Chicken Paprikash that makes your father wistful
Janosh, now known as John, came here in 1956. He sat on a boat in NYC harbor waiting for the new year to start before he could enter the country because the quota for Hungarians was full. His official year of immigration is 1957. He was 19. His sponsors were in Cincinnati so he and a few other young men found themselves in Ohio.
When I grew up, I was raised mostly by him and his 2nd wife, and immigrant from Germany. The food in the house was very European and by that I mean there was lots of sour cream and potatoes. He cooked which doesn’t seem that unusual but at the time is was.
He’s come to stay with me for a few weeks and he enjoys sitting in the kitchen watching me cook, so that’s what we’ve been doing. I made Chicken Paprikash and he was delighted.
CHICKEN PAPRIKASH RECIPE:
4 chicken leg quarters (4 legs, 4 thighs)
2 T. oil
salt and pepper
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 Hungarian yellow peppers, cubed, keep a little bigger than the red peppers
6 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2-3 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons Sweet Hungarian Paprika
2 teaspoons Hot Hungarian Paprika
2 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup flour
Salt to taste
Salt and pepper the chicken, brown it in the oil in a heavy bottom pan. Use a pan that can fit all the chicken on the bottom at once. Remove the browned chicken. Add the onions to the pan, cook until soft. Add the peppers and tomato and garlic. Continue to cook until soft. Add the broth and paprika at the same time. Don’t add the paprika first, it will scorch. It really takes nearly 6 tablespoons of paprika. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer a total of 45 minutes. Turn the chicken a few times while cooking. In a small bowl combine the sour cream and flour. Taste the sauce for salt. Remove the chicken from the pan. Whisk the sour cream mixture into the pan liquid. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. (While you boil your dumplings/spaetzle). Remove from heat. You an add chopped parsley if that’s your thing.