While we like to gulp down a shot of homemade plum or apricot pálinka every now and then, we know that this traditional Hungarian brandy is fantastic for more than drinking. Apart from keeping you warm on the chillier autumn days, it also makes cooking more fun! Meaty main courses, hearty local classics and even desserts can be enhanced with a few drops of pálinka, which builds flavour and depth into the dish. So pop open a bottle of your favourite style (like you needed an excuse) and get down to cooking. These delicious Hungarian recipes will blow your mind and your tastebuds.
Garlic lamb shanks with apple purée and speck-wrapped potatoes
Lamb shanks are considered the king of all lamb cuts. Although not the most popular meat in Hungarian cuisine, lamb has long been the favourite in dishes all around the world, especially in the Mediterranean. Apple purée is a classic side that goes perfectly with the tender meat while the speck-wrapped potatoes will make everyone happy around the table. See the original recipe HERE.
Source: www.palinka.com
Ingredients:
800 g boneless lamb shank
2 garlic cloves
salt
freshly ground pepper
1 big red onion
5 g caraway
80 g pig fat (preferably made of mangalica)
400 g red apples
1/2 lemon
2 tbsp honey
20 ml pálinka (shingled-leaf, apple or the style of your choice)
cinnamon
600g potatoes
12 pieces of sliced speck
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C
Form the lamb shank into similar-sized pieces and lard it with sliced garlic cloves
Tie the meat with a cord to make it cook more evenly
Sprinkle it with salt and pepper
Pre-cook it in a frying pan until brown all over
Place it in the oven and bake it until tender while pouring the dish gravy on it multiple times so it will not dry out
Prepare the potatoes, pre-cook them, wrap a slice of speck around each and bake them in the oven until tender
Peel and cook the apples and flavour them with cinnamon, honey and a pinch of salt
Once cooked (remove the excess juice), purée them and add some pálinka
Serve the lamb shank with a piece of speck-wrapped potato and two tbsp of apple puree
You can also decorate the plate with additional apple slices
Goose liver pâté is an iconic dish in Hungarian cuisine, and locals swear it beats the French foie gras a million times. This traditional delicacy combined with the flaky, savoury strudel is just what you crave this time of the year. Take a bite of this wholesome dish and let all your cares melt away. The original recipe can be accessed HERE.
Source: www.szilvasgombockonyhaja.hu
Ingredients:
500-600 g goose liver
1 big apple
1 big red onion
a bouquet of chives
20 ml apple pálinka
salt
ground white pepper
300 ml milk
5 garlic cloves
1 package of phyllo dough
bread crumbs
Instructions:
Soak the goose liver in garlic milk overnight in the fridge
Preheat the oven to 392F/200C
Dry the liver and remove the bigger veins
Slice the red onion and cut the apple into cubes
Cut the liver into cubes as well, roast them in a Teflon frying pan in its own fat
Add the onion, salt and pepper
Once done, place the liver in a strainer to get rid of the excess fat
Pour the apple cubes into the same frying pan
Add salt, pepper and pálinka and braise them until the alcohol evaporates
Grease the phyllo dough with a bit of melted oil and sprinkle it with bread crumbs
Place the ragout on the dough and roll it up evenly while sprinkling it with chopped chives
Brush the top of the dough with egg yolk to make it shiny and brown
Bake it for 20-25 minutes
Serve the strudel by sprinkling it with chopped chives
Tiramisu with apple pálinka
A creamy dessert with pálinka-soaked ladyfingers surrounded by lightly sweetened whipped cream and a rich mascarpone, this superb Hungarian-style tiramisu will be the go-to snack at every dinner party. The flavours will mingle nicely thanks to the brandy. Check out the original recipe HERE.
Source: www.palinkamuzeumvisegrad.hu
Ingredients:
8 pieces of ladyfingers
75 ml apple or quince pálinka
200 ml apple juice
250 g mascarpone
1 packet of vanilla sugar
150 ml cream (sour cream)
3 apples
juice of 1/2 lemon
50 g butter
100 g sugar
cinnamon
100 g roasted walnuts
Instructions:
Roast the walnuts in a dry frying pan, then let them cool
Cut the apples into small cubes and pour the lemon juice over
Heat up the butter in a pan, add the sugar and let it melt
Add the apples, sprinkle them with cinnamon and let them simmer for a while
Let the mixture cool down
Meanwhile, mix the mascarpone with the vanilla sugar, 100 ml of apple juice and the whisked sour cream
Break the ladyfingers into small pieces and pour the pálinka and the remaining apple juice onto them
Take a cup and layer the ingredients by starting with the ladyfinger and following with the mascarpone cream, the apple cubes and the roasted walnuts
If the cup is big enough, we can create more layers
Chocolate muffin with apricot pálinka
Calling all chocoholics! These mega-chocolate-y muffins, loaded with chocolate chips in every single bite, are scrumptious. A perfect comfort food now that the summer days are over, this rich dessert is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. Find the original recipe HERE.
Source: www.palinkamuzeumvisegrad.hu
Ingredients:
150 g wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
100 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp milk
50 ml apricot pálinka
150 g dark chocolate
100 g butter
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 356F/180C
Break 100 g of chocolate into small pieces and melt them with the butter in a pan, let the mixture cool down
Mix together the dough ingredients and add them to the cooled-down chocolate mixture
Add the apricot pálinka and mix well
Crash the remaining chocolate into tiny pieces, or just simply use store-brought chocolate chips, and add them to the mixture
Pour the mixture into a muffin pan and bake it for 20-25 mins
Let the muffins cool down in the pan before serving them
Suggestion: we can use sweeter styles as well (blueberry, raspberry or strawberry) instead of the apricot pàlinka
Lamb shanks “the king of all lamb cuts”? Are you sure you that you have not got your animal parts mixed up? Lamb shanks are the cheapest part of lamb hence needing to cooked very slowly on a low heat:
: lamb shanks are from the lower leg of lambs, and they are an inexpensive, tough cut of meat. Because of this, lamb shanks need to be slow cooked – either braised or roasted – to break down the tough meat to soften into succulent tenderness. Source recipetineats
In the West, they are usually served with a red wine or a mint and rosemary sauce. In fact, in the chilled food section you can buy them ready cooked and they just need to be heated up ie Tesco 2X Lamb Shanks In Red Wine Gravy 780G Rest of Ready to Cook Lamb shelf £8.00£10.26/kg (about 3700 ft). The mint and gravy pack of 2 are cheaper at about 3100 ft.
Lamb shanks “the king of all lamb cuts”? Are you sure you that you have not got your animal parts mixed up? Lamb shanks are the cheapest part of lamb hence needing to cooked very slowly on a low heat:
: lamb shanks are from the lower leg of lambs, and they are an inexpensive, tough cut of meat. Because of this, lamb shanks need to be slow cooked – either braised or roasted – to break down the tough meat to soften into succulent tenderness. Source recipetineats
In the West, they are usually served with a red wine or a mint and rosemary sauce. In fact, in the chilled food section you can buy them ready cooked and they just need to be heated up ie Tesco 2X Lamb Shanks In Red Wine Gravy 780G Rest of Ready to Cook Lamb shelf £8.00£10.26/kg (about 3700 ft). The mint and gravy pack of 2 are cheaper at about 3100 ft.
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