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Hungarian mushroom soup (Magyaros gombaleves)

What makes this Hungarian mushroom soup so delicious and unique? Chunks of mushrooms with authentic Hungarian sweet paprika and lots of sour cream. It is not a cream soup, please do not blend i! It’s done in 45 minutes and it is made with homemade pinch noodles!

You can find Hungarian paprika in most grocery and spice stores now, as well as Amazon.

The majority of Hungarian soups are thickened in some way, such as roux, sour cream or egg yolk.
I thickened this soup with roux, toasted all purpose flour in oil, then added paprika and sour cream. The addition of paprika requires particular care, because burnt paprika tastes bitter. Before adding paprika, always remove the pot from the heat and wait a bit.  When the roux has achieved the desired paprika color, add the sour cream and mix well. The prepared, seasoned roux is diluted with liquid.

What type of mushrooms should you use when making Hungarian mushroom soup?

Traditionally wild mushrooms were used to make this soup, nowadays it is a bit challenging to purchase them out of season,  I usually use button mushrooms.When looking for mushrooms choose those that have a fresh odor, are dry to the touch (not slimy), and are free of any discoloring.

What is Hungarian pinched noodle (csipetke)?

Hungarian pinched noodles (Csipetke noodles) are one of the fastest styles of homemade noodles to prepare, it’s actually quite quick and simple, can be made in just a few minutes. While csipetke might look like nokedli, the Hungarian version for German spaetzle, the pinched noodle dough is made without water, only egg, flour and a pinch of salt.

The pinched noodle name comes from the way they are formed. Pinches of dough, about the size of a lemon seed, are rolled into a ball, flattened, and dropped into rapidly boiling water, cooked until tender.

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight.

In a large soup pot cook the cubed smoked pork with the peppercorns, 4 cloves of garlic and bay leaves in 3 liters of water until the meat is half tender.

Pour off the soaking water and add the beans to the broth. Cover and cook until the beans are almost tender.

Csipetke (pinched noodles) can be cooked directly in the soup broth, or in plain water. It is a great accompaniment for this soup. Their name comes from the way they are formed.

In a medium bowl mix together the egg, the salt and the flour, and knead with your fingertips until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small pieces of dough about the size of a lemon seed and roll them.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. You can use it immediately if you are in a hurry.

When the beans are almost tender, add the carrot and parsley root slices, the celery root cubes, and the sausage slices. You also add the pinched noodles. When you add the noodles, stir the soup otherwise the noodles will stick together. Cover with the lid, bring back to a boil, reduce the heat and keep cooking until the vegetables are tender. Add salt if necessary.

Roux (to thicken your soup): Heat oil in a pan; add 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly. You need just enough oil to make the consistency of your roux not too thick and not too thin. It should spread out in your pan and bubble a little.
After 2-3 minutes of searing, when it starts to brown, take it off the heat, add 1 clove of minced garlic and stir. Allow to cool and add 1 teaspoon of red paprika powder. Now add some water (or liquid from the soup or cold water) to the roux to thin it. Pour this mixture back to your soup pot and bring the soup back to a boil.

Serve with sour cream.

Enjoy!

Hungarian fish soup (Halászlé)

is one of the most popular Christmas dishes. It is a hot soup prepared with mixed freshwater/river fish. Even though Hungary is not a “nation of fishermen”, the native fish soup is considered to be a national specialty. Traditionally, fish soup is prepared in a small kettle on an open fire by real fishermen. It is made in many different ways, but all recipes contain onions and ground red paprika among their ingredients and always served with fresh, white bread.

Recipe

Ingredients for 4 people:
500 grams (18 ounces) of carp tail
500 grams (18 ounces) catfish fillet
1 onion, chopped finely
1 good tablespoon of pork lard or 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons of sweet red paprika powder
6 cups of water
Salt

Directions:

In a soup pot, mix the paprika powder in melted pork lard or vegetable oil. (To release paprika’s flavor you must dissolve it in oil or lard.)

Pour over 6 cups of water, salt it and cook the carp tail with the chopped onions until fish is tender, the meat falls off the bone.

Take the fish out and remove the meat from the bones and press it through a strainer back into the soup broth.

Place the catfish fillets into the soup and cook it for a couple of minutes, until fish is tender.