Carnival dishes, Carnival menu - here are the classics, with recipes!

On the 6th of January, the Christmas cycle comes to an end and the farewell to winter and the anticipation of spring begins. One stage of this period of anticipation is carnival.
Carnival is the name given to the period from Water Cross to Ash Wednesday, the midnight of Carnival. It is traditionally characterised by balls, carnival celebrations and carnival folk customs based on folk traditions, such as costume parades.

In addition to the festivities, carnival is also a time of many delicacies, with an almost endless array of carnival dishes: meat soups, roasts and, of course, the much-loved doughnuts are a regular feature on the menu. The rich, heavy dishes of the national cuisine are also a kind of last stop before the forty days of Lent before Easter, so meat and other filling dishes are very much part of the carnival menu.

We have brought you some recipes with carnival favourites from Hungarian cuisine:

Mushroom soup

Soup is the best cure for a hangover after a good time. It reduces headaches, replenishes fluids, lost salt and gives you energy.

Ingredients:

25 dkg of smoked meat
10 dkg of smoked sausage
35-40 dkg of pickled cabbage
10-15 dkg of mushrooms
2 heads of onion
1 packet of parsley
5 dkg of flour
2 dl of sour cream
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper, paprika

‍
Preparation:

Fry the chopped onion in oil and add the diced meat. Sprinkle with red pepper, mix and then add the cabbage. Add enough water to cover, then cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat.
At the same time, slice the mushrooms and fry them in a little oil. Add to the cabbage, season and bring to the boil.
Make a light stock and thicken the soup. When it is almost ready, add the sausage, cut into rings, and season with sour cream to taste. Do not add too much salt, as the meat and sausage are salty enough on their own. The sour cream can also be added at the time of serving.
Sour soup with sour cream

An alternative to the previous soup is sour soup with sour cream, which has all the same advantages as mentioned above, but also tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

40 dkg of pork
20 dkg of mixed carrots and turnips
10 dkg of celery and kohlrabi
1 bunch of parsley
2 dl of sour cream
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
salt, pepper

‍
Preparation:

Fry the finely diced meat in a little oil, season with salt and add about 1 l of water.
When the meat is half cooked, add the chopped carrots, parsley and continue cooking.
When the meat is completely tender, remove the soup from the heat and add the sour cream mixed with the egg yolks and vinegar. Serve with more sour cream.
Wine and Tomato Roast

This dish is a really filling winter dish. A real crowd pleaser, you can't go wrong with it!

Ingredients:

50 dkg pork leg
2 buns
10 dkg mushrooms
25 dkg mixed carrots, turnips and celery
1 egg yolk
3 dl white wine
1 tomato juice
1 bunch parsley
1-2 tbsp olive oil
allspice, white pepper, salt

‍
Preparation:

Cut the mushrooms into thin slices and fry in a little oil. Chop the vegetables and sauté. Mix the mushrooms and the steamed vegetables and add the chopped parsley.
Soak the buns in the white wine, squeeze them thoroughly. Grind the resulting mixture, then add the egg and spices.
Cut the meat into 4-5 large pieces and pound well. Place the stuffing on the slices and roll up. Fry the rolls in a little oil until red, then add the tomato juice and a little wine.
It is ready when it is completely tender. Then cut into slices and serve with a garnish of your choice.
Jelly

If it's winter, it's jelly. Many people agree with this statement. Let's take advantage of the last days of winter and the opportunity of the pig slaughter to make jelly!

Ingredients:

80 dkg smoked pork loin
3 pork knuckles
50 dkg pork rind
1 head of garlic
20 grains of black pepper
1 head of onion
salt
water

‍
Preparation:

Put the smoked pork, the cleaned nails and the pork skin in a large pot and pour enough water to cover it.
When it boils, drain it, add the garlic, black pepper, onion and salt to taste.
Cook the jelly until the fleshy-skiny part of the fingernail is almost off the bone (about 2-3 hours). Remove the tarja after 1 hour.
When the jelly is cooked, set it aside on the table for 10 minutes, first scoop off the fat with a spoon, then tear a paper towel and place it on top of the jelly juice. Leave it on for a few seconds, enough time for the paper towel to absorb the fat. The paper towel is then carefully removed from the top of the jelly. Repeat this step if necessary.
Place the boned nails, skins and pork rinds in a bowl and pour the filtered jelly over them. Leave the jelly to cool and set in a cold place.
Scones baked in ash

Another heart-warming classic, scones are a staple in practically every household. Let's see a traditional yet quick recipe with yeast!

Ingredients:

50 dkg flour
7 dkg instant yeast
2-3 dl sour cream
10 dkg butter
20 dkg grated cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt

‍
Preparation:

Sift the flour, then add the instant yeast, 1 egg, room temperature butter, sour cream and salt.
Work it by hand or with a dough mixer and then stretch it to the thickness of a finger. Cut with a pastry cutter into 3 cm slices and cover and leave to rest for about 20 minutes.
Then brush with 1 beaten egg and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in a 180 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
Carnival donuts

No carnival without donuts! Ribbon doughnuts, testicle doughnuts, talkedli - whatever you choose, it belongs on the table. Make this unmissable dessert yourself, even if it's not a holiday!

Ingredients:

30 dkg flour
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
5 dk butter
5 dl sour cream
1 tablespoon rum
5 dl oil for frying
1 pinch of salt

‍
Preparation:

Put the flour in a bowl, add the sugar, egg yolks, sour cream, butter, salt and rum and mix well. When the dough is smooth and elastic, wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for half an hour.
Then, on a floured board, stretch the dough to a thickness of two to three millimetres and cut it into 5X10 cm diamonds with a rolling pin or sharp knife. Make a 2-3 cm cut lengthwise in the middle of each one. Loosely pull one corner through this to give the doughnut its special shape.
Heat the oil and fry the doughnuts until golden brown. Remove from the oil, drip on paper towels and sprinkle with vanilla icing sugar while still warm.