Taste With The Eyes

“Look for paprika imported from Hungary and buy a new container from the market, throwing out that musty tin that’s been sitting for years in your pantry.” Wolfgang Puck

A Wolfgang Puck/Austrian Inspired Dinner Party


Hungarian Goulash and Homemade Spaetzle – it was delicious thanks to Wolfgang’s inspiration and Merisi’s input all the way from Vienna!

Ingredient Still Life.

Start by caramelizing the onions in olive oil, then add garlic.

Toast the caraway seeds then grind them in a spice grinder and add to the onions.

Smokey! Add the two paprikas…sweet and hot.
I took Merisi’s advice not to make a “California Goulash” as she says there are no fresh herbs in her experience…so I added only dried marjoram.

Andrew, the butcher at Bristol Farms cut the beef shanks into cubes and advised me to put the bones in the stew for more flavor.

Deglaze the pot with balsamic vinegar then add the chicken stock, bay leaves and tomato paste, and the meat and bones.

This Le Creuset French Oven is perfect for this dish. Merisi’s advice was to put it in the oven at 195 degrees not to let it boil and cook even longer than the original recipe for a very tender meat.

Later that day:
Side Bar – The cook’s treat. Remove the bones from the stew. Marrow anyone?

At the Dinner Party:
The goulash is served in Pat’s beautiful China “Evesham” made in England.

Sally kicked off the dinner party with a pizzette appetizer, her interpretation of Wolfgang’s famous pizza from Spago with smoked salmon and caviar.

Pat’s scallop dish: Scallops, Cauliflower Cream, Balsamic Reduction. See 10/09 post for details.

One course, two salads: Lauren made Wolfgang’s couscous salad while Gail prepared sliced roasted beets and mache in a butter lettuce cup with Wolfgang’s mustard dressing.

Salzburger Nockerln: Patrick made his with cherries, Wolfgang’s recipe calls for raspberries. “Salzburg is a wonderful town on the Bavarian Border famous for its small hills called ‘Nockerln’. This dish celebrates the hills of Salzburg with its hills of heaped Meringue. It’s rich, indulgent and utterly delicious. This is a true Austrian dessert that brings back memories of good times and loved ones. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. ” WP

Elegant dinner party with friends who love to cook!

The Hungarian Goulash with Spaetzle.

Detailed recipe at wolfgangpuck.com

Why a blog is so neat:
We are having an Austrian inspired dinner party in Southern California and I get excellent authentic advice and support from a woman in Vienna whom I have never met. Isn’t that something? Thanks Merisi!

Lori Lynn

P.S. That said, you may want to visit the Foodie Blogroll, of which I am a proud new member.

For our “Wolfgang Puck” themed dinner party I made his goulash with spaetzle.

The “scoop” of spaetzle on top of the tender and delicious goulash is my artistic interpretation:)

Eggs are always so photogenic. Eggs are mixed with milk.

Flour is mixed with salt and pepper. Freshly grated nutmeg is added.

Wet and dry ingredients are combined. The dough is refrigerated for at least an hour.

This nifty gadget, a sliding spaetzle maker, is really handy and makes this a fun recipe. The dough is ladled into the feeder then slid back and forth over the holes. (It gets a little messy). This was a good investment of only $12.99, as I will surely make spaetzle again, especially for my nephews.

The dough drips into the boiling water.

After boiling for about 4 or 5 minutes the spaetzle is shocked in ice water. Then drained and coated very lightly with peanut oil.

Butter is melted in a pan, then the cold spaetzle is heated in the butter and finished with chopped parsley, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.

A big thank you to my blogger friend, Merisi in Vienna, Austria for her recipe guidance and authentic input. Please visit her beautiful blog “Merisi’s Vienna For Beginners – Virtual Postcards from Vienna”

The goulash recipe is next!

2019 UPDATE: COMPLETE RECIPE NOW POSTED HERE! Come read about my hearty Chicken Spätzle Soup too!