traveling

Lots of weekend crumbs pictures about the long weekend. It started with a wonderful breakfast: brioche bread I baked (recipe coming soon) with strawberry rhubarb compote I made. Yum!

I love gardening in our small parcel in the community garden. It’s wonderful to see your vegetables to grow. Zucchini, coriander, rhubarb, aragula – all look luscious and green thanks for last week rains.

I also traveled home to Szeged to see my family and friends. May is always a nice month to visit Szeged because there are so many programs around the town. As one of the largest and most flourishing cities of Hungary, a lot is expected from Szeged’s Wine Festival each year (every May). Crowded squares and streets to be expected with happy people enjoying wine and food. There are always more than a hundred Hungarian wine-makers you will find, several blues and jazz bands playing around, dance houses where you can enjoy some authentic folk experience, and, not to be fed with noble beverages only, a fantastic gastroyard to eat delicious dishes.

After drinking wines a big garlic lángos is the best to soothe your appetite… Lángos is a Hungarian food speciality, a deep fried flat bread made of a dough with flour, yeast, salt and water. It is eaten fresh and warm, topped with sour cream and grated cheese, rubbed with garlic or garlic butter, or doused with garlic water.

Sunday morning breakfast: remaining brioche with the compote…

Not only the Wine Festival made my home town busy there were also the Bridge Fair. There are stalls of craftsmen from all over the country on the Old Bridge in the middle of Szeged where you can buy lots of traditionally made products from shoes to sweets. During the fair there are puppet shows for children, folk concerts and also other nationalities and countries can introduce their culture.

Before the fair we cherished ourselves with sweet treats: a slice of creamy cake and a cup of foamy cappuccino…

Few montage pictures of the fair…

The famous Hungarian paprika is this beautifully red as on this pic…

Cute dog… 🙂

Cathedral and river Tisza at sunset…

I have wanted to make preserved lemons for a long time so when I had the opportunity to buy organic lemons (straigt from Sicily), finally I made it. Preserved lemon is a condiment that is common in North African cuisine, especially in Morocco (it is used in dishes like tagines). Diced/quartered/halved or whole lemons are pickled in a brine of lemon juice and salt; occasionally spices are included as well. The pickle is allowed to ferment at room temperature for weeks or months before it is used. The pulp of the preserved lemon can be used in stews and sauces, but it is the peel (zest and pith together) that is most valued. The flavor is mildly tart but intensely lemony.

I found the recipe on Ashley’s blog but she adapted it from Paula Wolfert’s book, The Food of Morocco (which I would love to buy!).

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

Ingredients for a 1,5 liters (3,17 pints) jar

– 6-7 organic lemons
– juice of 10-12 lemons
– 3/4 cup salt
– 8-10 coriander seeds
– 2-3 bay leaves
– 1-2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Method

Have ready a 1,5 liters (3,17 pints) canning jar.

Wash and dry lemons to remove any surface dust or dirt. Scrub the skin to lift any dirt or grit that is hard to remove. Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1-2 centimeters (1/2 inch) of the bottom. Sprinkle each lemon with as much salt as possible (salt extracts juice from the lemon, softening the rind). Reshape the lemons.

Place 1 tablespoon of salt on the bottom of the jar. Push lemons into jar and sprinkle over the remaining salt. and add the spices between the layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices. Pour over more lemon juice to completely cover lemons. Seal and label the jar. Let the lemons ripen for about 30 days in a warm (but no direct sunlight) place.

To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse under running water. Remove and discard the pulp if needed.