Főzelék

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 1 kggreen beans, split peas, spinach, marrow, lentils or potato
• 500 mlwater or stock
• 1 tspsalt

Rántás

• 3 tbsplard or oil
• 3 tbspplain flour
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 200 mlmilk or sour cream

To serve

• a fried egg
• meatballs
• sausage

Directions

1. Cook the vegetable in the water or stock with the salt until completely tender.
2. Cook it well past al dente. Főzelék is deliberately soft, and a crisp vegetable in it is simply a different dish.
3. Mash it roughly, leaving some texture, or blend part of it and stir that back in.
4. For the rántás, melt the lard in a small pan and stir in the flour.
5. Cook the roux over a medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring, until it is a pale blond colour.
6. Take the pan off the heat before adding the paprika, and stir it into the hot roux for only a few seconds.
7. Paprika in a hot roux burns instantly and turns bitter. Off the heat its colour and flavour bloom into the fat, and that is the entire reason for adding it there.
8. Whisk in the milk or sour cream until completely smooth.
9. Pour the roux into the vegetables, whisking, and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
10. It should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright for a moment: somewhere between a soup and a purée, which is precisely what the word means.
11. Season, and serve with a fried egg, meatballs or sausage on top.
12. It is a cheap everyday course in Hungarian canteens and it is eaten as a main rather than as a side.

Technique

• Almost any vegetable can be made into főzelék, and every canteen has three or four on at once.
• The roux is what defines it. Without the rántás it is a vegetable stew rather than főzelék.
• Sour cream instead of milk gives a tangier and richer version, and both are standard.

Substitutions

• Oil in place of lard for a vegetarian version.
• Cornflour slaked in cold milk, if you want it lighter.

Variations

• Tökfőzelék, made with marrow and plenty of dill.
• Lencsefőzelék, made with lentils, eaten at New Year.
• Spenótfőzelék, made with spinach and a great deal of garlic.

History

Vegetables cooked to a thick purée and bound with roux or sour cream, a cheap everyday course in Hungarian canteens.

Frequently asked questions

What is Főzelék?

Főzelék is a soup & stew from Hungary: thick vegetable purée-stew, everyday Budapest lunch. Vegetables cooked to a thick purée and bound with roux or sour cream, a cheap everyday course in Hungarian canteens.

How long does Főzelék take to make?

Főzelék takes 15 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Főzelék?

Yes, within limits. Oil in place of lard for a vegetarian version. Cornflour slaked in cold milk, if you want it lighter.

What is the most important thing to get right in Főzelék?

Paprika in a hot roux burns instantly and turns bitter. Off the heat its colour and flavour bloom into the fat, and that is the entire reason for adding it there.