The spice paprika can be found in many recipes that have their roots in Eastern Europe. One such dish is goulash, which originated in 9th-century Hungary. It’s a dish that I’ve found quite tasty, especially a recipe for it that came to me from a co-worker, Brad Schlossman.
The recipe for it was passed down to Brad from his grandmother, Jennie Nartnik, herself of Slovenian descent. (Slovenia is located just southwest of Hungary in the Balkan penisula.)
Another dish that contains generous amounts of paprika and is native to that area of Europe is chicken paprikash, the classic Hungarian stew of onions, peppers and sometimes tomatoes and mushrooms.
With some leftover roast chicken in the refrigerator, today I put together a paprikash dish, the combination of three recipes, each a little different than the other.
The result was easy to make and quite tasty when served over egg noodles, and the perfect comfort food for a winter day.
Chicken Paprikash
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 15-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
4 teaspoons Hungarian or sweet paprika
¾ cup sour cream
Cooked egg noodles (you could sub in rice, potatoes, spaetzle, dumplings, or bread)
Heat olive oil in the Dutch oven and add the sliced onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally, then lower the heat to medium.
Add the chicken and tomatoes, Cover and let stew for 1 hour. Turn the heat to low. Add the sour cream and paprika stirring until smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired. Serve over egg noodles or rice.
Yield: Serves 2.