Galuska

These doughy pillows of goodness are called Galuska, and they're little Hungarian dumplings. I think they're almost (if not exactly) the same thing as spaetzel, although the spaetzel I've had were smaller than these galuska. They're an essential component in my family's version of Chicken Paprikash, but I could eat a bowl of them just by themselves!

To me, they're almost like big, buttery hunks of pasta (which is just as phenomenal as it sounds). They're definitely firmer than all other dumplings I've had. The dough recipe is simple and although the method of hand-making them by taking a spoon to the dough seems like it would be time consuming, it really only takes about 5 minutes!

Does anyone have suggestions for other dishes I can use galuska in? I've only had them in Paprikash! Maybe they could be used in place of gnocchi in Italian dishes. I get the feeling they would be incredible in a dessert dish, like a bread-pudding-type thing but with galuska instead of bread? I'd love to hear your suggestions! And I'll so some experimenting and report back. :)

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Galuska

by Saucy Jocey's Kitchen June-8-2016

These Hungarian dumplings are buttery, doughy pillows of goodness.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Instructions

1. Use a fork to mix water, egg, salt, and 1 Tbsp softened butter in a bowl.2. Mix in flour with the fork until a rough dough ball forms, then use your hands to continue mixing and kneading until a smooth dough ball forms and there aren’t any dry flour pieces left.3. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, boil a large pot of water. Salt the water if you’d like (I usually do).4. Hold the ball of dough in one hand and a spoon in the other. Use the spoon to scrape a football-shaped chunk of the dough away against the base of your hand and repeat until the entire ball of dough is chunked. Each chunk should be about a tsp in size, but don’t worry if the sizes aren’t 100% uniform. Separate the chunked galuska on a plate as you go.5. Add 1/3 of the batch of galuska to the pot of boiling water. Stir a little if they’re sticking together. Boil the galuska until they float, about 3 minutes. Remove the galuska from the water with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl with 1 Tbsp of butter and stir. The other galuska will be added to the same bowl (but you won’t add more butter after each addition). Repeat step 5 until the whole batch is cooked. Enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 2 - 3 servings

Note: Recipe adapted from "Egg Dumplings" in George Lang's "The Cuisine of Hungary"

Step 1: Use a fork to mix water, egg, salt, and 1 Tbsp softened butter in a bowl.

Step 1 continued

Step 2: Mix in flour with the fork. It will be pretty rough at first...

Step 2 continued: When it's a rough dough ball like this, use your hands to continue mixing and kneading together...

Step 2 continued: Mix and knead until you have a smooth(ish) dough ball with no dry flour pieces.

Step 3: Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.  In the meantime, boil a large pot of water. Salt the water if you’d like (I usually do).

Step 4: Now to form the galuska. Hold the ball of dough in one hand and a spoon in the other. Use the spoon to scrape a football-shaped chunk of the dough away against the base of your hand and repeat until the entire ball of dough is chunked. 

Step 4 continued: Each chunk should be about a tsp in size, but don’t worry if the sizes aren’t 100% uniform. 

Step 4 continued: Separate the chunked galuska on a plate as you go.

Step 5: Add 1/3 of the batch of galuska to the pot of boiling water. I like to add the galuska with a slotted spoon so I can delicately add them without getting splashed!

Step 5 continued: Stir a little if they’re sticking together.  

Step 5 continued: Boil the galuska until they float, about 3 minutes.

Step 5 continued: Remove the galuska from the water with a slotted spoon...

Step 5 continued: Place the galuska in a bowl with 1 Tbsp of butter and stir. The other galuska will be added to the same bowl (but you won’t add more butter after each addition). Repeat step 5 until the whole batch is cooked.

I love how rustic and simple these are. They're a wonderful blank canvas to slather saucy goodness all over! Because they're on the firmer side, they hold their shape and give nice texture to Chicken Paprikash, all while adding a rich buttery flavor. Enjoy!

SJK Approved - Vegetable Lasagna

I am SO excited to share my first SJK Approved post with you all. I'll be featuring recipes, restaurants, kitchen gadgets, and other foodie goodies which I have personally tested and approved and LOVE! Stay tuned and follow along at #SJKApproved for more!

First up is Vegetable Lasagna by The Pioneer Woman. This is one of those recipes I've made over and over again because it's just so darn good. Pasta? Check. Cheese? Check. Hearty veggies cooked in a spicy tomato sauce + a little wine? Check. Done and done. It's not heavy like some lasagnas I've had, and you don't miss the meat at all! Meatless Monday never tasted so good.

My husband puts in requests for this recipe! And while I'm usually cooking for just the two of us, I don't mind making a big batch because this lasagna freezes VERY well. I use a few zucchini in place of the mushrooms because Paul isn't a mushroom fan :( I'm saddened by this, but the veggie lasagna tastes amazing either way.

Can I also gush about how much I love Ree Drummond for a minute? She's so fun to watch on the Food Network because she's so cheerful! I love the personal touches she puts on her recipes, sometimes planning them with specific family members in mind. She's such a great story teller and you can see all of the love she puts into her food on the show! She's lovely and her recipes have never failed me. Two thumbs up for Ree Drummond.

You all NEED this vegetable lasagna in your lives! See the recipe and Ree Drummond's flawless step-by-step pictures here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/04/vegetable-lasagna/

My Big Fat Greek Recipe Collection

In honor of Greek Easter on Sunday, I thought I'd compile and share my Greek recipe posts! Greek Easter as a youngster for me meant celebrating with loads of family, loads of food, and an Easter egg hunt with hundreds of eggs filled with candy and cash (not just coins my friend, bills. The Greeks don't mess around with Easter).

Even if you don't celebrate Greek Easter (or Easter at all), look at Sunday as an excuse to eat Greek food! It's also Cinco de Mayo - What's a girl to do? Greek for lunch, Mexican for dinner probably. Check out my Cinco de Mayo Pinterest board for recipes and entertaining ideas!

Pictured to the left is little-me and my Papou :) Some of my fondest memories of him are of him coming over to my house and cooking for us, dictating the recipes to my parents. My parents gifted me with those written recipes a few months ago, and I was so happy I was brought to tears.

I feel the most connected to my Greek culture when I'm cooking! Below are some recipes from my family, some from me, and there is a whole recipe book full of more to come! Enjoy!

  Not only is Greek Salad undoubtedly DELICIOUS, but Greek Salad Dressing is extra virgin olive oil and vinegar based, do it's healthy! I love making a chunky salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and red onions. One of my go-to pot luck/tailgate/picnic dishes is Greek Pasta Salad, which is just the normal salad with rotini pasta and chicken! It's wonderful with or without the chicken.

One of my favorite dishes of all time is a Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce. For me, the more garlic, the better, which is why I could pretty much eat tzatziki sauce plain by the spoonful. There's only one time in my life when I uttered the words "Well that's just too much damn garlic." I was eating skordalia at a restaurant and my dad (the only full-blooded Greek at the table) was the only one who could eat the seemingly half potato, half garlic spread, which is usually very tasty, but had gone a little overkill this time. Anyway, the point is, if you love garlic, you will love tzatziki sauce! Try it if you haven't already!

These 3 recipes are straight from my grandparents' recipe book. Tiropita is a savory cheese pie, which is enticing enough I think! The phyllo dough is buttery and flaky and the cheese filling is hot and creamy... You can't beat it. You just can't. 

Dolmades are stuffed grape leaves, and just about every recipe for the filling is different. Ours is ground beef and rice based, but there are quite a few vegetarian versions out there too! These little bite-sized meaty bundles are the perfect hor d'ouevre!

Last but not least, for dessert - the simple, understated perfection that is Rice Pudding. It's nothing fancy, but it's my FAVORITE. I even like it better than baklava! I know, I know, where's the baklava? It's still in the book! Coming soon though :) don't worry.

Check out My Big Fat Greek Recipe Board on Pinterest! 

I hope you all enjoy my family's recipes :) It makes me happy to be able to share the love and share the food. It's the Greek woman in me - I need to feed people. Now go eat some Greek food!

Alfredo Sauce

Want to know when my boyfriend stole my heart? It was when he made me this Alfredo sauce for our first Valentines day together :P Really though, I was all his long before this Alfredo, but it didn't hurt at all. The way to a man or woman's heart is through his or her stomach, and you can't help but fall in love with whoever puts this plate in front of you. The ingredients for Alfredo sauce crack me up! Butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. I really don't think it gets any better than that!

Alfredo sauce

Makes 3-4 servings (enough for about half a box of fettuccine)

Total time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup Parmesan

A sprinkle of pepper

1. Melt half a stick of butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Pour in heavy cream and turn heat to  medium. Bring cream and butter to a boil.

2. Add parmesan cheese to cream mixture. Reduce heat to low and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the cheese gets incorporated with the liquid. Add a little sprinkle of pepper and serve over fettuccine. Enjoy!  

*Jaw drops* Look at these heavenly ingredients! Oh, and some pasta with it too. 

Melt half a stick of butter (I know) over medium low heat.

Whisk in the heavy cream, turn the heat to medium, and bring to a boil.

Add the Parmesan cheese and whisk for 2 or 3 minutes, until the cheese is incorporated. It will be very thick and cheesy!

Well talk about rich. This sauce is LUSCIOUS and lovely. And how could it not be with such decadent ingredients?! It's also oh so simple to make. It's practically just prepare some pasta, whisk sauce for a few minutes, and voila!

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is a nod to my Greek heritage. I never had a salad with lettuce in it growing up. It was always just the ingredients below, minus the pasta and the chicken (see Chunky Greek Salad). Chunky and tangy and light! I added the chicken and pasta one day when I felt like making a meal out of my normal Greek salad. You might be asking yourself – Where are the kalamata olives?! Well, it probably makes me the worst Greek ever… but I don’t really like them. For those of you who do, I’m sure they would work very well in this dish! The quantity this recipe makes is definitely entertaining-size (15 cups). Try this recipe when you’re looking for a fun alternative to normal pasta salad for a backyard bbq or cut the recipe in half if you just want a few lunches out of it!

Check out my guest blog post for Events Uncorked!

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

Makes 15 cups

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (( Healthier Ingredient Substitutions ))

2 chicken breasts, cooked

1 lb rotini pasta, cooked (( 1 lb whole wheat rotini pasta, cooked ))

6 oz feta cheese

2 tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 lemon

2 cloves garlic

1/2 red onion

2/3 cup fresh oregano

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Chop chicken, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and oregano.  Mix in a large bowl with cooked pasta.

2. Crush or mince garlic. Mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, juice from lemon, garlic, and pepper.

3. Pour dressing over pasta mixture. Crumble feta over pasta mixture and stir to combine. Serve cold and enjoy!

Ah! Fresh ingredients! The fresh oregano makes a big difference in this recipe. Don't use the dried stuff here!

Chop everything into chunky pieces.

Mix extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and pepper in a separate bowl so it mixes in the salad evenly.

Crumble the feta if it is in block form. I prefer the block form because it tends to stay more moist. The block form in liquid is the best, but it is a little hard to find!

Mix everything together!

Get your easy Greek food fix! I'm taking requests for other Greek recipes! I don't know how to cook enough Greek food and it will give me an excuse to experiment :)

Italian Meatballs

I FINALLY got the recipe for Aunt Annette's famous meatballs! My boyfriend's family is part Italian and when we went to visit them in Michigan recently I couldn't leave without learning the tricks of the meatball trade. I've never thought the meatballs I used to make were anything special and thankfully I never served them to a large number of people, because after having these, I realized the meatballs I used to cook were not acceptable! I didn't know any better but my meatballs were sub-par, and these are OUTSTANDING, and I'm thankful that I will only cook and eat delicious and moist meatballs from now on! The key things that make these meatballs great (I think) are the fresh parsley and more water than you think you need. You'll "feeeeeeel the meatballs" like Aunt Annette says, and if it feels like there's slightly too much liquid, it's perfect. You almost think that they're so moist that they will fall apart when they cook, but they don't. And the parsley, cheese, and garlic... Mmmmm. Tasty Italian comfort food. 

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Italian Meatballs

by Saucy Jocey's Kitchen June-18-2012

Aunt Annette's classic Italian meatballs that are incredibly juicy and flavorful.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Romano Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 clove garlic

Instructions

1. Chop parsley and mince or crush clove of garlic.2. Mix all ingredients together. Form into balls about 2 inches in diameter if simmering in step 3, 1.5 inches in diameter if roasting in step 3.3. Gently place in sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, roast in a 400 degrees F oven on a greased cookie sheet for 7 minutes. Flip and roast for another 7 minutes or until the interior is completely brown and cooked.4. Serve with spaghetti and sauce! Enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins Total time: 1 hour 40 mins Yield: 14 meatballs

**** DISCLAIMER: These pictures are from a batch made to feed a ton of people... We used 4 lbs of meat. The proportions in the recipe above are adjusted to use ONE POUND of ground beef and it makes about 14 (pretty large) meatballs.****

 The ingredients! Nothing surprising, but I'm telling you, everything is fresh and the proportions are just right so these meatballs turn out perfectly. 

Flavorful Italian bread crumbs. I suppose if you haaaaad to you could use the store-bought kind, but I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND the homemade Italian Bread Crumbs version.

Garlic crusher. My new favorite kitchen tool!

Add the Romano Parmesan cheese, an egg, parsley, Italian bread crumbs, water, salt, and pepper.

Now the fun part... don't be afraid to get messy!

Form the mixture into balls. 

Gently place in the sauce and bring everything to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour and a half. Stir the sauce occasionally but be very gentle with the meatballs!

If you don't have the time and/or sauce quantities to simmer the meatballs, roast them in a 400 degree F oven on a greased cookie sheet for 14 - 15 minutes flipping once halfway through the roasting time. This cooking method makes the recipe very weeknight friendly!

Aunt Annette and her outstanding meatballs! Sauce recipe also coming soon! Thank you for sharing your recipe with me Aunt Annette :)

 Moist and flavorful meatballs and spaghetti. These will have you doing your happy-food dance.