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2013

Rántott Leves

From: Beth 
Sent: Sunday, March 03, 2013 9:12 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: Looking for a Soup Recipe ...

Hello, I'm not sure if you're still finding recipes or not but I was hoping you might be able to help us.
My brother and I remember our grandfather making a soup he called rontud leves (sorry i don't have the correct spelling - we never wrote Hungarian, only learned it by ear)
Grandfather was Hungarian and this soup he made consisted of lots of onions sauteed in lard with paprika, salt and pepper.  he would then make a roux in the skillet and 
slowly add water.  No meat, no broth - straight water.  The soup would be slightly thickened but still quite liquidy.  he would bring it to a boil then make galuska 
(Hungarian dumplings) right in the pot.  Unfortunately he passed away and grandmother never made that recipe so she doesn't recall it.  I've tried google searching for 
the name as written and found nothing.  We do have the recipe for the galuska so we're just hoping to find the recipe for the soup we remember so well.

Thanks

Beth 

Hello Beth,

This was a bit of a puzzle. “Leves” was easy – it’s the Hungarian word for “soup”. I could not find “rontud”, so I went with my next inspiration which was “Hungarian onion soup”. However “onion” in Hungarian is “hagyma,” and onion soup is usually “hagymaleves.” There are Hungarian onion soup recipes on these sites:

Hungarian Onion Soup 1

Hungarian Onion Soup 2

Continuing the investigation, I found something called “rántott leves”. This appeared to be the holy grail. The first source said that “rántott leves” is translated as “fried soup” and is so called because it is made by making a roux (or “frying flour.”) However, I did not find consistency in “rántott leves” recipes. At its most basic, it seems to be a simple soup made by cooking a roux and then flavoring it and adding water. However, I also found “rántott leves” translated as “caraway soup”, with caraway added for flavor. Finally, I found “rántott leves” translated as an “egg soup”. To further cloud the issue, I found that egg soup is just as often, if not more often, called “tojásleves.” Most of these soups have toasted cubes of bread added, like croutons, before serving.

There is a rántott leves recipe here for with caraway:
Cookbook.hu

There is a rántott leves recipe here with onion and egg:
rántott leves with onion and egg

German Einbrennsuppe is similar to these.

90% of the rántott leves recipes online are in Hungarian, so it is tedious to have Google translate each one and then check the ingredients. That would be the only way to find one exactly like your grandfather’s. I did not have any success looking for a "rántott leves" recipe that included hagyma as an ingredient with no eggs.

Here is what I think:

“Rántott leves” is a soup that begins by making a roux. After that, the ingredients vary according to the cook, but the soup may still be called “rántott leves”. Your grandfather used onions in his and then added dumplings. Others flavor it with caraway or eggs and add croutons.

I think your grandfather was referring to the basic roux soup when he called it “rántott leves”. He made his roux and then added water. He added fried onions and paprika to it. He made dumplings and added them.

I think you can probably get close to what he made by simply doing the same thing.

Phaed


Thanks so much!  
What you explained makes good sense about there being all kinds of variants for  fried soup
From what we found trying to find a recipe for paprikas csirke that turned out the way we remembered it, it seems not only every region but nearly every clan had 
their own version of the recipe
Fortunately, grandma was the one who cooked that so we were able to watch her make it 
 
Thanks again for the info!

---------------------------------------------------------
Many years ago I had a Hungarian neighbor who shared several recipes with me.
One was Hungarian Bread Soup or Rántott Leves; sometimes referred to as Fried Soup.
The fried part is the bread which was fried. Now days some people just use regular toast.
It is a basic roux soup with any assortment of seasonings. Please note in other recipes the "Red Pepper" is paprika and NOT cayenne!!!
Additional ingredients such as leeks, onions, carrots or even dumplings are added to the preference of the chef.
Below is the original recipe I was given.                              

Timm in Oregon

Hungarian Rántott Leves

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (not ground 
2 tablespoons fat, such as oil, butter or margarine
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1-1/2 quarts water  
1 tablespoon paprika
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper, freshly ground to taste
2 slices of toast 

Instructions:

Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a dry sauté pan and set aside.
Heat the fat in a soup pot and then stir in the flour and cumin seeds to make a roux, Cook while continuously stirring to make a dark roux. 
Add the cold water, to which was added the paprika, salt and pepper. 
Fry or toast the bread and then cut into cubes. When the soup is thoroughly heated, divide between 4 soup bowls and add the bread cubes just before serving.

Oatmeal Fruit Cookies

From: Liz 
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 4:13 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: oatmeal fruit cookies

Hi:  I am looking for a recipe for oatmeal fruit cookies.  So far as I can tell they contained oatmeal, nuts, dates or another dried fruit maybe coconut and brown sugar.  
Thanks in advance.
Liz

Hi Liz,

See below for three possibilities.

Phaed

Oatmeal Fruit Cookies

1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. water
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped, pitted dates
1/2 c. chopped, peeled apple
1/2 c. oleo or butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. chopped walnuts

  Sift or mix together flour, baking soda and cinnamon; set aside.  In 2 quart saucepan over medium high heat bring water, dates, apple and raisins to a boil. 
Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add oleo; stir until melted.  Pour into large bowl; cool slightly.  Add beaten eggs and vanilla. 
Stir in dry ingredients, oats and nuts.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on greased baking sheet.  
Bake in 350 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet.  Cool on racks. Store in refrigerator in airtight container.  Makes about 40 cookies.
-----------------------------------------------
Chunky Fruit Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) margarine, softened
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. low fat or skim milk
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 (6 oz.) pkg. (about 1 1/3 c.) diced dried mixed fruit
1 c. coarsely chopped nuts

Beat margarine and sugars until fluffy.  Beat in milk, egg white and vanilla. Add combined dry ingredients; mix well.  Stir in dried fruit and nuts.  
Spray cookie sheet with Pam or grease lightly.  Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.  Flatten to 3 inch diameter.  
Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.  Store tightly covered.  Makes 2 dozen.  
-------------------------------------------------
Best Oatmeal Fruit Cookies

1 c. butter or margarine
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. water
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. rolled oats
1 c. chopped raisins
1 c. chopped dates
1 c. chopped nuts
3/4 c. flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, vanilla and water. Sift flour, soda and salt into 
creamed mixture and stir well.  Fold in oats, raisins, dates and coconut until well blended.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet.  
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove cookies from oven.  Transfer cookies to racks and allow cookies to cool.  
When cool store in air-tight container.   

Nieman Marcus Carrot Pie

Nieman-Marcus
(From "Favorite Restaurant Recipes from Bon Appetit R.S.V.P. Column".)

Zodiac Room Carrot Pie

6 to 8 Servings

Pastry for 9-inch pie crust
1-1/2 cups pureed cooked carrots
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry,
fluting high edge.

Combine remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly. Pour 
into pie shell. Bake until filling is set and knife inserted 
in center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool to 
room temperature. Serve.

Baked Tuna Squares

From: Ellen
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 7:19 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: ISO: Baked Tuna Squares

Hi, Uncle Phaedrus:

I am looking for my mother's recipe for baked tuna squares -- a very solid tuna-noodle casserole containing eggs that bind the other ingredients together. 
I remember the clipped recipe in her collection -- it was from an ad (for tuna or another ingredient) in a women's magazine, circa 1950's or early 1960's, 
and was memorable in that the recipe called for dots of ketchup on top of the casserole before it was baked. I prefer the texture of this dish over the usual 
soft tuna casseroles. Thanks for any help you can provide in locating this recipe, or a reasonable facsimile! 
Ellen 

Hello Ellen,

No success so far. I need any additional information that you can give. Was “Baked Tuna Squares” the name of the recipe as given on the clipping, or was it “Tuna Casserole”? The name of the magazine might be helpful. Can you name any other ingredients?

Phaed

Thanks for replying so promptly! Since my mom usually read Family Circle and Woman's Day, I am guessing she got the clipping from one of those two magazines. If it's any help, I think there also may have been cheese in the recipe too. It may indeed have been titled "Tuna Squares," although when I've done Google searches using that term all that seems to come up for me is a Bisquick recipe -- definitely not it. I wish I could remember more. Thanks for trying, though.

I’ll post your request on my site. Maybe a reader will recognize it.

Phaed

Try this one.            

Timm in Oregon

Tuna Squares

Ingredients:

12 ounce can tuna in water, drained 
1 cup celery, chopped 
1 cup roasted cashews, chopped 
1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced 
1/3 cup roasted red pepper, chopped 
1-1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided 
1/2 cup quality mayonnaise 
1/2 cup sour cream 
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed 
3/4 teaspoon seasoning salt 
1 cup cheese crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees. Grease a 7 x 1 inch 1 baking dish. Mix the tuna, celery, cashews, water chestnuts, onions, peppers and 1 cup of cheese together.
Mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sour cream and seasoned salt together and then add to the tuna mixture, combining well. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and 
top with cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until bubbly and brown. Remove from oven and let stand for several minutes before cutting into 
squares and serving.

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