Interesting guests and a spectacular setting are important ingredients for any gathering, but Cynthia and George Fueredi believe that what really holds an event together is the right blend of food and mood.
“The food has to be fabulous, and you have to do something different to engage everyone,” Cynthia maintains.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean fancy, affected, complicated or extravagant. When this Lake Geneva couple wants to bowl guests over, they resort to what they know best–a meal that reflects their heritage.
“George is Hungarian, and most of our friends are unfamiliar with this kind of food. They have this image in their mind that it’s heavy and tastes peculiar, but that’s such a misconception,” says Cynthia.
Indeed, trendmeisters who monitor these things point out that cuisines become hot only when we are made familiar with them: Travel and food writers champion exotic and untapped locales and cuisines, chefs follow suit in their eateries, and before long we’re craving it. Next, television chefs are showing us how to do it at home.
Hungarian cooking hasn’t gotten there yet, perhaps because Eastern Europe has become a well-established travel destination only in the last few years, points out Susie Fono, a Hungarian transplant who lives in Milwaukee and is a friend of the Fueredis. “It’s still considered exotic, and most of the dishes are relatively unknown.”
Which explains why Fono and the Fueredis are friends. Several years ago, the Fueredis chaired a benefit ball for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and used a Hungarian Rhapsody theme. Mutual friends introduced them to Fono, who guided them on food choices.
Fono ended up doing more than help with the food for the benefit; she also gave Cynthia Fueredi a crash course in Hungarian cooking. “When I got married 15 years ago, I couldn’t cook. I burned Jell-O,” Cynthia quips. But she perfected her technique over the first few years of married life, and by the time she met Fono she was an accomplished chef who entertained often. Their meeting inspired Fueredi to tackle one more frontier: Hungarian cuisine.
“It’s George’s comfort food, his soul food. I wanted to be able to make it for him as a special treat,” she says.
After Fueredi mastered several signature dishes, she realized that they would be a special treat for all the couple’s friends. After a few Hungarian repasts met with success, she decided to use the theme at the first large party (about 35 people) the couple threw in their new home in September. They moved to Lake Geneva from Milwaukee a year ago to be closer to George’s medical practice, and wanted to thank their new neighbors “for all the hospitality they showed us. I thought having them all over for a Hungarian dinner would be interesting, especially since we were still getting to know them,” says Cynthia.
The party was also the first time the Fueredis had a chance to give their new home, which had been specifically designed for entertaining outdoors, a trial run. The lodge-like house is situated on several heavily wooded acres, with balconies that overlook a sweeping terrace and pool on the lower level.
Since there were so many “firsts” involved in the occasion, the Fueredis decided to make it a bit more festive and impressive than usual. Some of the traditional Hungarian dishes in Cynthia’s repertoire, such as Transylvanian layered cabbage (erdelyi rakott kaposzta), stuffed Hungarian sweet peppers and stuffed pork loin, were farmed out to a local caterer with strict instructions on how to make them. Others she and her husband prepared together at home. She made the Seven Chieftains tokany, an ancient dish that originated when the seven Magyar tribes had communal meetings and each clan brought a different kind of game to use in a stew (tokany is Hungarian for ragout). George made galuska, a hand-sliced, boiled noodle similar to a dumpling.
Fueredi asked Fono to make the korozott, a traditional Hungarian cheese spread, and the tricky and demanding desserts: Dobosh torte, Linzer koszoruk (wreath cookies) and ischler, a chocolate-covered, ground-almond cookie sandwich stuffed with apricot jam.
To stage the party, the Fueredis pulled out all the stops. Fono lent the Fueredis her Hungarian linens embellished with crewel embroidery, while Cynthia brought out her best serving accouterments and made a Hungarian-themed centerpiece out of peppers, onions and garlic. “It’s similar to one I saw on the cover of George Lang’s ‘Cuisine of Hungary’ cookbook, and I copied it because it pays homage to the pepper, which is one of the most beloved vegetables in Hungarian cuisine,” she says.
The night of the dinner, Fueredi staged the event in various parts of the house. She set up a self-serve bar in the breakfast room stocked with Hungarian wines and, because they couldn’t find any Hungarian versions locally, German beers. Some hors d’oeuvres were passed by tray; others were laid out on the dining room table. Later, the appetizers on the table were supplemented with a lavish buffet. People roamed in and out of the house, eating at tables on the balcony or in small groups in the living room
The Fueredis also hired a Hungarian duo called the Elegant Gypsies to roam through the house serenading groups of guests. Later in the evening, guests cajoled Cynthia, who was a vocal-performance major in college, to sing two arias for them accompanied by the musicians.
At evening’s end, there was still an abundance of food, and everyone was only too happy to take a bit home. It also proved to be a good excuse to get to know some of the neighbors even better, since they dropped by over the next few days to help the Fueredis finish off the leftovers.
Cynthia Fueredi’s dinner tips
On appetizers: They are traditional Hungarian. For example, I have several wonderful pates and terrines using game meats and veggies. A typical Hungarian hors d’oeuvres platter will contain smoked ham, Hungarian “pick” salami, gyula sausage, goose liver, hard-boiled eggs, stuffed tomatoes. Susie Fono has made more than 100 cheese crackers and a gallon of the spicy ewe cheese spread. The chef also makes appetizers using foie gras in phyllo cups.
On Hungarian wines: We have white and red Hungarian wines to taste and Hungarian after-dinner liqueurs. One of the liqueurs, called tokaji aszu, is much more than a wine. It is liquid honey made by a complicated process, triggered by a fungus that needs specific degrees of warmth and damp to produce the mildew or “noble rot” (a kind of fermentation). The drink is similar to a port or madeira and should be served at the end of a meal with fruit desserts, or on its own. (Bende, 925 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills, 847-913-0304, sells and imports wines, liqueurs, specialty foods.)
MENU
Main Buffet
Transylvanian layered cabbage
Stuffed sweet Hungarian peppers
Stuffed loin of pork
Seven Chieftains tokany
Cucumber salad
Soft dumplings (galuska)
Dessert
Dobosh torte
Hungarian poppy-seed torte
Selection of Hungarian cookies with various fruits
RECIPES
Hungarian dinner recipes
Seven Chieftains Tokany
From “The Hungarian Cookbook” by Susan Derecskey (Harper & Row, 1972)
(The credit for this recipe has been added to this text.)
Eight to ten servings
Of all the Hungarian stews, this is surely the most spectacular. It has everything: three kinds of meat, bacon, green peppers, tomatoes and sour cream, with each element bringing out the noble qualities of the others while retaining its own identity.
4 ounces smoked bacon (slab bacon is preferred, but thick sliced bacon may be used)
1 pound lean beef (preferably top round or flank steak)
1 pound pork shoulder
1 pound veal shoulder
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 medium green peppers, seeded, and cut into 1/2–inch strips
3 medium peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned), coarsely chopped
Additional salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup beef stock, low-sodium beef broth, or water
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1. Cut the bacon, beef, pork, and veal into strips about 2 inches long, 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch wide, keeping the meat separated into four piles.
2. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, fry the bacon until golden but not crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a side dish. Add the onions to the pan, cooking until soft. Stir in the paprika, salt, marjoram, caraway seeds and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a separate frying pan and brown the beef strips a handful at a time. Transfer the cooked meat to the Dutch oven after each batch is finished. Use oil as needed. When finished with the last batch, scrape the meat and drippings into the Dutch oven, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring from time to time. (Add more water, if necessary to keep the sauce from cooking away).
4. While the beef is cooking, heat additional oil in the frying pan and brown the pork strips in batches. After the beef has cooked for an hour, mix in the browned pork, lay the green peppers and tomatoes on top. Generously season with salt and pepper. Cover and continue simmering 30 minutes.
5. While the beef and pork are cooking, brown the veal strips in the pan with remaining oil. Add to the pot, stirring into the other ingredients, cover and simmer another 30 minutes. Test the meat by tasting a piece of each kind of meat for tenderness. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes if necessary.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to stand 5 minutes. Carefully tilt the pot and skim off as much fat as possible. Pour in the beef stock, broth or water, and simmer again for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in the bacon strips and let the tokany stand until it cools to room temperature. Beat the sour cream lightly with a fork, mix in several tablespoons of sauce from the tokany, and then blend it back into the tokany. Taste and adjust seasoning. The tokany can be prepared to this point in advance. Just before serving, reheat over low heat and simmer 2 or 3 minutes. Do not let it boil or the sour cream will curdle. To serve, place a generous amount of soft dumplings on each dinner plate and spoon the tokany over them.
Soft Dumplings
From “The Hungarian Cookbook” by Susan Derecskey (Harper & Row, 1972)
(The credit for this recipe has been added to this text.)
Eight servings
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1/3 1/2 cup cold water
3 tablespoons butter
1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Make a well, add the eggs, and beat the best you can with a wooden spoon. Add as much cold water as necessary (start with 1/3 cup and add more as needed). Beat vigorously (this is difficult) until dough comes away from sides of the bowl and starts to blister on the surface. Cover and let dough rest for at least 45 minutes.
2. To cook the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn the dough out on a wet cutting board or breadboard and, using a knife or a soup spoon, cut off irregular pieces about an inch long and the thickness of a pencil.
3. Working in batches, scrape the pieces into the boiling water. The dumplings are done in seconds after they rise to the surface. Lift them out of the water with a slotted spoon, blotting the spoon on a towel to remove the excess water.
4. Place the dumplings in an oven-proof bowl and add the butter. Continue until you have used all the dough, adding cooked dumplings to the bowl and mixing with the melted butter. To keep warm, cover bowl with aluminum foil and place in a low-temperature oven or warming drawer. Stir from time to time to keep moist with the butter.
Test kitchen note: You can prepare dough for the dumplings in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the flour and salt briefly, pour in the eggs and water and beat on low speed until ingredients start to come together. Stop the machine, scrape down the bowl and continue to mix at medium speed for 11/2 to 2 minutes, adding small amounts of water as needed. The dough should be soft. Do not over beat or the dough will be tough.
Transylvanian Layered Cabbage
This recipe is the host’s own adaptation of Transylvanian baked sauerkraut from “The Hungarian Cookbook” by Susan Derecskey (Harper & Row, 1972).
(The credit for this recipe has been added to this text.)
Eight servings
1/4 cup long-grain white rice (or instant)
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon fat
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 pound ground pork
1 clove crushed or finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces smoked bacon, diced
8 ounces Hungarian or other highly-seasoned smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 pounds sauerkraut, drained, rinsed, and excess liquid pressed out
1 cup sour cream, plus additional for serving
1 cup water
1. Cook rice according to package directions and set aside. If using instant rice, it is not necessary to cook it before adding to the recipe. Cook eggs to hard-boil and set aside.
2. Heat the oil or bacon fat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions and saute until they begin to soften. Add the ground pork and brown thoroughly. Stir in the garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook 10 minutes.
3. In a separate pan, cook the bacon until it starts to render fat. Add the sausage and cook until the bacon begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. To assemble, spread 1/3 of the sauerkraut on the bottom of the dish. Scrape bacon, sausage and pan drippings into the dish. Add another third of the sauerkraut over this layer. Slice hard-boiled eggs and place on top of the sauerkraut. Dot with 3/4 cup of the sour cream. Sprinkle with cooked long-grain rice or uncooked instant rice. Add the pork mixture with any pan juices from the pan. Cover with remaining sauerkraut. Pour the water into the pan used to cook the pork and swish it around, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated. Pour over the sauerkraut and spread with remaining 1/4 cup sour cream on top.
5. Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, or until the food shrinks away from the sides of the dish and the sour cream turns golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes. (The dish can be made in advance and reheated–in fact, it tastes better that way). Serve directly from the casserole and pass a bowl of sour cream for those who care to add a dollop.
