Tag: Hungarian cuisine

  • Hungarian Paprika Soup – Wow!

    I recently returned from an incredible 15 Viking River cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Budapest was probably my favorite place we visited. While there, we visited the Great Market Hall where I stocked up on a variety of paprika products including paprika paste.

    Today was the day – I finally felt alert enough, after battling severe jetlag from a nine-hour time difference, to attempt making homemade soup.

    The result was an amazing soup with so much flavor that my family gave me a standing ovation.

    Ingredients:

    3 tablespoons avocado oil

    1 large onion finely chopped

    3 smashed cloves garlic

    4 peeled carrots – diced

    3 stalks celery – diced

    1 red bell pepper – diced

    2 tablespoons paprika paste

    1 12 ounce can tomato paste

    1 cup red wine

    2 cups vegetable stock

    3 bratwurst sausage links

    1 cup shredded green cabbage

    salt and pepper to taste

    2 cups diced potatoes

    First, sauté the garlic, onion, carrots and celery in the avocado oil. Add in the diced red bell pepper. Add in the paprika (preferably in paste form).

    After five minutes, add in the tomato paste, wine and vegetable stock.

    In a separate pan cook the sausage links until partially cooked. Cut into pieces and then add into the soup. Add in the shredded cabbage and salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes at medium heat.

    Finally, add in the cut up potatoes pieces. Let the soup continue to cook at a low temperature for another 20 to 30 minutes. I dislike overcooked potatoes so I always add them in last.

    This is a great soup to make the day before and then reheat the next day. It gets better overnight.

  • Enjoying Paprika with My Dinner

    For our final dinner in Budapest, the head chef of the Viking Baldur, and his team, prepared a great menu featuring paprika. The salad was served with a delicious dressing which showcased paprika. The showcased entree was chicken and homemade spaetzle noodles served with peppers and a creamy paprika sauce.

    For dessert, most of the table ordered the chocolate lava cake which was fantastic. I am a cheese monger when not on vacation so I had to try the cheese plate. I enjoyed it except for one detail. The crackers appeared to be Ritz crackers – really? What a disappointment! My husband roared with laughter; the rest of our table chuckled, too.

    On a positive note, during our nightly presentation in the lounge, the chef offered us an amazing smoked salmon mini cone. Both my husband and I loved it.

    Early this evening, we started sailing towards Vienna. I cannot wait to see what our chef comes up with. Stay tuned for more!