"Chick"en Paprikas

3 Tbsp shortening
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 tsp garlic powder (just don't tell my sister Barb)
8 chicken thighs, skins removed (if you like legs, you can use 4 legs and 4 thighs)
1/2 cup milk
1/2-3/4 cup sour cream 
2 Tbsp flour
A double batch of spaetzle

Day before: (your choice)
Prepare spaetzle a day ahead, drain well, and store in a covered casserole in the refrigerator. This saves you from making everything on the same day and helps the noodles to be firmer.

Day of dinner:
Melt shortening in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-low heat.
Add onions and celery and brown slowly.
After browning, add skinless chicken pieces, bone side down, cover with lid, and cook for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, turn chicken, sprinkle the chicken pieces with the paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
Cover and cook for 10 minutes more. After this 10 minutes, add 1 cup water and the two chicken bouillon and continue to cook over medium-low heat with lid on for another 10 minutes.

* **After 10 minutes, when it comes to a boil, reduce temperature to low.***Continue cooking with lid on for an additional 35  minutes.
Remove chicken pieces to a casserole, cover and keep warm.

In a gravy shaker, add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 or 3/4 cup sour cream, and 2 Tbsp flour.
Shake well and add to liquid in pan.
Cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken slightly.
Add the prepared spaetzle and toss gently and heat through.
When hot, layer the chicken pieces right on top of spaetzle, if serving from skillet.
If serving on a very large platter, pour the very hot spaetzle in the center of the platter and arrange the chicken pieces around the edges.

Makes 4 generous servings or 8 smaller servings.

My Grandma Chick taught her daughter-in-law, my mother Anna, how to make this for my dad. It's the best "chick"en dish I've ever eaten or made.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Caraway Soup (Sick Soup) Kimmel Leves

8 cups water
4 Tbsp caraway seeds
1/4 Cup butter
1/4 Cup flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp onion powder

Bring the 8 cups water and the caraway seeds to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on the pot for 20 minutes. Turn off the burner and allow the seeds to steep in the water at least an hour. (However, you can let it sit longer for added flavor...up to two hours.)

While the broth is steeping you can make the spaetzle.  Make the spaetzle according to directions and set aside.

When ready to serve up the soup, you make the roux. First, strain seeds out of the broth and turn onto medium heat. Now onto the roux.

Roux:

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add flour, salt, pepper and onion powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown. After the roux is golden add 4 or 5 ladles of broth to the roux, and cook until the roux is incorporated and thickened.

Now pour all of the roux into the pot of caraway broth. 
Heat broth to boiling add the spaetzle noodles that have been prepared. 

ENJOY!

This soup is a recipe from my grandmother Chick (Csik). It is an old Hungarian recipe that was handed down to my mother. I know my mother would make this for any reason and not just because someone was sick. We just enjoyed the unique taste. When serving this to someone that is not “up to par” or “feeling under the weather,” first serve them just the broth.

As the day goes on and they start feeling better, add a little spaetzle at a time until they start to feel better. They will usually start asking for more spaetzle rather than the broth (That’s when you know they are feeling better, and their appetite is returning).


Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!

Spaetzle

1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

Mix all ingredients. together in a small bowl Mix with a spoon until a stiff dough is formed. Spoon the dough onto the end of a plate. Using a spoon, break off kidney bean-sized pieces of dough into a pot of boiling, salted water. When all the dough is in the water, boil for 2 minutes. Drain and serve with butter and salt, or add to your favorite soup recipes.

Adding the black pepper and onion powder to the dough recipe creates a
boost in flavor.

Enjoy! Élvez! Piacere! Gustirati! Radosť!