Hungary

Visiting A Hungarian Organic Farm

September 17, 2014 by Zizi

Salanova lettuce

I met the Heroes of Responsible Dining at spring time. They are a group of four friends and a couple of volunteers who believe that saving the environment can be fun! With the Heroes of Responsible Dining initiative they aim to promote responsible choices when eating out or at home. The campaign is organized by the Hungarian non-profit organization Ökológiai Evolúció Alapítvány.

They started a new campaing a few weeks ago about getting to know more and shaking hands with your farmer. Knowing your farmer isn’t about distance, it’s about relationships. Talk to them at the local farmers market, ask them about the vegetables and fruits – where they are from and how they are grown/produced. This is a great way to find out their growing practices and policies.

Thanks to this campaing I had the opportunity to visit one of my favourite organic farmers, Mátyás Nemes and his family in Fülöpjakab. Hungary. It was educational and so much fun for me and I really feel like I get so much out of meeting my favourite farmer and visiting his farm. On the farm horticultural activities are carried out all the year round, by applying the methods of vegetative growing in green-houses of foil with minimum heating, and cold forcing of the plants in green-houses of foil. Hardy plants are grown on the fields from early spring to late autumn. Some 70-80 plant varieties are produced in a year, mostly for sale on the market of organic products.

Know your farmer, know your food!

Mangalica breeding at a nearby farm (mangalica is an indigenous species of pig in Hungary)

Ganoderma lucidum mushroom at a nearby farm

Purple Salanova lettuce (my favourite)

More lettuces…

Kale heaven!

Baking bread was the high point of the visit!

Vegetarian Hungarian bean goulash

The boss 🙂

#MyHometownGuide – My 5 Favourite Places to Eat And Drink in Budapest

March 14, 2014 by Zizi

Thanks to Fiji Water for sponsoring this partner post about my 5 favourite places in Budapest, Hungary. All the opinions written in this post are my own. Click on the image above to enter the competition and win!

*****

1. Szimpla Ruin Pub & Farmers Market (Szimpla Kert és Szimpla Vasárnapi Háztáji Piac)

The beginning of the 21st century was an exciting turning point in the nightlife of Budapest: in the central area of the city new places were opened one after another in tenement houses and factory buildings doomed to destruction. These were equipped with rejected furniture (every corner there is a surprise like an old bathtub functioning as a sofa) of old community centres, cinemas, and grandmothers’ flats, bringing a retro feeling into these places. They were soon called ruin pubs and became popular very fast among the youth of Budapest and tourists.

Szimpla Kert is one the oldest pubs and in 2012 it became the world’s third best bar according to Lonely Planet public vote. The place has a unique charm that you won’t see anywhere else in the world. It also became a social venue especially when the farmers market opened its doors and it became quickly a local favourite. It’s a great place to meet Hungarian farmers and artisan food (cheese, sausages, breads, pastries, spreads, etc.) makers. There is always live music, children programmes and charity lunch (for meat eaters and vegetarians too) organized by the pub, the farmers and a non-profit organization so noone goes home hungry. The market is held every Sunday from 9am until 2pm.

Szimpla Kert és Szimpla Vasárnapi Háztáji Piac
1075 Budapest (7th district)
Kazinczy utca 7.
Phone: +36 20 5404891
Website
Ruin Pub Facebook
Farmers Market Facebook

2. Organic Farmers Market (Biopiac)

My favourite farmer couple: Matthew and his wife, Maria

Organic products are becoming more and more popular in Hungary. The organic market in Budapest is held every Saturday between 6.30am and 1.00pm in the park at the MOM Cultural Community Center, where farmers, agriculturists and vendors of pre-packed foods sell their produce in kiosks made of wood and thatch. It is said that this is the biggest organic farmers market in Central-Eastern Europe. There is a cafe inside the community center that has a huge terrace – overlooking the market – where you can sit down and eat/drink what you bought at the market. It’s a children friendly place with playground and baby changing room.

The community is very strong, farmers are very friendly and you can easily ask advice from them on how to prepare a special vegetable that is new to you. On average 40-50 vendors are present offering a remarkably wide range of products (that can’t be found anywhere else in Hungary) including, fruits and vegetables, dairies, breads, pastries, honey, smoked meat, sausages, bacon, eggs, jams, juices, cereal germs and imported organic products. Within the organic market only products of strictly controlled ecologic farm provenance can be bought. The authenticity of these organic products is controlled and granted by Biokontroll Hungária Nonprofit Ltd.

The smells, the colors are wonderful and the market’s energy is very filling, so visiting the organic market is highly recommended. It’s my favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning.

Organic Farmers Market (Biopiac)
1124 Budapest (12th district)
Csörsz utca 18.
Post about the market

3. Gozsdu Courtyard (Gozsdu udvar)

Image courtesy of Gozsdu Courtyard

Gozsdu Courtyard is a walkway that runs between Király utca and Dob utca. There are seven buildings with one courtyard spanning a block. You can tell that in the last century it was a beautiful arcade inhabited by wealthy flat owners who had balconies overlooking the walkway below. A few years ago it was restored and today it is a new fresh location of Budapest, a lively, social meeting point where many restaurants (with traditional Hungarian cuisine, Italian, Thai, etc.), trendy cafes, pubs, bars and nightclubs serve the guests.

From April until the end of October a design fair is held where artisans, makers come to sell their jewelry, paintings, crafts and food (honey, chocolate, cakes, spices, etc.).

Gozsdu Courtyard (Gozsdu udvar)
1075 Budapest (7th district)
Between Király utca 13. and Dob utca 16.
Website
Facebook

4. Ruszwurm Confectionery (Ruszwurm Cukrászda)

The Ruszwurm confectioner’s is a magic from the past in the present in the Castle district in Budapest. It was founded by Ferenc Schwabl in 1827. The place named after one of the owners and managers, Vilmos Ruszwurm. Since 1990 the shop has been run by one of the most famous Hungarian confectioner family, Szamos. Nowadays the confectioner’s is one of the most popular sight of Budapest, the house and the interior (the counter made of cherry wood with mahogany inlay) are protected monuments.

The cream cake (krémes in Hungarian) is my favourite one here. It is made from real vanilla custard (mixed with whipped cream… Oh My, it’s a die for cake!) and sandwiched between very thin layers of flaky pastry and then dusted off with a layer of confectionary sugar. Cream cake is a pure naughty delight on all fronts. 🙂 Don’t miss it!

Ruszwurm Confectionery (Ruszwurm Cukrászda)
1014 Budapest (1st district)
Szentháromság utca 7.
Phone: +36 1 3755284
Website

5. Napfényes Vegan Restaurant (Napfényes Étterem)

Goulash soup / Stuffed pickled cabbage and filled pancake a’la Hortobágy style

Fake curd dumplings with soy yoghurt (balls of millet covered in sweet breadcrumbs served with soy yoghurt and powder sugar)

Being a vegetarian I wanted to show you one of the best vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Budapest that serves Hungarian traditonal food (and international dishes as well) vegan style. The restaurant is situated in a basement but in a beautiful atmosphere and with a pretty vaulted brick ceiling. After you enter the place you pass by the kitchen, smelling the wonderful aroma coming out of it.

They have daily menu (even on weekends) and also a’la carte. The self-serve salad bar always has a selection of fresh, mixed and spicy salads. Apart from their home-made desserts, they also offer a selection of vegan pastries and raw cakes. All of their dishes are made with purified water. Portions are pretty big so go there hungry. The service is excellent, waiters/waitresses are friendly and they speak English. It’s not located in the center but close to it so it’s worth the walk.

Napfényes Vegan Restaurant (Napfényes Étterem)
1077 Budapest (7th district) Rózsa utca 39.
Phone: +36 1 3135555
Website
Facebook

*****

Show us your favorite spots to eat, stay and play in your hometown and win a getaway to any of the US cities featured in Earth’s Finest City Guide! To participate, just upload an image of your favorite spot in your hometown to Twitter or Instagram with hashtag #myhometownguide and tell us where you live and what makes the image special and you will be entered to win automatically.

Chickpeas And Tomatoes Pasta Or Pasta E Ceci

September 23, 2013 by Zizi

Pasta e ceci… the famous, delicious comfort pasta dish from southern Italy. I learnt the recipe from my friend, Emiko but I also read about it in Jamie Oliver’s cookbook, Jamie’s Italy. In the book he says he can’t quite decide if it is a pasta or a soup (a kind of thick one). He thinks it leans slightly more toward being a soup – so he put it in the soup chapter in the book. (Read more about the history of this pasta on Emiko’s blog here.)

Me and my friends cooked this pasta dish on a cloudy, grey summer afternoon when we gathered together to spend a long weekend at lake Balaton just like a year before. Although the weather was slightly cool we sat at the terrace and warmed up our bodies and souls with this comforting pasta lunch, served with a big bowl of mixed salad.

The usability of chickpeas is very versatile, they can be cooked and eaten cold in salads, cooked in stews, soups, ground into a flour, ground and shaped in balls and fried as falafel. They are a noted ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes such as hummus and curries. I didn’t know that some varieties of chickpeas can be popped and eaten like popcorn.

As for the nutritional value chickpeas are rich in fiber and it’s one of the best source of protein for vegetarians and vegans. Combined with a whole grain such as whole-wheat protein, they provide amount of protein comparable to that of meat or dairy foods without the high calories or saturated fats. They can boost your energy because of their high iron content. They are also a great source of zinc and folate. So why not eat as much as you can?

We followed exactly Emiko’s recipe to cook this pasta meal so if you would like to try it, head over to my friend’s blog and cook it for yourself and your family!

Enjoy!

Raw Almond Thumbprint Cookies

May 28, 2013 by Zizi

Breakfast

One month ago I became a mother for the first time. So many things have changed since the birth of my son… for example I realized how amazing it is to sit down and eat a delicious meal for 20 minutes (now that I have to eat everything in 10 minutes :)) or to spend time with friends.

While I was writing this post it was nice to evoke memories from last July when we spent a long weekend with friends at a wonderful place, called Lake Balaton. I bet our holiday routine will change from this summer but if we have good company, the joy of spending time with your friends is priceless.

Brunch – vegan pancakes, jams, vegetarian spreads, vegetables, salad

Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe and we, Hungarians call it the “Hungarian Sea”. It has silky green-yellow water and it’s one of Hungary’s most precious treasures and most frequented resorts. The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region (picturesque vineyards in the region produce an assortment of excellent wines), while the flat southern shore is known for its resort towns. During the peak tourist season (from June until the end of August) the average water temperature is 25°C (77F) which makes bathing and swimming popular on the lake.

View from the kitchen window… Isn’t it beautiful?

Like every Hungarian, we try to go to Lake Balaton every summer (we are lucky to have friends who have weekend houses around the lake :)). I really appreciate spending precious time with my loved ones in a beautiful milieu. The most important “ingredients” of having a great weekend are good company, sunny hot weather, fresh air, cooking together, long lasting breakfasts, brunches and dinners eaten outside, swimming in the lake, eating lots of ice-cream, corn on the cob and lángos. We shouldn’t forget the rustic, old house that we called home for the weekend (I wish I could have a house like that!).

During the weekend everyone was responsible to cook or bake something for the whole group. I decided to make vegan hazelnut-vanilla pancakes, vegan chocolate popsicles and raw thumbprint cookies (yes, I have a sweet tooth! :)).

Lake Balaton before storm…

Spagetthi with vegan bolognese sauce, fresh salad, baguette

Tabuleh and baked potatoes

Let’s see this thumbprint cookie recipe. The history of the thumbprint cookie is pretty much a mystery. Credit for the creation of the thumbprint cookie is often given to either the people of Poland or the Jewish people of Eastern Europe. It is a very versatile choice in cookie as the ingredients required vary widely by recipe. All that is really needed to make a thumbprint cookie is the method of forming the cookies before baking. The dough of a thumbprint cookie is rolled into a small ball and then pressed with the thumb which creates an indent that can be filled with any kind of jams or chocolate.

Raw Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients (makes about 24)

– 3/4 cup dates, pitted
– 3 cups rolled oats
– 1 and 1/2 cups smooth almond butter
– 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– juice and zest of 1 orange

Method

Put dates into a bowl, cover with hot water and let it soak for 10-15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, then drain dates well.

In a food processor, pulse oats until coarsely ground, then transfer into a bowl and set aside. Transfer dates and reserved 1/2 cup liquid to food processor and purée until smooth. Add date mixture, almond butter, shredded coconut, orange juice and zest, salt, cinnamon to oats and “knead” together to make a dough.

Line a tray with parchment paper. Roll dough into 24 balls, transferring them to the tray. Press down your thumb in each cookie to make an indentation in the middle. Spoon a bit of jam into each one and chill the cookies for at least one hour before serving.

Zucchini Cherry Tomato Ricotta Toast

August 20, 2012 by Zizi

This zucchini ricotta toast is really an easy to make summer dinner we ate one night at Lake Balaton. Lighting candles in the terrace, “listening the silence”, breathing in the fresh air and drinking a glass of white wine made the evening perfect.

We spent a relaxing-reading a lot of books-life without Internet-laying in the sun-swimming a lot in th lake week at the “Hungarian sea”. Lake Balaton is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe. The mountainous region of the northern shore is known both for its historic character and as a major wine region, while the flat southern shore is known for its resort towns. If you’re in Hungary, don’t miss the Balaton experience!

I adapted the recipe from Sprouted Kitchen but I also added cherry tomatoes to the toast. Sara’s wonderful new book The Sprouted Kitchen – a tastier take on whole foods has been published. Watching her cookbook trailer makes me want to hold her book in my hands.

Hope my boyfriend, I. is reading this and getting the idea which cookbook(s) he should surprise me with for my birthday in October. 🙂

Zucchini Cherry Tomato Ricotta Toast

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 1 medium size zucchini, cubed
– 20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
– 250 g ricotta
– 1 small red onion, chopped
– 2 teaspoon Dijon mustart
– 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
– 10 leaves fresh basil, chopped
– couple of slices whole wheat bread
– salt, pepper
– extra virgin olive oil

Method

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (356F).

In a bowl mix together zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with two tablespoons of olive oil. Spread this mixture onto the parchment paper and roast until golden brown for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile in another bowl mix together ricotta with chopped red onion, Dijon mustard and a bit of salt and pepper. Toast the bread slices, spread two tablespoons of ricotta mixture, pile roasted zucchini and cherry tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the fresh herbs (parsley and basil).

Enjoy!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: