Chicken paprikash

Our trip to Budapest was memorable for, among many other things, out first chicken paprikash, and the nokedli were a revelation. Here's a slightly tweaked version of what we were fed.

Serves 2

For the paprikash:
Four pieces of chicken, skin on, on the bone
A small green pepper
A medium onion
Three cloves of garlic
Two medium, ripe tomatoes
A tablespoon of tomato puree
A tablespoon of sweet paprika
A tablespoon of smoked paprika
A small pot of sour cream
Half a litre of chicken stock
Half a glass of dry white wine
Two tablespoons of flour
A thin slice of butter and two tablespoons of oil for frying
Salt and pepper

For the nokedli:
125g white flour
One egg
75ml water
¼ - ½ teaspoon of salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Thinly slice the onion and pepper, and peel and chop the tomatoes.

Heat the butter and oil in a casserole on a medium flame until the butter foams. Season the chicken well and brown until the skin is golden, then remove and pour off half the fat. Fry the onions until soft and golden, then add the garlic and peppers and cook for three or four minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato puree, then mix in the flour and paprika; cook for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the white wine, followed by the stock. Bring to the boil, then lay the chicken pieces on top and place the pot into the oven for 45 minutes.

Now sift the seasoned flour into a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and stir them into the flour. Beat in the water until you have a lumpy, pourable mixture somewhere between a batter and a dough. Rest for half an hour or so.

Bringing it all together, remove the chicken from the casserole and keep warm. Stir the sour cream into the pot, check the seasoning and heat over a medium flame as the sauce thickens. Meanwhile bring a pan of water to the boil and press half the batter-dough through a large grater or a späetzle maker and simmer for three minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the other half.

Serve with the sauce spooned over the chicken and dumplings.

Ragù for pasta

This is a variation on Carluccio's ragù from 'An Invitation to Italian Cooking'. We miss you, Zio.

Serves 3
A lamb shank
Pork ribs (the pork and lamb combined should come to about 2 lbs)
A big handful of diced pancetta
A large onion
Two cloves of garlic
Two 400g tins of tomatoes
A stick of celery
A couple of sprigs each of fresh thyme and parsley
A sprinkle of dried marjoram
A bay leaf
A small handful of dried porcini
A glass of red wine
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Soak the porcini in a small dish or a teacup, in enough water to cover them.

Heat a little olive oil in a large, heavy, lidded saucepan and fry the pancetta till golden, then remove to a plate. Meanwhile thickly slice the onion and finely chop the garlic and celery.

Brown the lamb shank and pork ribs on a medium heat, then add the onions, stirring occasionally until they soften and begin to catch. Stir in the celery and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, then turn up the heat, pour in the wine and bubble for a while until the raw alcohol smell disappears. Meanwhile drain and chop the porcini, keeping the soaking liquor, and add the mushrooms and the liquid to the pan.

Nudge in the sprigs of thyme and parsley and stir in the marjoram. Season with a little salt and a lot of pepper. Add tomatoes to cover (you may not need all of the second tin, or you may need to top up with a little water), bring to the boil then part cover and cook on a very low heat for at least two hours.

When the sauce is coming together, remove the meat. Turn up the heat and reduce the sauce with the lid off while you strip the lamb and pork from the bones. Add the morsels of meat back to the pan, adjust the seasoning, remove the herbs and then serve with your choice of pasta.