We recently took the whole family to Budapest. Yes, we are a little crazy. As you can imagine, it's always an ordeal traveling as a family of 9. With 2 kiddos who are on the autism spectrum, we pack special food to take with us wherever we go as well. It isn't easy, but my husband is one of those super-organized people who thrive conquering logistical challenges. I like to think I balance him out with all the positive aspects I bring to our relationship, like chaos, confusion, and mood swings.
We drove through Germany and Austria before crossing the border into Hungary. We pulled over into the first convenience store we saw to get some local currency. I waited in the car with the kids while Joe ran in. A few minutes later, he came out and got back in our van with an odd expression on his face.
He turned the key in the ignition, popped the transmission into reverse, then smoothly said, "Whatever you do, don't look out your window to the right," as he backed up the car. Of course, I looked, and was shocked to see a couple in the throes of passion in the car next to us. In the driver's seat. In broad daylight.
Welcome to Hungary.
Budapest was a magnificent city. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived, and our first stop was a visit to Memento Park on the outskirts of Budapest. Memento Park is a delightful little outdoor museum where all the statues of communist dictators were relocated after the fall of the Soviet Union.
It was dark by the time we arrived downtown, and we were a little surprised to discover that our accommodations were right in the middle of the "lively" part of the city. The apartment itself was clean and nice, but it was among several apartments surrounding a courtyard. The walls were paper thin, and every single sound echoed all over the courtyard. The managers let us know when we checked in that there was a strict policy of absolute silence after 10pm, and they would not hesitate to contact the police and evict us from the premises for any noise whatsoever.
So we have this baby, and he tends to cry, especially in new places because he doesn't like disruptions to his routine. We hoped no one would call the police for a crying baby, but we felt it wouldn't be fair to inflict the screams of our little guy on the poor unsuspecting neighbors who only wanted to sleep in peace. We crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
Of course, once we put our sweetie-pie to bed, he started howling, so Joe put him in the stroller for a walk around the party district of Budapest. None of the three of us got any sleep that night. Baby C never settled down, so Joe kept walking him. I was worried when they never came back, so I agonized all night over whether I should call the police, or go look for him, or just go back to sleep and trust everything would be ok. Eventually I realized that 1) I couldn't leave the rest of the kids alone in Budapest-especially in THAT neighborhood, 2) I didn't even know what the emergency phone numbers in Hungary were. At that point I sent up a prayer and hoped for the best. Of course, every time I heard the slightest squeak or cough, I ran to the front door and peered through the window to see if it was my boys returning, but they didn't come back until after sunrise.
The next morning we did some sightseeing, but it's all a blur now. The next night (lucky us!) was an exact repeat of the first. We cut our losses and headed for home the next morning. Looking back, we should have just stayed home and watched Rick Steves. Some day maybe we'll be able to get back there and really explore the city.
At any rate, I would like to share with you a little taste of our travels. Hungarian Goulash is one dish that's particularly famous in this part of the world. We've been cooking it at our place for a few years now. My teenage son has tried countless variations from the internet and has now tweaked the recipe to his liking.
Hungarian Goulash
Ingredients:
1 cup bacon (about half a package) (optional, we can't always find good bacon)
6 lbs. chuck roast, cut into 1 in. pieces
2 large onions, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
3 large red peppers, chopped
1/4 c. sweet Hungarian Paprika (This brand is gluten free, if that isn't a concern, there are more economical choices out there.)
3 cups beef broth
a few glugs of dry red wine (optional, can substitute more broth)
Bay Leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Sour Cream (optional)
Directions:
Cook the bacon until crispy, then remove from the pan, leaving the fat. Cook the onions in the bacon grease until translucent, then add the chuck. Cook the meat until brown, then add the garlic and peppers. Add the bacon, paprika, tomato paste, beef stock, wine, and the bay leaf and simmer until tender for about 2 hours. Salt and pepper to taste, remove the bay leaf, and stir in some spoonfuls of sour cream if you like your goulash creamy.
Alternatively, you could omit a few pounds of meat and replace with a few pounds of potatoes and carrots (or turnips and carrots, for GAPS)
Serves one enormous family, with enough leftovers for lunches the next few days. Halve the recipe if you don't have a small army to feed.
If you are eating grains, goulash stew is traditionally served with a loaf of crusty, rustic bread.
As a special bonus, here is some Hungarian music to cook and eat by. The Doppler brothers were flute virtuosos and composers who lived in Hungary. This is one of my all-time favorite duets. Enjoy!
And here's another one because I love the Dopplers:
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