Easy Recipes

There are times, as I mentioned last week, to rage against the shackles of winter. To take yourself on a culinary holiday and cook up something befitting a spicier, sunnier clime. And then there are times to embrace the cold slog. To cook up something roasted or long-simmered, something hearty and comforting. Ideally enriched with a few Eastern European spices and a swath of sour cream, and served over buttery noodlebits.

A few months ago I received a package from a European friend — one who had previously expressed an aversion to spices, no less — with two little parcels of paprika from his recent trip to Hungary. Foreign post and imported foodstuffs? Needless to say it was a thrilling day for me. Ive been spooning the rich, red spice into my everyday cooking here and there, but wanted to find a recipe where it could really shine. So why not go with the dish named for it?

Paprikash (or paprikás, if youre feeling Hungarian) is a simple homey recipe, usually made of chicken stewed in a creamy, paprika-scented sauce. I swapped out mushrooms instead, and a splash of sherry (because I couldnt help it), and put my own slight tweak on that rich red sauce. Egg noodles would make a fine bed to sop it all up, but when I couldnt find any in the pantry, I decided to complete the Hungarian theme with a batch of nokedli. These little dumpling are cousin to spätzle, a simple egg-and-flour dough thats formed into small, sauce-grabbing bits. A spätzle-maker would work well, but I just used a spatula to push the batter through a large-holed cheese grater, and it made for surprisingly quick and easy work. And while this meal isnt the most photogenic, its crazy delicious and satisfying, perfect for fortifying you against a cold winter day.


Mushroom Paprikash with Nokedli

serves ~4

2 tablespoons butter, plus more if/as needed
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 pound mushrooms, sliced (thinly or thickly, as you choose)
splash sherry
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup broth
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
a few tablespoons minced parsley, dill or chives (optional)

Nokedli:
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
few pats butter for finishing

Melt the butter over a medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion, and saute until softened and translucent but not colored, ~10 minutes.

While the onion is cooking is a fine time to start your nokedli batter. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, salt and water until combined, then stir in the flour. Mix gently until smooth, though a bit of lump is okay (they may dissolve while the batter rests). Set a lid or towel over the top, then set aside to rest. Put a large pot of salted water to boil, then go back to your mushrooms.

When the onions are done, add the garlic, and cook another minute. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the liquid has mostly evaporated, ~7 minutes. Add a splash of sherry, and let it cook off.

If the pan is dry at this time, add another pat of butter. Add the paprika and flour, and stir until theyre coated with the fat and liquid in the pan. Add the broth, pouring it in slowly at first, and cook until the liquid comes to a simmer and thickened (raise the heat as needed if your broth is cold), ~5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, and turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now to finish the nokedli! At this point your water should be at a boil, and your batter rested a bit. Grab a large-holed cheese grater or colander, and a spatula.

Hold your grater or colander over the pot of water, and place a blob of batter in it. Using your spatula, wipe the batter over the holes, firmly pressing it through. Little noodly bits of dough will form, and fall into the water below. Working quickly, press the batter through, stopping once or twice to give the pot a stir. The nokedli will float to the top and be done in just a few minutes. Repeat with all the batter. I found the process surprisingly quick and easy, and did it all at once and then dumped the mass in a strainer set in the sink. But if you find it slower going (and dont have the magic cheese grater I seemed to have), you can just scoop the nookedli out with a simmer as you go, and dump into a waiting bowl. Either way, place your cooked nokedli in a bowl, and toss in a few pats of butter to keep them from sticking together (and to make them more delicious).

Serve the nokedli with the paprikash, and top with the chopped fresh herb if desired.

Last week I made mushroom quiche for our weekly lunch club. And as one of my office-mates took a big, rich bite (accompanied by a big, richness-cutting arugula/squash salad), he sighed in contentment. "Who came up the idea that quiche is somehow not something men eat?" he wondered. "Quiche is good." He went back for a second piece.

It turns out that the branding of quiche as sissyfood comes from some stupid "humor" book of the 80s. And I dont know if it has something to do with that, or the general move away from rich dairyfat and carbohydrates, but quiche doesnt seem to be that popular anymore. Which is a shame. As last week affirmed, a warm quiche, paired with a healthy salad, makes for a fine, fine lunch.

I love a good quiche. And by good, I mean that it has a real flaky butter crust (even with some whole wheat flour added in); a tender, trembling custard; and is filled with both grated cheese and hefty helpings of fresh vegetables. Its good morning or night, and thus routinely makes my short list of food delivery items for friends in the first weeks of parenthood (when the two begin to blend together). Plus its something that most people dont make for themselves, so it feels a bit special.

Im a big fan of quiches filled with spinach or chard, complementing the cheesiness with some dark leafy greens. But since I was also bringing a big salad for this meal, I decided to take the quiche in a slightly different direction. I cooked down a whole pound of mushrooms until they were dark and flavorful (and, equally important, had shed the moisture that could sog things up), along with a tangle of softened leeks. And to keep things from feeling too brown, I tossed in a few chunks of tangy soft goat cheese. The resulting quiche is rich, satisfying, and well deserving of a popular resurgence. 


Mushroom Leek Quiche with Goat Cheese

1 pie crust, par-baked if you have the patience for it (I made this latest one with a half whole-wheat rough puff pastry)
2 tablespoons butter, plus a few thinly-sliced pats for dotting the top
1 large leek, or 2 small, washed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon high-heat oil, such as grapeseed
1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, grated (you can substitute gruyere or emmental)
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled into big hunks
2 cups milk or half-and-half
2 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch white pepper
pinch grated nutmeg
handful chives, minced (optional)

Melt the butter in a large saute pan or cast-iron skillet over a medium flame. Saute the leeks until well softened, but not browned, ~10 minutes (adjust heat as needed). Transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.

Raise the heat in the pan to high, and add the oil. When hot, add the mushrooms — you dont want it to be more than a generous layer or so deep, so you made to do this in batches. Salt lightly, and cook without moving until the liquid comes out and then evaporates (a few minutes). Stir, and cook the other sides until done. Repeat with remaining mushrooms and additional oil, if needed. These steps can be done in advance.

When youre ready to assemble your quiche, preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Take your (possibly par-baked) crust, and scatter the grated cheese over it. Add the leeks and mushrooms, then top with the goat cheese. You can leave as is, or tumble it up a bit.

In a large bowl, mix together the milk or half and half, eggs and egg yolks, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and chives, if using. Whisk gently, so that the mixture is combined but not frothy. Pour this custard mixture into the quiche shell (depending on its depth, you may not need all of it). Scatter the butter over the top.

Carefully place the quiche in the oven, and bake until only the center inch or so wiggles when you nudge it (about an hour). Remove from the oven, and let set a bit before serving.