We made it to Friday, so let’s celebrate the weekend with simple deliciousness. Mom food, or grandma food, in my family, like many families, is the stuff of legends. Many of the early recipes that fill this site, from Hungary to Burma to…broiled chicken, were the brainchild of one of the great cooks of my family, handed down through the generations, and I’ve been glad to have the blog to record them all for posterity. This recipe for a simple but classic Hungarian cabbage with noodles, or Káposztás Tészta (ka-POOH-sh-ah-sh tays-tah) as it’s better known in the Hungarian parts, is one of those foods.
When it comes to favorites, as far as my family members, we each have a different recipe at the top of our list. Veal paprikash tops mine, whereas the turos testa, or cottage cheese pasta, is my brother’s go-to request. We all equally adore cabbage rolls, but as of late, it seems that Mom pulls this particular recipe from her sleeves more often than the rest. It’s easy, hearty and oh, so delicious. And perfect, as it happens if you happen to have some spare cabbage lying around after this weekend’s Irish-themed festivities.
For example, if you’re in Chicago and hit up the south side parade, you may find yourself with not only a spare head of cabbage, but a knock on the head to match! Oh, traditions. I digress.
The ingredients are few: pork belly (and the reserved fat because…pork fat gets the job done in Hungary), cabbage, onions, and healthy dose of salt and pepper and a spring of parsley for color. The most significant ingredient in this recipe is time, enough to let the cabbage melt and melt until it almost disappears into the noodles. Hearty egg noodles, you know the ones, finish it off.
Ready to go with only a few pots and a few stirs, this might soon become the recipe that you often pull from your own sleeve! I hope you give it a try!
Hungarian cabbage with Noodles
Traditional Hungarian noodles with cabbage recipe, or Káposztás Tészta, made with pork belly, cabbage, onions, noodles, parley and seasonings.
Ingredients
- 1 head green cabbage, chopped
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 1/2 pound pork belly, sliced
- 1 pound wide egg noodles, cooked until al dente
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped, to serve
Directions
- Step 1 In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, fry the pork belly slices until slightly brown and crispy. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside for later, keeping the pork fat in the pan.
- Step 2 Add the pan back to the heat, reduce heat to medium, and add the cabbage and onions. Sautee until golden and soft. Add the meat back to the pan, along with the salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Step 3 Add the cooked noodles and mix thoroughly until they are well coated. Fold in the parsley and serve!
- Step 4 Notes- This recipe is better the next day! To reheat, crisp it up in the same skillet.
- Step 5 The recipe can also be made vegetarian by omitting the pork and using butter in place of the pork fat.
