This Hungarian / Hungarian American stereotype is certainly true about me. It's that Hungarians love their soup and start most meals with soup. It's one of those stereotypes that does no harm and so it's one I like.
I usually have soup only, or soup as a starter for mid-day or evening meals. The broth is a wonderful way to get all the water you need without drinking water. The heat is good for your sinuses! You can use whatever needs using in the fridge or garden. You can low simmer broths for hours made of the same.
Over the last several months I've cooked big pots of soup almost weekly and of course I share. I've tried new recipes using spices including paprika, of course, but also coriander and cumin. I've used yellow peas, lentils, kidney beans, black beans. Green, yellow, red peppers. Cloves of garlic.
I've used cracker crumbs to create the not-Kosher version of matzo ball soup. Basically you mix eggs, a little water, and olive oil , then throw the cracker crumbs in. Mix it up to a sticky consistency. Put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Bring water to a rapid boil. Put spoonfuls into the boiling water. Let the balls rise to the top and stay there three minutes. Take them out with a slotted spoon and put in the broth, which you can enhance with your choice of celery, carrots, onions, garlic, parsley, etc.
If you are a polite person, here in America you scoop your broth and soup away from you to the far north of your bowl. Slurping too loudy is considered rude.
So what is not true of this stereotype is that it always has to be "Goulash."
I recently ate soup at a new Japanese noodle restaurant which features three different broths and five levels of hot. I'm not into hot. Their claim to fame is that they simmer their broth for 24 hours. They say what makes a good broth includes an ingredient called SOUL. Everyone is wild about this place, which opened as a minimalistic hole in the wall, and has been so busy the waiters are going crazy.
WHAT INGREDIENTS IN HUNGARIAN COOKING WOULD MAKE FOR SOUL?
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