Savoury Hungarian Autumn delicacies you need to try – It is meatlovers’ heaven

Since you seemed to like our previous article about Hungarian autumn desserts, we have created another one for you in which you can try out meaty Hungarian delicacies of the autumn season.

Hunting has a long tradition in Hungary, and so does game meat in Hungarian gastronomy. Even though nowadays, you can get game meat every day of the year, the hunting season for many games starts during the autumn. According to the National Hungarian Hunting Chamber, the hunting season for fallow and red deer starts in September and October, so if you would like to get the freshest ingredient, this is the perfect time.

Hungarian red wine venison stew

Only for illustration
Photo: GLOBS Magazine

Ingredients

2 kg venison leg (round) or venison goulash (leg, neck, shoulder) meat cubed
2 onions
1 whole paprika
2 tomatoes
1 whole garlic
2 bay leaves
3-5 juniper berries
2 tablespoons of condensed tomatoes
3 litres of good-quality red wine
1 tablespoon of game spice mix or spices of your liking
1 tablespoon paprika powder (sweet)
2 tablespoons of lard
salt and pepper to taste
freshly cut parsley for decoration

Instructions

Cut the onions into small cubes and sear them in the lard until they turn translucent. Cube the tomatoes and the paprika and add them in. Once everything in the base has steamed until soft, add in the condensed tomatoes, the paprika powder, and the venison.

When the meat released its juices, add in the remaining spices, cut the garlic in half, and add it in, as well as the 0.3 litres of quality wine. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours. Add salt and pepper and decorate with a little parsley before serving. You can eat it with pasta, traditional Hungarian nokedli (dumpling) or with fresh bread. (Find the original recipe HERE.)

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Another animal that has its hunting season during the autumn in Hungary is the pheasant. It can be cooked on its own or used for a rich Hungarian húsleves (chicken soup). Today, we will give you the recipe for roasted pheasant.

Roasted whole pheasant

Illustration only
Photo: Unsplash /
Amanda Lim

Ingredients

1 whole pheasant
15 kg bacon
150 millilitres of white wine
3 tablespoons of cream
50 grammes of butter
150 millilitres of broth
Carrots and onions to taste
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Rub the pheasant’s skin and inside with salt, pepper, and marjoram. If you have fresh marjoram, put it into the cavity. Cut small holes into the breasts and leg and put small pieces of bacon in there. Fold the wings under the back.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and use a heat-resistant cooking pot. Put the remaining bacon and the cut carrots and onions in the pot and lay the pheasant over it. Melt the butter and pour it onto the pheasant and pour some of the broth and white wine into the pot, under the pheasant, then put the whole pot into the oven.

You need to pay attention as it cooks and add more broth and wine if it cooks away. Baste the pheasant with its own juices, and approximately 10 minutes before finishing (it takes about 50-60 minutes to cook), take out the bacon pieces in the breast and legs to let the skin crisp.

Take out the pheasant and the vegetables and pour the juices into a pot or pan. Add some broth to it and boil it. Use a strainer to get the larger pieces out, then add some cream or butter and boil it again. When serving, pour some of this sauce on the pheasant. (Find the original recipe HERE.)

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One of the major holidays during Autumn in Hungary is Saint Martin’s day. On 11 November, we celebrate Saint Martin, which you can read more about HERE, but that is not all. In most restaurants around Hungary, they serve special goose dishes. And one of the most popular dishes is roasted goose leg on steamed cabbage. If you cannot visit Hungary for the holiday, we have you covered, you can try the following recipe out in your home:

Roasted goose leg with steamed cabbage

St. Martin's Day Szent Márton Nap Liba Geese Étel Food

Photo: facebook.com/martonnap/

Ingredients

4 goose legs
1 kg red cabbage
1 red onion
2 apples
100 millilitres of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
100 grams of golden raisins
50 grams of butter
a pinch of ground caraway
salt and pepper

Instructions

Shred the cabbage thinly, slice the red onion, and grate the apples. Melt the butter in a large pot and add in the shredded cabbage, the onion, and the grated apples. Braise for 4-5 minutes, then add in the sugar, the balsamic vinegar and the golden raisins. Add salt and pepper, season with caraway, and simmer until soft.

Salt the goose legs generously, and let them sit with the salt for 30 minutes. Then, place them in a cooking pot, cover it with aluminium foil, and bake for an hour at 220°C. Take off the foil and crisp the skin. Serve with the cabbage. (Find the original recipe HERE.)