Book of Days Tales

Today is the birthday (1911) of Klára Dán who tends to be thought of as the wife of John von Neumann but was, in fact, an excellent researcher in mathematics and computer science in her own right.  In the 1940s she developed code for some of the earliest computers including MANIAC I and ENIAC.  Back in the 1940s programming was considered “women’s work” and it is only now being recognized how much software development was the work of skilled women. 

Klára Dán was born in Budapest, so this is my opportunity to talk about paprika, the great invention of the Hungarians.  If all you know of paprika is some generic red powder from the supermarket you are missing worlds.  In Hungary there are many grades of paprika from mild to fiery hot:

•  Noble sweet (Édesnemes) – slightly pungent (the most commonly exported paprika; bright red)

•  Special quality (különleges) – the mildest (very sweet with a deep bright red color)

•  Delicate (csípősmentes csemege) – a mild paprika with a rich flavor (color from light to dark red)

•  Exquisite delicate (csemegepaprika) – similar to delicate, but more pungent

•  Pungent exquisite delicate (csípős csemege, pikáns) – an even more pungent version of delicate

•  Rose (rózsa) – with a strong aroma and mild pungency (pale red)

•  Semi-sweet (félédes) – a blend of mild and pungent paprikas; medium pungency

•  Strong (erős) – the hottest paprika (light brown)

Here is a recipe for classic gulyás Anglicized as goulash.  There is zero comparison between the goulash of the US and Hungarian gulyás.  Try to find Hungarian paprika for the recipe. Szeged does export some good stuff if you can find it.

Ingredients

    3 tablespoons lard

    5 medium onions, peeled and diced

    2 ½  teaspoons salt

    2 ½  liters water

    3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika (or more as you wish)

    ½  teaspoon black pepper

    1 tablespoon caraway seeds

    1.5 kg beef, chopped into bite-sized pieces

    2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

    5 medium carrots, peeled sliced into bite-sized rounds

    2 medium parsnips, peeled and  sliced into bite-sized rounds

    2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

    2 tomatoes, diced

    csipetke (pinched pasta), optional

Instructions

Heat the lard in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the onions along with a few spoonsful of water (so they don’t brown) and a pinch of salt if you wish. Cook slowly over very low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onions are clear and glassy.

 Remove the pot from the heat and add the paprika, pepper, and caraway seeds. Stir quickly to combine and add a tiny bit of water (to prevent the paprika from burning).

Add the meat and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until the meat is slightly browned (about ten minutes). Turn the heat down to low, add a few spoonsful of water, and cook for about 15 more minutes.

Add the rest of the water and keep cooking, over low heat, for at least an hour, or until the meat is cooked and nearly tender enough to serve. This could take hours, depending on the cut of beef you used.

When the meat is nearly done, add the tomatoes, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes and cook for about 15 more minutes, or until they are tender (being careful not to overcook them). Taste the soup and add more aromatics as needed.

If you are using csipetke or another kind of small pasta, add it to the soup before serving. You can serve this soup with hot pepper or hot pepper paste.