Fall broth with acorn squash and kale

Soups are a staple in the Hungarian kitchen, for gathering it is expected to have at least a soup and a main course, and all kids love a good, simple soup. I chose to cook Hungarian until the kids were home as for me cultural identity is an equal mix of food, language, books, traditions, music, and more.. and food takes a highly elevated position :). Now that we are "home alone", also known as empty nesters, I can venture to any taste, any time. Having loads of time at disposal, and no worries about schedules and college admission, also gave me the patients to follow recipes, which I notoriously avoided up till now.

First documented trial is an adaptation of a soup recipe from "Sunday Soup", in an attempt to make smaller portions suitable for the two of us, and maybe even for the kids to try.

 Ingredients

1/2 acorn squash, approximately 350 - 400 g peeled, chopped into about 2x2 cm cubes

1 package bacon, anything between 100-150g

1 medium sized onion

1/2 cup pappardelle pasta, about 2 small handfuls

1.5 liters chicken broth (6 cups), or 1 liter broth + 0.5 liter water, aka 4 cups broth + 2 cups water

1 bunch of kale, maybe about 150g, coarsely chopped or torn in stripes (original recipe asked for Swiss chard, I may try it next time) it should loosely yield about 0.5 liter (loosely fill about 2 cups)

paprika powder (you can omit the paprika powder if you prefer a transparent, pale broth)

pinch of cayenne pepper, and a small red chili pepper for spiciness and serving

5 cm x 5 cm piece or1/2 cup coarsely grated parmigiano reggiano

Preparation

Prepare the acorn squash by cutting in half, peeling it, cutting it into 4-5 slices as it is more convenient, and then cut them into about  2x2 cm, or 3/4x3/4" cubes. We will use only half in this recipe, reserved the other half for later.

Slice the bacon and finely chop the onions (you should have about 200-250 ml, slightly shy of 1 cup), and set aside until you prepare the bacon. 

Saute the sliced bacon in medium size pot (about 4 liters / 4 quarts) util golden brown and crisp. Remoce the bacon from the pot, set aside on a paper towel to remove excess fat.

Add the onions into the hot bacon fat and saute until they get that golden, translucent shine. Remove from the heat and add 1 tsp paprika powder. Stir until combined with the fat. Place it back to the heat and add a cup of broth. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the cubed acorn squash and pappardelle pasta with  the remaining liquid (broth, or broth+water).

Let it simmer for 13 minutes, as it is indicated on the pappardelle cooking instructions.

Add the kale, and boil for another 2 minutes.

Serve with the small red chili pepper and add some freshly grated, or the coarsely grated parmigiano reggiano.

Bon appetite!

Töltött paprika - stuffed peppers

One of the family favorites is the stuffed pepper, and given that the peppers are in season, it was served as lunch today in our house.
I can't find the "appropriate" peppers here, aka TV paprika (tölteni való, meaning to-fill-peppers), but it has never bothered me.
I figured that the bitter taste of the green peppers is heavenly in these stuffed peppers, and apart from their size, yeah, those are HUGE, nobody had any complaints.
When the kids were younger and pickier, I peeled the skin of the peppers after they were cooked and before I chopped them into a mush, but now they don't choke on the skin anymore :D..
There are aspects where life gets a bit easier with teenagers :D.

Ingredients (serves 10-12)
Filling
1.5 pounds (600gr) ground beef, preferably organic
1.5 pound (600gr) rice (we like it with LOT of rice. You can reduce the rice to about 1/2 of the quantity of the meat if you favor more meaty meals)
12 medium green bell peppers
2 medium eggs
1 large, or two smaller onions
vegetable oil (3-4 tsp)
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp black pepper1 tsp dried basil or celery leaves
1-1.5 tsp salt (salt to taste) (optional: you can add a tsp of Vegeta (dried veggie, salt, spice mix) but if you choose to add this, make sure you reduce the salt, as this is very salty)

Sauce
1 - 1.5  can tomato puree 15 oz (420 g) ( I like it sourer, so I usually add at least 1.5)
2-3 celery or fresh basil leaves

Roux (rántás):
to thicken the sauce of the bell peppers, you can make a rough. I don't as I tried to avoid unnecessary thickeners, but it can enrich the taste of the sauce.

Serving
sour cream (1 tsp for serving)
fresh bread if desired (as we prepare with lots of rice, only a few family members go for the bread)

Cut around the stem of the bell peppers, and remove the seeds completely. If you have time, do this few hours before and sprinkle some salt inside the peppers, shake to cover the sides with salt, and let them soften a bit. It helps to fit the peppers easier in the pot.
If you don't have time, just remove the seeds and go ahead to fill them.
Prepare a large pot that has wide enough circumference to fit all the paprika's in one layer, or high enough to fit two layers of them. I tend to use my 15-liter pot and have only one layer, but really doesn't make a difference.

Rince the rice well.
In a small pan heat the vegetable oil, and saute the onions, and when they are golden. Remove from the heat, and mix in the paprika powder.
In a larger bowl mix the meat, spices, rice and onions, and eggs until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Fill the peppers halfway ONLY!!, as the rice cooks, it will fill the peppers till the top.
Place them in the pot and add enough water to cover the peppers.
Cook on low/medium heat for 1 hour.
Add the tomato puree to the pot and refill with water to cover the peppers, plus about 1 inch, 2-3 cm.
Simmer for additional 30 minutes on low heat. At the end, add the rough, and simmer for 5 more minutes. 

Bon appétit!