"Why don’t you finish your plate?” asked Batia reproachfully, “Don’t you like it?” She added in a heavy Hungarian accent. “I love it Batia, but I’m full,” I answered. “Eat up, you always must finish your plate”.
One of the first apartments that I lived in when I was a student was in a neighborhood filled with brick and mortar stores.We were 3 roommates, all boys, that together could maybe make toast, or maybe an omelette. Since even these cooking experiments ended up with a burned pan and a house filled with smoke more than a few times, our meals were made mainly out of sandwiches. Living on nutella sandwiches might sound like a dream come true for young kids, but not something for the long run, therefore when we wanted to eat “real food” for a price that students can afford, we used to go to one of the nearby mom and pops restaurants. The one we loved the most was the Hungarian restaurant. People that didn’t know it couldn’t tell that behind the small sign with a peeling door was a hidden culinary gem a culinary gem. No, we didn’t call it a culinary gem back then, we just went there every time we wanted to eat “real food”. There I discovered the chicken paprikash that became my favorite dish. Even though the portions were huge, Batia the waitress, who was also the owner and the cook, never let us leave before we finished up the plate.
Ingredients
8 chicken (thighs and drumsticks)
1 TBS sweet paprika
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp hot chili pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 onions
6 garlic cloves
1 TBS hot green pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 tomatoes
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp hot chili pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Water to cover
Mix the chicken rub in a small bowl. Rub the chicken with the spice mix until well covered.
Heat oil in a deep pan or pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and fry until both sides are golden. Remove the chicken and add onion to the same pan (add a little oil if needed) and fry to golden. Add garlic and fry one more minute. Add all ingredients and spices and mix well. Place chicken on top in one layer. Cover with water and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook 1 ½ hours over low heat.
