The Global Kitchen: Chicken Prikash from Hungary

 

Chicken Prikash is a very popular dish found in Hungary. The name comes from the use of a lot of paprika to make up the dish. Paprika is sourced from Hungary and is found in a lot of the country's cuisine. The dish can be made using sweet or spicy paprika (I used both) and a orangish color. Some dishes include peppers and tomatoes but to I did not use either. 

It is traditionally served with egg noodles or a noodle similar to the German Spätzle. It can also be served with rice or millet. I was trying to eat healthier and chose to eat it with spaghetti squash. It would have been much better with noodles or rice, I am sure. 

Quartered chicken is a more traditional way of making this dish, but modern interpretations call for boneless, skinless chicken thighs (this is the way I made it). The chicken is dredged in a flour and paprika mixture and a bit of salt and pepper (in my onion the sauce could have used some salt as well). 

This dish was adopted by Hungarian Jews as a meal to have on the Sabbath and remains popular among the group today.  However, when they make the dish, they do not include the sour cream. 

Some other ingredients that have been included are peppers, garlic, tomatoes (this also would add a depth of flavor to the dish I feel like this variation is missing).

My opinion of this dish was that the paprika does really shine. I wish I had used more of the hot paprika for some added depth and I definitely think the sauce needs some salt as well. Some of my issues with the dish may be overcome if I serve it with the traditional noodles instead of the spaghetti squash. 

In my opinion, this dish was a bit of a miss for me, but I think it could be improved upon by adding some additional ingredients like the tomatoes and peppers and the salt mentioned earlier. I would say this probably won't be one I make again, but I have some leftovers I can play around with and see if it improves. 

This is what cooking is all about. Trying new things. Some things are great and a huge hit, others are not. In the past this would have really set me back. I would think I was a bad cook because it didn't turn out great when in reality, I probably just chose a bad recipe to try.  Not to mention a questionable side dish for this. Let me encourage you, don't let that one bad dish set you back. Learn from it. Figure out what would have made it better. Next time, things will turn out better and tastier. 

Now what to do with these leftovers...

The Healthy Kitchen: Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers with Chimichurri Sauce

 

On my current health journey, I am trying to find recipes that are high in iron and limit dairy. For anyone who is unaware, I have recently been diagnosed with serious anemia and had to have a blood transfusion to get my hemoglobin up to a safe level. I am now on a journey to find out the cause. In the meantime, even though my hemoglobin is at a safer level it is still low, so I am having to take iron and be more conscious of what I am eating. 

Tonight, I planned on making turkey burgers but since I am limiting dairy, I had to find some flavor alternatives other than cheese. After some research, I decided to make a turkey burger with a variation of a couple recipes. First though I needed to find a sauce to go with it. I had cilantro on hand, so I decided to make a chimichurri sauce without parsley. 

Recipe for Chimichurri sauce:

1 bunch of cilantro chopped

1 TBSP of chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic minced

1.5 TBSP of red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp of paprika

1/4 tsp of salt

3 TBSP olive oil

Add all ingredients into a food processor and process until everything is incorporated. Place in a covered dish and refrigerate for minimum of 3 hours. I made some slight adjustments for what I had on hand. I used shallot powder and garlic powder instead of onions and garlic. I used my new KitchenAid food processor, and it was so easy!

Now for the turkey burgers.  I decided to make a cilantro lime turkey burger with diced green chiles made with black lime seasoning. Turkey burgers are notorious for being on the dry side so to make sure they were moist enough I added an egg and some pork rind panko (a keto alternative to breadcrumbs). I used my KitchenAid stand mixer to mix up the meat mixture. 

Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey

1 tsp onion powder or shallot powder

1 can diced green chiles

lime juice

bunch of cilantro chopped

1 tsp black lime seasoning

1/4 C pork rind panko

1 egg

salt to taste

I added all the ingredients to my stand mixer and mixed until all incorporated. Be careful not to over mix. I then used my large cookie scoop to make patties with my hands and placed in a pan with oil to cook. Make sure you cook to a temperature of 165 degrees. Note: the mixture is very soft and gooey but once it cooks it binds really well. Make sure you flatten the patties; I just used my spatula. 

This recipe yielded 6 larger patties, or you can make sliders and get more out of it. Some things that make this recipe healthier: Avocado oil to cook the burgers in, turkey is a leaner option instead of beef, and I avoided the dairy but still got healthy fats from the olive oil in the chimichurri sauce. The pork rind panko is gluten free, Keto and paleo friendly, and has 0 carbs. Making this recipe great for those who are trying to eat gluten free or keto friendly and is a great option for diabetics if you eat without a bun. All the seasonings and herbs and chiles add a load of flavor into these burgers.