've been having, with all the warmth outdoors and the sunshine rampant, NOW I'm longing for a bowl of that Cool Weather Comfort.

    It's the oddest thing---with all the bumblefingered mimics over the years of such a long-standing, traditional dish, the items I can identify on your counter---onion, potatoes, carrot, parsnips, a rich red hunk of BEEF---those were all used by the plain Southern cooks I knew who made "GOO-Losh," with liberal lashings of good "Pap-a-ricka." None had the convenient tubes of the concentrated flavor, but most were insistent that their handy supply in the bright McCormick can be fresh and fragrant. It was simmered long and gently, and served in wide bowls with spoons. (Not to say that a nice wedge of crusty Cornbread didn't make a nice accompaniment).

    I love seeing your everydays---the castor set and the tea service---and I'd be almost as happy to have that confirmed a Toast Rack as to have a round-trip ticket to London.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like you, almost regardless of the summer temperatures, we too from time to time long for the kind of comfort food associated with winter - always more satisfactory when one is really hungry.

      Could it be that those plain Southern cooks had receipts which had, originally, come from Europe? We like to think so for in this way continents connect.

      The serving table in the dining room does, at times, become somewhat over loaded with salts, sugar sifters, sauce boats, etc. and, of course, the toast rack which, incidentally, looks in need of a polish!

      Delete
  64. This looks delicious...definitely need to purchase this cookbook!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As soon as it is written, a copy will wing its way to you in the post!! But, we fear, pigs might fly sooner!!

      Delete
  65. I'm not sure how authentic German goulaschsuppe is, but for my first week ever in Germany, I enjoyed it almost excessively for dinner - not being too adventurous at the time, I knew what I would get when I saw it on a menu (which it almost always was). Delicious.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. We think that we have all been there during those first trips abroad when one was desperate to recognise something and one did not have the language to ask. And yes, as you say, the gulyásleves is absolutely delicious.

      Delete
  66. Wait a minute, did I miss the recipe for this? Please post it for your delighted readers! RD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How kind. We fear however that in the translating of the receipt our Hungarian might well let us down and we should be doing a major disservice to our readers by failing to include some vital ingredient or process.

      Delete
  67. Who needs Delia when you can have Timea - looks delicious! I wouldn't be apologizing to anyone of the vegan or vegetarian persuausion. Life is too short not to enjoy eating meat!

    Hugs and thanks for such a fun post, Stephie x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely! Give us Tímea any day and, unlike Delia, she has no interest in football [a bonus for us!!].

      As always, we are so pleased that you enjoyed the post. Thank you!

      Delete
  68. Haha! She was probably trying to Anglicise it for the benefit of less widely travelled cooks with undeveloped palates!! As a precocious child, I created a new word 'stupe' to describe a dish lying somewhere between 'stew' and 'soup'. Sadly, it didn't make it into the dictionary after my schoolteacher took offence when I 'accidentally' referred to him as 'stupe' and I was banned from using the word ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We absolutely love the idea of 'stupe' and will, with your permission, adopt it immediately. Whatever, it so well describes some of the culinary disasters to which we have to own in the days before Tímea.

      And, in addition, it does, as you have discovered, work rather well as a mild form of insult - should one be in the frame of mind to insult!!

      Delete
  69. I think Dear Delia plugged the gap for the generation of people whose Mothers didn't teach them to cook. My husband bought me a copy of the 'Complete Cookery Course' before we were married it was all the rage then, do you think he was hinting. Many years later we are all used to much more authentic foreign food. Of course it helps that we can buy all sorts of exotic ingredients nowadays. Timea's dish looks delicious, and she does the housekeeping too, oh my what a find.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. It is absolutely true what you say here about Delia's original Cookery Course and we still, as you can see, have ours which, over the years, has been well thumbed.

      But now, thanks to Tímea, now in her eighth year with us, we have been totally liberated from the kitchen, as we have from all household and domestic chores. Pure bliss!

      Delete
  70. I am now imagining your goulash with a couple of thickly buttered baps... and am now hungry!
    Off topic: How did you get your replies to highlight in pinky red - I think a colour coded system might suit my comment box.

    Sx

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    1. It does indeed go very well with really good fresh bread [as opposed to Delia's suggested red cabbage!!].

      Off topic, if we knew, truthfully, of course we should tell you. As it happens, we have no idea. When we altered the system of commenting to include an embedded reply, it just came like this. Experiment with settings and colours, etc.

      Delete
  71. Dear Jane & Lance

    Delia's Cookery Course books were the first recipe books I ever bought, they are still indispensable but somewhat surpassed by the more fashionable Jamie Oliver's, Rick Stein's and Nigella's that have since crowded my book shelf! Thanks for reminding us of her!

    All hail Timea too!

    Jeanne
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In was exactly the same for us. In the days, now long gone, when we cooked, we relied upon Delia for almost everything and certainly turned to her for suitable receipts for supper part dishes. She has, as you say, been somewhat surpassed these days.

      We cannot envisage life without Tímea!!

      Delete
  72. What a wonderful post! Our family is vegan (now, but my husband I grew up eating meat and dairy), but I could not help notice your beautiful china pattern it is so elegant!

    You have such a lovely home and appear to have such a lovely life (a cook/housekeeper...my goodness), I really enjoy reading your posts. Have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. Once again our apologies for on the one occasion we have written about food, making meat the focal point of the receipt.

      The dinner set, which we use daily, is Booths 'Floradora' which we bought when we were first married. We are so pleased that you like it.

      Delete
  73. I have never come across one of Deliah's books but I do know that if you REALLY want to pick a fight over what passes as Hungarian Goulash in the American Midwest. It involves noodles and hamburger meat and sometimes corn - a concoction I suspect would make Timea chase us out of the kitchen with that big ol' knife.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In some ways we find it hugely reassuring that Delia Smith's fame has not spread across the Atlantic although we are quite certain that you will have your own counterparts. As for picking a fight....we shall send Tímea as the advance guard!! Cowards that we really are!

      Delete
  74. Dear Jane and Lance,

    I frequently cook the German version of 'Gulasch', adapting my mother's recipe. It is a kind of meat casserole, with onion and lardons as a base and cubed lean beef as the main ingredient. The sauce is thickened a little with a spoonful of flour. There are herbs and, yes, paprika, and the whole thing is delicious, a great favourite among my English dinner party guests.

    I have a wonderful old Austrian recipe book, which has many recipes from the former Empire, incl. Hungarian recipes, which, alas, I can't read, not having any Hungarian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your German 'Gulasch' sounds positively delicious. No wonder you always have a houseful of guests for dinner!

      And, your Empire receipt book sounds just the sort of thing that Timea should love to get her hands on. How we could dine in style from those pages!!! Does it, we wonder, have illustrations too?

      Delete
  75. Call it what you will, it look delicious!

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  76. I was once following a recipe from Delia's vegetarian cookbook that had anchovies in the list of ingredients! There was a note to the effect that 'strict' vegetarians could substitute capers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another little slip up there for Delia....what a caper this all is!!!

      Delete
  77. Dear Jane and Lance - Thank you for the lesson. Unfortunately, I viewed your posting a full two hours before my dinner and started to salivate immediately! Now I hope I can last those two hours without raiding the fridge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are delighted that you like the look of the Gulyásleves and we can assure you that it does taste wonderfully good.

      As for raiding the fridge, with Timea's obsession for all things fresh, there is usually only a light bulb to be found in the fridge at the end of the day.....!!!

      Delete
  78. Howdy Jane and Lance,
    Hmmmm... "On occasion when comments are in excess of 200, then it is necessary to click on 'Load More' to view all comments that have been left."
    Good grief, Jane and Lance, I could never imagine my comments section ever having such an announcement. Then again, my site is hardly worth visiting. Although, always delighted to get a highly sought of, much loved, collaboration comment from your fine selves on my hardly worth visiting site.
    Enough about me! Note exclamation mark for dramatic impact!
    "After all, Delia, as she has become to her many, many followers and admirers, is the woman who has re-educated an entire nation on the boiling of an egg.." Okay and here's me thinking, yes indeed, I've been known to think, here's me thinking that Edwina Currie re-educated an entire nation on the boiling of an egg. Notice I didn't call her 'Eggwina' or that she is an 'eggspert'. Nah, that would be far too predictable.
    And looking at the goulash has made me Hungary. Sorry, that was far too predictable. Righty ho, my job is done here. Wonder who will be next to be thrilled with one of my comments? Cheerio....and oh yeah, bye for now.....

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    1. Now we should suggest that on the ever wonderful 'klahanie' you post in excess of 5000 for you may become an overnight success, the latest hotspot, more popular even than sliced bread. Besides, it helps to boost confidence in times of recession.

      WE had forgotten, until reminded by you, all about Edwina Currie as well as her affair with a then serving Prime Minister. Those were the days for putting egg on faces!

      Delete
  79. Hello Jane and Lance ~ Having recently returned from Scotland (and my first taste of Haggis!) it is difficult, at this late date, to add a comment to the above lively discussion. Your very mouthwatering gulyásleves looks delicious!

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    1. How wonderful that you should have been in Scotland where, we very much hope, you had an enjoyable time. Haggis in our view is something of an acquired taste. Did you like it, we wonder?

      Delete
  80. oh sigh
    How fortunate you are to have her,
    I never thought of it as soup....now I will be dreaming of it...sound wonderful this way

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    1. Yes, Suz, we do regard ourselves as very fortunate to have Timea. She is our 'National Treasure'!!!

      Delete
  81. I have similar conversations with my Polish mother-in-law! Alas, as well versed as I am in the terminology of Eastern European cuisine - I'd agree, it's a soup - I have no notion how to cook it. Does Timea have a sister perhaps?

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    1. Sadly, Annie, Timea does not have a sister.....a good thought though!!!Between Timea and her mother all bases are covered...Timea on savouries and her mother, Marika, on sweets. The perfect combination!!!

      Delete
  82. I loved this post, but I've enjoyed the comments more. I'm not a meat eater, so anything with a big slab of animal in it is mostly off my menu. However, everything else is great.

    So much fun. Wishing you a lovely week.

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    1. Not really a post for our vegan or vegetarian readers, we admit, but we are pleased to note that the comments amused you!

      Hoping the sun is shining in Brighton as it is here in Budapest!

      Delete
  83. Yes, the translation was terrible !!!By the Google translation ....<< kOYTALAKI XYNOUME >> means that with a little tea spoon we put out the spores (is this correct ?).Any way I am sorry for the bad translation !
    Olympia

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    1. Please do not worry! We had such a laugh over the translation of your salads, it really was terribly funny. However, the food looked delicious so we should have loved to know what actually it was made out of!!!

      Delete
  84. Gulyásleves looks great and yummy! May I taste a little? :)

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  85. Lovely.
    rought back memories of eating at 'The Gay Hussar'...now who would dare to call a restaurant that these days?

    Never was fond of Delia's books...rather a bossy boots.

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    1. We were, alas, never in 'The Gay Hussar' but its reputation was, some years ago, widespread. And, yes, the name....!!

      Rather a good description of Delia, we think.

      Delete
  86. I love the ceramic clown and chef on the stove....not to mention the soup looks like something I would delight in after a day of sledding and romping in the snow. Delightful!

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    1. They are rather fun, aren't they? One contains salt, and the other rice. At one time we had them for plain and self raising flour but since Tímea took control of the kitchen all that has changed!

      Delete
  87. Hello Jane and Lance - please tell Timea hello for me; her food is as delicious as it looks. She's a wonderful cook and you must count your blessings each time you sit at table. Now, for a good, solid loaf of crusty bread, a glass of red wine and good companions at table...life is made of such memories!

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    1. We shall, of course, say hello to Tímea for you, and she so well remembers your visit, as do we, and the very happy, but too brief, time we spent together. But there will, we know, be other times yet to come and so the red wine, at least, is at the ready.

      Delete
  88. That looks delicious! Timea is a treasure, you are very fortunate to have her. Also, having a dining room hotplate is a very good idea - I think I will look into it!
    Best wishes,
    Louise

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    1. The hot plate on the serving table is most useful we find, somewhere to put and keep vegetables and sauces hot. Makes for better second helpings!

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  89. That's interesting. But I guess at the time that she wrote the book it was about as authentic as it could get, given the era? When "exotic" was anything other than what was usually on the menu. It sounds like a fabulous dish for a cold winter's evening.

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    1. You are absolutely right for the whole Cookery Course belongs to a certain period and things have, understandably, moved on since it was first published.

      It is indeed good for the winter. Particularly, a Hungarian winter!

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  90. I love to see how others prepare food, I just love food really, I think DG would enjoy this recipe! X

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    1. We are very poor cooks but we, like you, do love eating! We have no idea what goes on in the kitchen as we just leave Timea to it, hence the receipt is rather vague!!!

      Thank you so much for signing up as our latest follower. We are delighted to welcome you and hope that you will continue to find what we write of interest.

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  91. Who knew? I always thought this stuff grew in cans!

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  92. Thank you for your comment on my blog.

    What a fascinating blog you have. I love the way your rooms are furnished. Sadly that style would look out of place in our ex-farmer workers' Victorian cottage.

    As for soup or stew. I think that the taste is more important than whatever name a dish goes under.

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    1. We are delighted to welcome you as our latest Follower and do so hope that you will continue to enjoy what we write.

      We could not agree more about the taste of a dish. Indeed, in our experience, the fancier the name the less edible the food!!!

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  93. Right or wrong....I am hungry for this dish!! Thumbs up, Jane and Lance!!!

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    1. It does make for a very warming and nourishing supper on a cold winter's night.

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  94. My vegetarian soul is so happy for your feast :) I wonder, is it possible to cook such a delicious dish without the presence of animals :)

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    1. We are sure, Olga, that one could do something very similar but without the inclusion of meat of any kind. Many more people are vegetarian in Hungary than ever was the case.

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  95. My mother in law, a Czech lady who lived in Hungary during WW2, loved dishes like that. Her thinking was that you could use left over food from the fridge, the meal was filling, wholesome and best of all it saved dirtying a whole lot of pots.

    I am all in favour of one-pot cooking :)

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    1. How fascinating that your mother in law was a Czech and that she lived in Hungary during the Second World War. That cannot have been easy, and it is said that the siege of Budapest was worse than that of Leningrad. We have a friend who was a child at that time who always says that they lived on nothing.

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  96. Dear Jane and Lance...my, that looks delectable...I can almost smell it! Although I do not eat red meat, I would love this made with chicken. I still remember my ONE restaurant meal in Hungary, wow was it phenomenal! How splendid for you to enjoy the talents of this lovely lady...
    Jo Etvagyat!
    Sending love across the miles :)
    - Irina

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    1. As it happens, we too try not too eat much in the way of red meat as all the indications are that it is possibly not good for one. Whatever, there are many Hungarian dishes made with chicken which, we feel, would tempt you.

      And, Irina, we love your Hungarian, said at the start of any meal anywhere and to everybody by everybody.

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  97. Hi J&L Hattatt,

    Hummmmmm I like goulash. My mother is German and sometimes she prepared this dish.

    Gulyásleves seems to be very appetizing. I would like to prove it!!!

    My father was a great cook. He used to make stews and I always liked to eat the diverse flavors that he invented.

    Kisses from Rio de Janeiro.

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