Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

[sallyseachange]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

Hungary Day 8




... Thanks to Beatrice, the Italian wife of King Matthias, the high art of Renaissance cooking was introduced to the courts and noble houses of 15th century Hungary and Transylvania. Beatrice also introduced garlic and onion -- indispensable ingredients of modern Hungarian cooking.


So today we shall explode a few myths, and become more creative cooks because of it.
1) The only difference between a soup and a stew in the past was the amount of sauce/gravy involved.
2) A Gulyas (Goulash) could be made from any meat and poultry, beef was more popular because the Magyars were cattle farmers.
3) Potatoes do not need to be in a Gulyas, any mixture of root vegetables, onions and mushrooms are ok. This can be a very seasonal dish.
4) Tomatoes are a modern addition to the recipe....if you add them remember to add the extra carbs!

Trust an Italian to add soom ooomph to the local cuisine!
Cool myth busters too!
Tks Judy!

[angelstar]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

My friend at work is Hungarian. Not sure if I can eat this as it calls for root veggies tho and I dont have a slow cooker!

[Laurenfra]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

This is one awesome thread. I am making my kids read it for the History

[JudyMac]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

Hi angelstar, if you want to avoid root veg for now, try it with green beans (runners or French) and white cabbage, all authentic variants in Hungary

Laurenfra I'm glad the children are enjoying the thread.

Sorry I have been absent / MIA the computer and phone have been sick this week due to the lightning storm. We had a near hit, it took out the phone line and modems, and my hard drive. All seems to be ok now, just got to reload Living cookbook and we will be off adventuring again!

I will be posting twice tomorrow to make up for it!

80 Days may take more to complete but we will do it!

[sallyseachange]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

Glad you're up and running again Judy!

[JudyMac]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

Day 9 Transylvania

Sorry we were so near to the old country of Transylvania, that although it is now part of Romania, it was worth a quick carriage ride over the pass to visit Castle Dracula. No fangs on the menu tonight, but you can wear garlic if you feel inclined....



Dracula or Vlad the Impaler was the son of Vlad Dracul (1436-1442; 1443-1447) and grandson of Mircea the Old (1386-1418 ). Vlad Dracul was dubbed a knight of the Dragon Order by the Hungarian king. All the members of the order had a dragon on their coat of arms, and that is what brought him the nickname of Dracul (the Devil). Vlad the Impaler used to sign himself Draculea or Draculya - the Devil's son -, a name which was distorted into Dracula.




Dracula's renown reached the West through the Saxons from the Transylvanian towns of Brasov (Kronstadt) and Sibiu (Hermannstadt), who often gave shelter to those who claimed the Wallachian throne. In order to escape the peril of losing his throne, Vlad would punish the Saxons. Sibiu and the neighbouring area were pillaged and burnt down by Vlad, and many Saxons were impaled. The same happened to the Saxon merchants who came on business to Târgoviste.

In fact, Vlad was called Tepes (the Impaler) only after his death (1476). He ruled in Wallachia between 1456-1462 and in 1476. In 1462, having been defeated by the Turks, Vlad took refuge in Hungary. In 1476, with the help of the Hungarian king Matia Corvin and the Moldavian prince Stephen the Great, Vlad took over the Wallachian throne again for a month. A battle followed, during which Vlad was killed. His body was buried in the church of the Snagov Monastery, on an island near Bucharest. His body lies in front of the altar. In 1935, a richly dressed but beheaded corpse was exhumed at Snagov, a fate known to have overtaken Dracula, whose head was supposedly wrapped, perfumed and dispatched as a gift to the Turkish sultan.

They say that impaling was one of Dracula's favourite punishments, but he was not the only one who made use of it at the time. Other German and Spanish princes would do the same. He used the method for boyars, thieves and criminals, Turks, Saxons and those who conspired against him; more than once it happened that a whole forest of sharp stakes with enemies' heads would rise around Târgoviste, the capital of Wallachia at the time.
Horrified by these atrocities, the Saxons printed books and pamphlets in which they told about Vlad's cruelty. These booklets also reached Germany and Western Europe, where Dracula became known as a bloody tyrant.



In 1897, the Irish writer Bram Stoker published Dracula, which made Vlad the Impaler famous world-wide. Stoker read the stories about Dracula printed in the 15th and 16th centuries and was struck by his acts of cruelty. He decided to make him his character; he also read several books about Transylvania (a name of Latin origin, meaning "the country beyond the forests"), and thought that this "exotic" land would make a proper setting for Dracula's deeds.

So today we shall sit at the table of Vlad and enjoy...



MITITEI "GRILLED MEAT FINGERS"


2 lbs/1 kg ground beef,
½ lb/250 g pork lardons/ belly pork ground,
¼ tsp baking soda/powder,
3 garlic cloves,
1 tbsp ground pepper,
¼ tsp ground juniper berries
½ tsp ground caraway seeds,
2-3 tablespoons meat stock,
salt


Grind/mince the beef together with the pork.

Add salt, spices, chopped garlic, 2 tbsp meat stock and baking soda and mix everything with your hands for 15 minutes, adding two tablespoons of water a little at a time.

Keep the bowl with this mixture on ice / in fridge for 5-6 hours.

Just before grilling /broiling /BBQ, take tablespoons of the mixture and with wet hands, shape the rolls (they are approximately 3 inches /7 ½ cm long and 1 inch/ 2 ½ cm thick). Before placing on the grill, lightly oil them and during grilling baste them with a mixture of 1 tbsp meat broth and 1 tbsp oil.

(Alternatively shape using a hamburger press. Also why not swop out the pepper, caraway, and juniper berries for 2 Tbsp Hungarian Paprika, same carbs)

Servings 10 ( ¼ lb burgers x 10). Nutrition per serving total carbs 0.82g, fibre 0.23g, net carbs 0.59g.


Great for BBQ or dipping in mustard, and so low in carbs you can eat more than 1 serving if you want to!

[JudyMac]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

Romania Day 10

2000 years ago, the country was called Dacia and the people living there were called Daci. Then the Roman Empire, advancing in all directions, conquered Dacia. This was the last big Roman province added to the Roman Empire.


The language was formed as a mixture between the native dialect and Latin.





During the country's written history, there have been three big waves of invading tribes advancing onto the territory of today's Romania. Some of these were: Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Tartars, and Turks. Others were of Slavic origin and that is why there are some slavic influences in the language. There were also Ugro-Finnic tribes and also Germanic origin peoples that came to Romania. In present day Romania, there are still areas, especially Transylvania, where Hungarians and Germans make their home. During the middle ages, present day Romania was divided into 3 principalities (Transylvania, Moldova and Valachia) ruled by princes. These principalities were engaged in heavy battles with the Turkish Empire. The princes had to make a hefty annual payment to the Turkish sultan in order to maintain their quasi-sovereignty. It was only in 1877 that they gained independence from under the Turks.


Romania's cuisine was somewhat influenced by the other peoples that lived on its territory such as the ethnic Hungarians and Germans that are still living in the middle and western parts of Romania. In the past, the territory of Romania was under Turkish rule for many hundreds of years and there are still considerable influences. Dishes such as sarma(le), moussaka, baklava, saraigli, mititei, halva, rahat are clearly Turkish in origin. Also, some Greek, Slavic and French influences are felt.


If you ever have the chance to visit Romania, by all means do it, and you will be pleasantly surprised. Romania is a beautiful country and the people are very hospitable. If you have the good luck to be invited into their homes, no matter how poor the family, you will be treated like a king or queen.

Stufat de Miel (Lamb with spring onions and chives)


1 lb/500 g lamb,
30 spring onions / scallions,
30 chives, (finely chopped = approx 3 tbsp).
3 tablespoons butter or bacon fat,
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar,
½ cup / 125ml red wine
pinch of salt,
1 tbsp honey (if you are ok with honey, otherwise splenda)


Cut the meat into cubes, put into frying pan/skillet and fry to seal with a tablespoon of butter. Remove from heat.

Cut the spring onions and chives in two inch / 5cm pieces and fry separately in the remaining butter until slightly softened.

Then place with the lamb in a casserole. Add salt, tomato puree, honey and red wine vinegar, and red wine. Bring to the boil, put the lid on, and put in a moderate oven for 45 minutes 180C / 350F / gas mark 4.

Option: drizzle with a tablespoon of cream.

Servings 4. Nutrition per serving total carbs 8.64g, fibre 1.19g, net carbs 7.45g.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

Well... meat "fingers" is certainly in keeping with the Transylvanian hammer horror ambiance!!

Love the sound of the Romanian lamb dish.

[dream]

Re: Around the world in 80 days: All on this thread

This thread is awesome!