DAY 21: A Recipe...

In the small amount of recipes I have in my mind, there is only one that really sticks out above the rest. My maternal grandfather was married three times in his life and his second wife was a stepmother to my Mom, named Catherine or Grandma Cathy as I always called her. Grandma Cathy's mother was also named Catherine and she was known simply as "Grandma". I cannot remember with accuracy with country she came from exactly, but I know it was either Austria, Croatia, or Hungary. One of the many things she managed to leave behind once she passed away, was her recipe for something called Chicken Paprikash. For the way that I know how to make it, it takes many hours to make it cause it's a dish that has to simmer and be stirred for many hours. After searching extensively, Taste of Home provided the online recipe that was most similar to the one that I know:

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 4 to 5 pounds broiler/fryer chicken pieces
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups hot water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Directions

• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Sprinkle chicken with paprika, salt and pepper; place in an ungreased roasting pan. Spoon onion mixture over chicken. Add hot water. Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours or until chicken juices run clear.
• Remove chicken and keep warm. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Gradually add to pan juices with onion. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream. Serve with chicken. Yield: 6 servings.

There are many different variations of this recipe out there, that include tomatoes and less butter, etc. I have had the pleasure of making this once, when I was probably 18 years old. It came out delicious and I will always remember how excited my Mom was that I had done it successfully. I hope to make it again in the near future, now that I am older and have more time to do so. This is not just a recipe to me, but one of the very few family "gifts" that has managed to pass through the generations.