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!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are such a fun added bonus to the pumpkin carving experience! They're a great blank canvas for sweet or savory seasonings, and I thought I'd go with a little bit of both for this recipe. It's autumn overload in the best way - Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds! Sweet and spicy Pumpkin Pie Spice mixes with salt and sugar for a perfectly festive fall snack.  

Featured in La Petite Fashionista Magazine!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Pumpkin Pie Spice

Makes 1 cup

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 tsp white sugar

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Clean pumpkin seeds in a colander under running water. Remove any pumpkin membrane.

3. Pat seeds dry with a paper towel.

4. Mix all ingredients together.

5. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes. All ovens are different, so watch the seeds carefully at the end of the cook time. 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Clean the fresh pumpkin seeds. It can be a messy job getting those seeds out! They're a wonderful added bonus to pumpkin carving though, a tasty roasted autumnal snack.

2. continued - Place the seeds an a colander under running water and rinse rinse rinse.

 2. continued - The goal is to get rid of all of the orange membrane from the pumpkin. Remove any orange pieces you see.

2. continued - Nice and clean!

3. Place the seeds in a relatively flat pile on a paper towel and pat dry.

3. continued - Make a little paper towel-pumpkin seed sandwich and pat off as much moisture as you can. The seeds will roast better if they are dry!

4. Mix all ingredients together.

5. Spread the pumpkin seeds out as evenly as possible on a baking sheet. I almost always line my baking sheets with aluminum foil (regardless of what I'm cooking) for easy clean-up! I didn't find it necessary to grease the baking sheet. The oil on the seeds make them release just fine! 6. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Watch the seeds closely towards the end! Every oven is different and the seeds can quickly go from golden brown to burnt.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

I'm such a sucker for pumpkin spice ANYTHING, and I am not ashamed to admit it! Many pumpkin-spiced recipes call for Pumpkin Pie Spice to give the dish a distinctive fall flavor. Pumpkin Pie Spice IS sold in stores, but you probably already have the ingredients needed to make it yourself! Sweet cinnamon and spicy nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and all spice make up the warm, intoxicating autumnal combination. 

This spice mixture crops up in so many fall recipes that you'll find plenty of uses for it! My Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are pumpkin-pie-spiced with a hint of sugar and salt for a sweet and savory flavor. I've also been mixing just a teensy bit of Pumpkin Pie Spice in my morning coffee, so with each sip I get a whiff of fall which perks me up almost as much as the caffeine! I get truly giddy this time of year with the holidays rolling around. I just can't help myself. I'll have to find the self control to not add this spice mixture to everything in the coming months!

Featured in La Petite Fashionista Magazine!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Makes 5 Tablespoons

Ingredients

1/4 cup ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground all spice

Mix spices together and store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Soup

Well this soup just screams "Fall" doesn't it? With the classic pumpkin pie spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice, and two staples of the holidays - pumpkin and sweet potatoes, this soup makes your kitchen smell like November and December. The soup has a slight sweetness from the brown sugar, but it's not like you're eating pumpkin pie soup. The brown sugar simple highlights the other spicy fall flavors in the soup. I chose not to puree the sweet potatoes because I liked the idea of a sweeter version of a chunky potato soup, but you could puree the soup if you like. Enjoy the fall flavors and subtle sweetness of this festive holiday soup :)

Featured in La Petite Fashionista Magazine!

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup

Makes 3 servings

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

15 oz pumpkin puree

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

1. Mix pumpkin puree and vegetable broth in a large pot. Turn the heat to high.

2. Peel sweet potato and chop into 1 inch cubes.

3. Add sweet potatoes and spices to the pot. When the soup comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and simmer covered for an hour or until the potatoes are tender. Turn the heat off and mix in the heavy cream. Enjoy!

Whisk the pumpkin puree into the vegetable broth and turn the heat to high.

Peel one large sweet potato and cut it into one inch cubes.

Add the potatoes and spices to the pot! Get ready for your kitchen to start smelling like fall...

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover for 1 hour. The potatoes will get nice and tender!

Turn the heat off and mix in the heavy cream. Mmm so luscious and warm.

I really enjoy how familiar all of these ingredients are, yet I've never tried them put together in this way before! I'll be honest, I'd been dreaming about this soup but wasn't quite sure what to expect of the final result. I'm quite pleased with the blend of sweet and savory that I achieved :) Just enough sweetness to highlight the savory/spicy fall flavors without being overwhelming. If you are in the mood for something outside the box yet familiar, try some Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup!