Too cheesy

Ciao a tutti! / Sziasztok!

Most likely it is very disappointing for many of you (even for me) but this blog is not about cheese. It is about Saint Valentine’s Day and the controversy around it. Some people are very excited to celebrate it if they have a special one or disappointed if they don’t, not even receiving a flower. Some other people just think it is a day invented by Hallmark and it is disgusting. Well, maybe I should’ve started with a confession that when my friend asked me about taking his girlfriend out I told him that it is just cheesy, so I guess I was more for the latter.

But why did I react like that? – I asked myself. Sounds like it is from a bad book but actually I instantly regretted saying this. Valentine’s is actually a good occasion to spend quality time together as it is encouraged on this day. Sometimes it is better if a day is so obviously special because it is easier to realise while our daily routines suck us in. So I guess here as well as other parts of our lives the best thing is to find balance and make the most out of it – in our case, having a lovely dinner together. It was still about spending time with people we love, which might not be the traditionally meant LOVE but definitely not less important.

This time it was actually my round to host dinner as the resident Hungarian (and sometimes British but fortunately for the others I don’t make their food) so obviously a heart-warming gulyás (gulash) was on the menu. Because I had some help (and by some help I mean I didn’t even touch the soup lol) I was able to make dessert as well. A few days in advance I asked my mother for the ribboned carnival doughnut recipe we always make at this time of the year and I attempted to make it, which, judging by the non existent leftovers, was successful.

Hungarian ribboned carnival doughnut recipe (for 10 servings):

1 kg plain flour (+ extra for rolling it)
50 g yeast
10,5 tbsp sugar
510 ml milk
4 eggs
vegetable oil
salt

Put all the flour in a bowl and keep it in a warm place. Crumble the yeast into 10 ml warm milk previously mixed with 1 tsp of sugar and cover it. Make a “nest” in the middle of the flour and pour the yeast mixture there after it has come up. Mix a bit of flour in the yeast so that it is still liquid and let it sit in a warm place covered. When it has risen a bit we add 2 whole eggs , 2 yolks (stored in a warm place), 10 tbsp sugar dissolved in 500 ml milk and a pinch of salt. Mix the whole thing working in the air until it gets light with some little bubbles (adding some extra milk if needed) then separate it to 3 parts. Spread some flour on top of a kneading board, roll the dough and cut out circles with a mug. Put the doughnuts next to the stove, heat oil in a large pan that can be covered and fry them till brown on both sides. Enjoy it with some jam (traditionally apricot) on the top.

I could’ve not asked for a better Valentine’s day, spending it with my new family and sharing love through food of my country. We also had a special guest; Faenza’s Cupid and our dear friend, Juan surprised us with some cookies, which was really the icing on the cake.