Old school

You know those dishes that just taste good? I'm not talking about duck confit or some fancy terrine, more like butter on warm bread, or a good grilled cheese sandwich. This is that kind of dish. It was served to me by my man's mama. Presenting: Turos teszta!
Very simple: cooked egg noodles are quickly fried in a pan with a bit of fat (butter, oil, or rendered bacon fat). They get a bit crispy, and a bit over cooked, but that's okay here. Into the noodles goes a generous toss of turo, a Hungarian cheese that resembles crumbly farmer's cheese. (I have found decent farmer's cheese at Whole Foods, but it is a bit liquid; best to strain it overnight so that it is drier and more crumbly. Alternatively, check out an Eastern European grocer.)

But, the pièce de résistance is the topping. There exists in Hungary a magical ingredient known as szalonna, or "meatless bacon." This is, as the name suggests, bacon that is more fat than meat. Here, we call it fatback which is not nearly as sexy-sounding as szzzzzzah-lohhhhhhh-nahhhhhh, but oh well! Cut into lardons or small cubes and rendered down, the resulting liquid is the stuff of dreams and one of the reasons why sadly I will never muster the strength to go vegetarian.The crunchy bits of fat are also a great textural addition to the noodles and cheese. Anyway, this is served in a small dish on the side so everyone can drizzle a bit on top.

On one trip, I was actually served a vegetarian variation of this dish that was also great. (Vegetarians in Hungary, mythical creatures indeed) Just swap out the turo or farmer's cheese for goat cheese and add a generous handful of chopped dill. No meatless bacon.

Mmmmmm. This has me thinking about how great fried noodles are in general. What is your favorite noodle dish, fried or otherwise?

Testing...

First post.

I am an academic. I spend my days and nights working tirelessly to complete my dissertation (okay, maybe not, but you get the point!). This is a 7 day a week job, and although I love my work, we all need a few moments of respite here and there, right?

I take pictures of food. Food that I make, food that I see, food that I eat, food that I want to eat. I have collected hundreds. I do not print these out EVER, and thought this could be a good place to put them and write about what it was about a dish, preparation, or flavor that inspired me to take a picture. I am very lucky to be surrounded by friends and family that also share this joy. In the course of this food photo fest, I have also documented several teaching sessions with parents, grandparents, and friends sharing one or more recipes with me. I am especially excited to get those out in the open. Food serves a larger purpose in my life than merely sustaining my corpus. I use it as a therapy, in much the same way as my yoga practice. Standing in the kitchen for hours on end is truly cathartic for me. Eating a well prepared meal out is just as good for me as a massage.

Lest I sound like a 'foodie' (a term that grates on my nerves like a microplane to the finger), I hope to also discuss my day to day dabbles in : yoga, home improvement, etc. Let's see what happens!
STB