Curried Chicken

This is a recipe I have been making for several decades - though not often enough!

I’m writing this at the start of 2023 - motivated to catch up on blog posts that were neglected during the years I was doing resto reviews.

I mix my own curry from a recipe kindly shared with us by a friend with Indian heritage. I mix it in batches and always have some on hand. You can make it as spicy as you wish - and if you know me - that’s not spicy at all - haha!

Click here for the recipe page which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Gourmet Spareribs

This has been on the blog since 2015 and it is the only recipe I have ever used for ribs. It was in my old handwritten recipe notebook, and I was gobsmacked to see it was from a 1979 (!!) Gourmet Magazine. Established in 1941 , it was very suddenly closed down in 2009.

Prep the rub and sauce the day before and you have an easy meal.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Pulled BBQ Chicken

I find “pulling” pork to be a bit difficult/ tedious. Pulling chicken is easy. I like using the more tasty thigh meat.

The only thing you may not have on hand to make this is the bottle of liquid smoke, but it’s easy to find at most grocer’s. Serve these on the brioche-type buns. You can make this the day ahead!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Shrimp Rolls

Summer days and dreams of Shrimp Rolls. 

As if they were a super special treat.

Fact is - they are so crazy easy, you could have them every day - which is Mr. KB's advice - and wish!

Though Lobster Rolls may come to mind first, they are more costly. These rolls made with salad shrimp are economical and are just as satisfying!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Parmesan Mustard Wings

When we have a hankering for wings, this is one of the two recipes I turn to - the other being Lemon Garlic. 

Flavourful crunchy breadcrumbs adhere to a mustard base - and you can get super creative with variations inspired by the mustard you use!

Click here for the recipes, and link back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Pasta with Potatoes (Hungarian Krumplis Tészta)

Yes, you are reading that correctly - pasta with potatoes - a double whammy of carbs. This must be one of the most quintessential peasant meals around. 

As I have mentioned before, pasta with 'xyz' is a Hungarian thing, for example pasta with cabbage (káposztás tészta), 

This is the pasta combo that appears most frequently in the KB kitchen - largely due to our seeming inability to judge how much mashed potatoes to make with other meals. Leftover mash!? It is never thrown out, and instead becomes this double carb supper treat.

Click here for details, and link back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Hungarian Cabbage Rolls (Töltött Káposzta)

You will not be surprised to learn there are tons of variations on cabbage rolls - influenced by family and culture.

Most recipes for Hungarian Cabbage Rolls use a tomato sauce, though oddly, the Hamilton Hungarian Community's annual cabbage roll sale offers up a version that is more "paprikash" - and just at the moment I don't have a recipe for that.

This recipe does a pretty good job of replicating my mother's / grandmother's version of cabbage rolls.

Click here for details, and link back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Bulgur with Cumin-Scented Sweet Potatoes

Have you embraced whole grains? Are you using bulgur, millet, quinoa, wild rice - maybe even farro or amaranth more often? 

I almost always have both bulgur and super nutrisious sweet potatoes on hand so this is an easy go-to recipe.

You can have this on the table in half an hour as a side, or a main with an over-easy egg on top. I have served it warm, or room temperature as a picnic salad.

Click here for details, and link back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Rouladen

Enjoy the bliss when dinner guests rave about this meal, but never save the best only for guests.

These are easier to make than you'd think, and after an hour and a half oven time you have a gorgeous dinner!

You may wish to serve it with Hungarian tiny dumplings, called Nokedli - and I'm happy to share that recipe as well!

Click here for rouladen details, and link back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Lemon Garlic Drumettes

Once upon a time (in my life), chicken wings were the cheapest part of the chicken.

Few people seemed to be interested in using them for purposes other than chicken stock, until the "chicken wing" craze hit in the 1960s. Their popularity skyrocketed in the subsequent decades, and now a Google search on chicken wing recipes garners almost 9 million results!

Look at these lovelies! What could be more tasty than garlic and lemon?

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Hungarian Peppers and Tomatoes (Lecsó)

The arrival of Hungarian Peppers at markets results in a rush to the kitchen to make this classic dish.

Lecsó can be a main or a side at any meal - or can be used as a garnish on a schnitzel sandwich, or even as a "sauce" over pork chops.

Once hard to find, these peppers are now easy to find and are a treat to eat raw with salami and rye bread. But first you need to make lecsó!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Moroccan Chicken on Quinoa

A delicious meal using quinoa - ever popular partly because it is considered to be a protein and gluten-free.

The butter, honey, cinnamon quinoa pairs well with the Moroccan spices (cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, coriander) that flavour the chicken. You'll make this time and time again!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Hungarian Creamed Squash (Tökfőzelék)

The summer squash called "vegetable marrow" is appearing at markets (mid-August) and there's still time to make this iconic Hungarian dish. 

"Creamed vegetables" - called főzelék - is classic Hungarian home-cooking. They can be used as sides, or as the main course served with eggs or Hungarian meatballs (fashirt). 

There's a fairly long list of vegetables that are creamed - the most common in my own experience being yellow waxed beans (babfőzelék) and this vegetable marrow (tökfőzelék). So good!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Ginger Fried Rice

In the KB kitchen this is usually dinner, but I can also imagine heating it up for breakfast. Serve it as a side, or with an egg.

This is a Mr. KB recipe. He stumbled across it in 2010 and made it part of his cooking repertoire. I have eaten it countless times - always extra delicious since I have never been the one who made it.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Hungarian Noodles with Cabbage

Flour, eggs, water and whatever.

That could well have been "a fundamental" for peasant cooking in Hungary. While I do not know the facts behind this custom, authentic and thorough Hungarian cookbooks will share many recipes for pasta mixed with various things.

Here's noodles with cabbage!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Singapore Noodles with Pork and Pepper

Singapore Noodles - the descriptor seems designed to make things seem exotic. Probably no one in Singapore has ever heard of this dish.

Was it just a shorthand descriptor implying that the dish contained curry? Did "marketers" reckon that North American diners (at one time) would be more likely to eat "Singapore" Noodles than "curry noodles"? Who knows. 

In the KB kitchen this dish, by any name, is a favourite.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!

Potato Gnocchi

These luscious little potato pillows melt in your mouth and can be combined with a variety of sauces and flavourings. Potato gnocchi were introduced in the 16th century, and the variations that developed over centuries make your head spin. I have made these successfully more times than I can remember and twice have made them with KB cooking friend LC - so I recommend them with confidence.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE! 

Swedish Lentil Meatballs

This is not (yet) an oft-repeated family favourite. Came across the recipe - they looked yummy, I love lentils, and it is, after all, the International Year of Pulses - so I tried them - and will make them again! The recipe is adapted from Lentils Canada. Recipes for cream sauce and honey garlic sauce offer variety - and there's a vegetarian option.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE! 

Broiled Pork Tenderloin

This is a ridiculously fast and easy way to prepare pork tenderloin. If you are used to the approach of searing the meat and finishing it in the oven, this method may sound odd, but it works! Or, if you have tried making a pork tenderloin and ended up with dry, tasteless results, then get ready for a treat! Pork can be combined with so many sides, it can be a different meal every time!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE! 

Shrimp Salad

From Ina Garten - a tasty, crunchy salad using low calorie shrimp, and accented with dill. Great for a picnic, as an appetizer or a main course salad. Have always thought they'd look nice served in little lettuce cups.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.