HUNGARIAN PUMPKIN or BUTTERNUT SQUASH and POPPYSEED STRUDEL

HUNGARIAN PUMPKIN AND POPPYSEED STRUDEL

Tökös-Mákos Rétes

1 small pie pumpkin (or butternut squash) - about 2 pounds

3/4 cup ground poppyseed

2/3 cup sugar, or to taste
2/3 cup sour cream (more or less. This is included to bind the poppy seeds and quite possibly plain yogurt drained of liquid can be used - spoon into the mixture gently and don't use too much.)
1 lemon. First use a grater to get the zest, then squeeze to get the juice.
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup of stick butter, also melted.

For the pastry and finish:8–10 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp breadcrumbs (optional, to absorb excess moisture)
Powdered sugar for dusting

 
PUMPKIN FILLING:

Peel and coarsely grate the fresh pumpkin. Toss it lightly with a pinch of salt and let it sit in a sieve a while so any excess moisture can drain. Squeeze the pumpkin to remove as much liquid as possible. If using canned pumpkin, make sure it's not too watery. Generally canned pumpkin is usually good as is.

POPPYSEED MIXTURE:

In a bowl, mix the ground poppy seeds, sugar, sour cream, lemon zest and juice. The mixture should not be runny, so add that sour cream gently and by the spoonful.

Then stir in the 2 tbsp of melted butter and cinnamon.

COMBINE THE TWO MIXTURES

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Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). (Note the higher temperature than the last recipe.)

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

***

PHYLLO DOUGH TECHNIQUE

Phyllo can be purchased at the market. It needs to be defrosted when bought frozen.

On flat surface, lay out a clean cloth and carefully place one sheet of the phyllo dough on it. Brush it lightly with melted butter.

Place a second sheet of phyllo on top of the first sheet, and also brush with butter.
Continue until you have eight players of phyllo. (Note that this is two sheets more than the last recipe, probably to accommodate the poppyseed mixture.)

Spoon the pumpkin mixture on the phyllo dough and evenly spread it, leaving a two inch border on all sides so that dough will stick together.

Roll the strudel. First fold the sides of the phyllo dough inward to enclose the filling. Then roll the strudel tightly into a log shape, starting from the filled end - which will be in the center.

Carefully place the rolled phyllo dough strudel seam down on the baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let the strudel cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Dust generously with powdered sugar just before serving.

***


C 2025 Magyar-American

GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU! HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE A HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY?

 HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE A HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY?

You may be a recent immigrant to the United States or a few generations away from an ancestor who came, but, if you're reading MAGYAR-AMERICAN, there's a good chance you claim some Hungarian heritage.

And if so, how do you celebrate THANKSGIVING with some Hungarian cultural inclusion?

It's my idea that including Hungarian recipes - food - is what many people include!  

Leave me a comment!

LENTIL SOUP ! NO BROTH? FOOD BANK RECIPE

What to do with the bag of dry LENTILS?

LENTILS PROVIDE protein as well as having other outstanding attributes.

LENTIL SOUP

Here's a Lentil don't:

There are different colors and types of lentils. When boiling or using for soup, don't mix the types together as they need different cooking times. If you have regular lentils (the pale brown-green type) and say, red lentils, you will need to cook them separately and put them in the soup at the end of the cooking time. In general lentils usually do not need long cooking times like dry beans and, as they break down a bit, they will thicken the soup. Lentils can also overcook and turn into mush quickly. However, the cooking lends a bit of flavor to the broth. Don't use the little round black lentils for this recipe which are sometimes called "French lentils."  Those are much better as an add-in to a rice dish. The green-brown lentils should simmer to cook in about 25 to 35 minutes.

Broth. I haven't seen broth given out too often in food distribution bags, so you will probably have to provide your own. Some bullion products are mostly salt, even contain the salty food preservative MSG (which I'm wary of) but if you do not have the time to cook up a broth using veggies or chicken, you can use the packets that come with those dry noodle soup packages as your broth base!  I believe a major brand brags that there is no MSG in there. (Use the dry noodle for another recipe!)

One way to flavor a broth, is to make "stock." You to throw in the parts of the veggies you didn't want to eat in the water, such as carrots and stems, and boil to simmer them. Remove them from the broth before including the veggies you do want in the soup.  You may also throw in bones recently saved from another meal.

For about a gallon of broth, use about two cups of lentils unless you want a very thick type soup.

Tradition is that carrots go into the broth as well as a BAY LEAF  (Greek Laurel) and onions. They say Bay leaves add SOUL. But you are being adventurous as well as thrifty so we have to think about what we have in the garden or on hand.

Skillet cooking veggies and spices first:

Cut up whatever veggies you have into smallish pieces including kale, celery, cabbage, onions, garlic, carrots, and cook them first in a pan till semi soft, with some olive or coconut oil...  garlic first, onions next, then the celery, just a minute or two between, overall about ten minutes over low heat. Kale is called a nutrition superstar packed with vitamins and minerals. Cabbage has vitamin C, more than citrus. So do peppers. Then mix all these veggies in your broth. Tradition is to use the celery ribs.  I use leaves and all.  (Leaves that are going yellow should be plucked.)

This pan is also where to put spices that need the cooking to release their powers. For an East Indian flavor consider adding cumin, curry powder, or even the masala type spices that are sold in small boxes. Of course your favorite paprika can please. One teaspoon or less is usually enough to spice up a gallon of soup for European tastes.

You can also use cilantro as a garnish or include it or parsley into your soup.

If you use canned vegetables, they are already cooked, so add them and the juice in the can at the end of the cooking, so they don't turn into tasteless and limp veggies. 

You can also use rice (about one third cup dry is about one cup cooked) or potato. Rice can be white or brown and I suggest that, while it will cook in broth, timing is important, as it will do so in about ten to twenty minutes.  So I cook rice separately. rinse it, and put it in the soup towards the end of the cooking. By putting the rice on the side, some of your family may decide they want the soup without it. Both are starches and I think should be added towards the end of the cooking.

Now, some people cook the lentils on the side, then put half in a blender, so adding two different lentil textures to the broth. If you have no broth, you can easily make a lentil-rich dish that will go over rice or potato instead.

C 2023 Magyar-American BlogSpot

FARINA MUFFINS : YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A BABY TO EAT FARINA! : FOOD BANK RECIPES by MAGYAR-AMERICAN

Hello my Dear Readers,

If you read my blog for any length of time, you know that I've done volunteer work in providing hot meals as well as doing food bank food distribution. That's a past experience now for me, but I know that budgets are strained and that many people who never thought they would need the help have gotten their families free food from one location or another during Covid-19 closures and since then, as rents, gasoline, and so much else has gotten too expensive. I know that many people are faced with ingredients they may not be familiar with. I know that there is a question of nutrition involved and that with the price of meat and seafood what it is many people are moving towards a vegetarian diet without really wanting to. I decided that I will post a FOOD BANK RECIPE from time to time to help you all. The idea is to help you use items that are often included in bags.

FARINA, usually used to make a hot, mushy, cereal is WHEAT.  These muffins are high in IRON.

FARINA MUFFINS

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line "cupcake" tins with either paper baking cups or lightly grease the bottoms to ease release of these muffins.

Dry Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cup flour (All Purpose suggested but I've tried Unbleached and so on)

1 cup farina

1/4 cup of sugar (Or less: I've used as little as 1/6th a cup, even using sugar packets that you can get when you buy coffee out.)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (not baking soda)

1 teaspoon salt.

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup milk (plain water can be substituted)

1/4 cup of oil  (If there is no oil to be had, try using yogurt or applesauce)

1 egg

Mix the Dry Ingredients Together well, just stir around by hand.

Mix the Wet Ingredients together too and then mix into the Dry, completely moistened but not soppy.

Don't spend a lot of time at it.

Just fill the cups about 2/3rds and put them in that pre-heated oven. They will appear light golden brown in about fifteen to twenty minutes. This recipe makes about a dozen.

I like the grittier texture to these muffins which can be like corn meal muffins.

You can add some herbs to these too.

Right out of the oven with some butter, really yummy.

Also good with soup.  (I've been known to throw a farina muffin right in the soup!)

C 2023 Magyar - American BlogSpot

A HUNGARIAN- AMERICAN INTERPRETATION OF HUNGARIAN ALL SOULS and ALL SAINTS CAKE GIVING

In Hungarian tradition, which is surprisingly like the Mexican one, families take food to the cemetery.  They clean the graves, leave flowers and food for the ancestors. They light candles on the graves.  And they may also give "Beggers" who are outside the gates some of the bread or cake they brought with them.  It makes practical sense that the beggers should eat, for food can only be 'eaten' by the spirits who are in the next world. 

May I suggest that a way for Hungarian-Americans to continue this tradition is to donate to a food bank?

Though I'm no longer volunteering at meal or food bank - distribution sites, I've made some inquiries about how it's going at a local food bank.  I'm told that as the cost of living has gotten out of control, the contributions are way down, especially of the fresh produce, and so they are giving out more dry goods - pasta, rice, and so on, and even the canned goods tend to be potato and corn.  I can tell you that too much of these foods is not a healthy diet and the cause of weight gain and even problems with sugar. These carbs must be balanced with proteins and vegetables. I know that I myself sometimes make too much of a meal with them.

However, I realized long ago that the things that are given out - and sometimes that includes non-food items such as soap and shampoo and toothpaste - are still appreciated.  If a person goes to a foodbank before their money runs out, they may be able to spend on the items that they do not receive at no charge.

Most food banks cannot accept your home baked goods, even though the same baked goods could be given to a church bazaar or event. This is because of health department rules that aim to prevent food illnesses and also because of the rare but terrible events in which evil people intend to harm others through things they bake in or put in foods. Packaged and store bought items rather than home baked items are even required for schools. I sure wish we were back in the day with this.  As a result, what you donate to a food bank must also be purchased at a store.

Bread is something that is inexpensive for most stores to donate to food banks and so there is usually quite a bit of it given.  However, I noticed that my local stores that used to have drastically reduced day-old pastries and breads are also out of these items. 

Please consider my suggestion.

C 2022 Magyar-American BlogSpot

RECIPE FOR ALL SAINTS CAKE Mindszenti Kalacska - SOUL CAKES

CATHOLIC CULTURE LITURGICAL RECIPES   This cake has lemon or orange rind intended for a little flavor, yeast, lots of eggs.  However this citrus cannot be a traditional cake because citrus was not traditionally available in Hungary.  I know from other research that the source of vitamin C in Hungary was peppers and cabbage. An orange or lemon was imported was a special but unusual treat for a long time.

Small round cakes with a cross on top - be that by cutting or decorating a cross icon - are called SOUL CAKES and other European cultures also had a tradition of giving out these cakes.  An English tradition had children praying for souls and being given these cakes as a kind of treat.

There are also pagan traditions that suggest that food is offered for Hungry (not Hungarian) Ghosts.

If you have a recipe you want to share please send it in a comment~  thanks!

FRITTERS RECIPE - FROM MY PANDEMIC CUPBOARD and ME

If you are using up what's been sitting in your cupboard or refrigerator or freezer rather than go to the store.  Or your store is out of the products you need.  You might want to try some new recipes, preferably healthy ones.  I put this together the other day and it worked out wonderfully.

You'll use:

One half pound of dried green peas. (You can try yellow).
Soak the peas overnight for some savings in gas or electric.
Separate the peas into two halves.  Cook half for about 20 minutes and then throw the rest in for another 20.  To do this bring to a boil and then simmer. This should provide you some peas that are almost mash and some that are closer to intact and crunchy. Drain thoroughly.

Potatoes.  It's preferable to use ones that you can cut up with skin on.
Cut up about five small to medium ones into cubes and cook until just ready to be mashed.  Again, bring to boil and lower heat.  Drain thoroughly. Mash them up.

Put your spices on the potatoes and mash again.
I used  MASALA originally intended for TANDORI CHICKEN. You can also make up your own spice mixes, such as garlic, paprika, oregano, marjoram, etc.  It's good to use fresh from the garden if you have it.

Kale. I cut up two long pieces of dark kale into thin strips - uncooked -
Throw that in the bowl.

Onion. I used yellow.  White or red work well too.  Dice fine - uncooked. Throw that in the bowl.

Also good: parsley, celery, cut fine.

Mix in the peas.

Let the mixture COOL.

Break two room temperature eggs into the cooled mixture of potato, peas, and herbs and mix again. You should now have a mixture that is easy to form into patties.

In large skillet - preferable iron - melt butter.

Dip each of the patties into Bread Crumbs.  It's OK to use stale toast.  I used left over bread stuffing from Thanksgiving.

Put patties in butter and cook until they have a nice brown crusty coat on each side.  I made 24!

These can be eaten right away hot.  The next day I tried some cold.  I liked them.

You can eat these with so many other foods.  Boiled or scrambled eggs.  Mayonnaise or catsup or soy sauce or plain yogurt or cottage cheese...  The peas and the kale provide lots of protein. There's vitamins in the potato skin.

Let me know if you tried it!


C Magyar-American BlogSpot

GOAT CHEEZE AND PUMPKIN CHEESE and OLIVE OIL - HUNGARIAN HEALTH FOOD - POGASCA

Health food in Hungary? Well here's a recipe that includes some healthy ingredients? Are you Americans going to try this recipe for Thanksgiving?