Tökfőzelék
Főzelék is a whole category of Hungarian cooking, a vegetable cooked down until thick enough to eat with a spoon, and tökfőzelék is the summer one. Shredded marrow is softened with onion, sharpened with vinegar, perfumed with lots of fresh dill and thickened with sour cream. Budapest school canteens and lunch counters have served it for generations, often topped with a fried egg or a few slices of pickled vegetables, with fresh white bread on the side. It tastes fresh, gently sour and creamy, with the marrow still keeping a little bite. Flour is the usual thickener, but here a spoonful of cornflour in the sour cream keeps it gluten free. The usual slip is skipping the salting: the marrow then floods the pan with water and the stew turns thin and bland. Chef's tip: squeeze the salted marrow hard in a clean towel; the drier it is, the deeper the flavour.



