One of Mama's Specialities

I finally made one of my mom's dishes that actually tasted like one of my mom's dishes! Since moving into my own home, I have tried (on a handful of occasions) to replicate some of my parents' famous dishes. The result? A complete and utter kabob & rice failure, an "I think this almost tastes like it" experience with tachine, and a near-hit with ghormeh sabzi. The results have been mixed, but underwhelming. I know what I need is practice, but when it smells like home, you want and expect it to taste like home, too. And sometimes, that just isn't the case. 

Nevermind disappointment, I went back at it with a recipe for one of my old favorites that I received in the mail from my mom a few days back. Paprikas Csirke or, in English, Chicken Paprika. 

I have always been one of those eaters who is chomping at the bit to get to that first bite. Not something I'm necessarily proud to admit, but its the truth. I remember this meal being a real treat, not a once-a-week deal because, as you will see, it is rather...rich. I have distinct memories of excitedly scooping steaming spoonfuls of this fragrant and creamy dish onto a pile of egg noodles, just dying to have my first taste. The aroma that filled the kitchen was unreal and it just looked comforting, inviting, and satisfying. 

So I decided to try it. After all, it seemed perfect for a warm winter's night (it's been in the 70's here).

Chicken Paprika

2 large onions, minced (I sliced)

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lard (I used butter)

3 lb chicken (I used 2 chicken breasts)

1.5 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika (I used paprika, we only have one kind here)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded & chopped (I did not peel or seed)

1 large green pepper, cut into strips

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon flour
Source: Gourmet Magazine, 1980

In large saucepan, cook 2 large onions and one large garlic clove, all minced, in 2 tablespoons of lard over moderate heat. Stirring for 10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden. Add a 3- pound chicken, cut into serving pieces and sprinkled with salt, skin side down and cook the mixture, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with 1.5 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika, turning the pieces to coat them well, add 1/2 cup chicken stock or tinned chicken broth and 1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped, and cook the mixture over moderately low heat for 15 minutes. Add 1 large green pepper cut into 1/4 inch strips, and cook mixture for 15 minutes, or until the chicken and pepper are tender. Transfer the chicken and the pepper with a slotted spoon into a dish and keep them warm, covered. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream to the saucepan and simmer the sauce for 3 minutes, or until it is thickened. Whisk in 3 tablespoons sour cream combined with 1 tablespoon flour and cook the mixture until it is thickened. Add the chicken and the pepper, combine the mixture well, and transfer it to a heated serving dish. Serve the dish with Spatzle or noodles. Serves 4. 

An eager onion.

My peppers were frozen, that's why they look a little funny

I followed the recipe with the exception of the few substitutions mentioned in the ingredient list. The biggest difference was how I cooked my chicken since I wasn't using a whole chicken. After I cooked the onions & garlic, I placed two whole chicken breasts, salted and sprinkled with paprika on both sides, into the saucepan. I cooked for 7 minutes on each side. I removed the chicken from the saucepan and placed it on a cutting board where I let it rest for a few minutes before shredding it into bite-size pieces with a fork. I sprinkled the pieces again with salt & paprika and returned them to the pan after I added the green pepper. This kept the meat juicy and tender. 

 

I also served the dish with Quinoa noodles. We didn't have egg noodles (how my mom served it) and these had just been sitting in the pantry, waiting to be tried. They were good and tasted a whole lot like regular noodles. The only weird thing was that they were elbow noodles. For some reason that just didn't sit right with me...

Thickening the sauce.

Okay, maybe it smells more inviting than it looks.

Setting out to make this dish, I obviously had some high expectations. Even after I made the few changes to the recipe based on what I had in the kitchen, it smelled like my mom's dish, but as you know, I've been deceived by this before. But this time, with the exception of needing a little bit of salt to taste, it tasted like mom's dish too! Hooray! Now, back to trying to get the Persian food right!