Hungarian Mushroom Paprika

1. In a large soup pot sauté onions in vegetable oil or pork lard over low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. Do not let them get burned. Salt it lightly to help tenderize them. The onion should be cut into very-very small pieces, it is very important to get the “stew consistency”. Add a small amount of water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to the pan. 2. Remove the pot from the heat, add the sweet Hungarian paprika, stir, add the tomatoes, the sweet yellow pepper and stir again. Do not burn the paprika, because it will become bitter. Add ½ cup of water and simmer for about 5 minutes. 3. Add the mushrooms, salt to taste and add a little bit of later, no more than half a cup. Cover it, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir sometimes. It should have a thick creamy consistency. If it is soupy, take the lid off and keep simmering until it gets thicker. 4. When it is done, lower the heat under the mushroom and add the sour cream. Simmer for about 2-3 more minutes. 5. Serve it with nokedli noodles (also known as spätzle) and fresh cucumber salad. Important: never use butter in place of vegetable oil or lard. Also, it is best not to use canned tomatoes – your paprikash will end up bitter. If you do not have a fresh tomato, then do not use tomatoes at all. You need to chop the onions very finely, they are what make the stew sauce thick. Also, don’t try to thicken with flour, the sour cream is enough. Nokedli noodles: 1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Beat the eggs and 100 ml of water together with the salt. Slowly mix in the flour a 1/4 cupful at a time to make a soft, sticky dough. You may not need all the flour, or you may need more. Stop adding flour when you get an elastic moist dough. 2. Place a nokedli grater (spaetzle maker) over the pot of boiling water. (You can also use a simple cheese grater or large hole pasta strainer). Lay a portion of the dough on the grater and move it back and forth over the grater using a spatula or wooden spoon to push through small egg noodle bits that drop into the boiling water. When the noodles float to the top, wait about 30 seconds and drain them. Serve immediately as they cool quickly.