10.18.2010

October 18, 2010

White Dog came into the kitchen sniffing; seconds later The Other White Dog joined us yawning and but definitely following his nose. I was browning meat for stew. After my official taste testers told me the meat was ready, I added some onions to caramelize and then a huge amount of paprika...things were starting to smell like my childhood. My Hungarian grandmother's stew was a hallmark of Autumn and based on the reaction of WD and TOWD, her recipe still held its magic.

With a great sizzling roar, we added water to the pot and sent up a fragrant steam that made us all anxious for dinner. We slow cooked the meat awhile, both White Dogs keeping close watch on the pot, and then added potatoes and carrots. All afternoon we wrapped ourselves into the warm homey feel the smell created as we watched storm clouds gather and the leaves jump from their summer home branches.

It was indeed Autumn, and as we cuddled together, I shared stories of raking (not blowing) leaves and putting up storm windows, and packing away summer clothes. White Dog and Quinn listened as though I was relating events from pre-biblical times.

And then...it was time for one final taste test before I mixed the dough for dumplings and sealed the top of the stew with big fluffy puffs. "Hey, it kind of looks like there is a white dog protecting the stew now," White Dog laughed. "It better be prepared to share the bounty when dad gets home!" At that, the two real life White Dogs took up positions where they could guard dinner and be comfortable...and we all breathed in deeply.

11 comments:

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

It smells great here!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
PeeEssWoo: Mom says her paternal grandfather khame from Germany but his heritage is more Hungarian/Romanian - Mom's dad had an 'aunt/khousin' Vilma that lived in Budapest - he akhtually got to meet her years ago - hard to do given The Iron Curtain in those days

Cappy the Eskie said...

From your description, we could almost smell the aroma of the stew here in California ... IT'S WONDERFUL.

Hugs and yips,
Cappy and Olliie

Teddy Bear said...

Sounds like the pawfect autumn dinner. We're sure it was delicious!:)

Love,
Teddy Bear

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Mmmmmm, smells great:) It is a great day here for a hearty soup - stew sounds like it might just do. Hope all enjoyed the final product.

Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Brian's Home Blog said...

No wonder they are guarding it, it does sound yummy!

Remington said...

Now I am so hungry! Can you hear my tummy making noise?

D.K. Wall said...

Stew is so difficult for us because it cooks for so long and smells soooooooooo good.

Amy & the house of cats said...

Oh that sounds like such a wonderful afternoon spent cooking and reminiscing. I haven't had any type of hungarian stew but I did see one cooked on tv - in my mind it smelled really good - and that is the same image I got from your story!

Ben said...

hmm - when are we getting invited over - we are droolin' just reading.
Ben and the Fellas.
Thank you for supporting Courage.

Sagira said...

I think I can smell it from here...sounds delicious. :)

Kari in Alaska said...

oh that sounds delicious. I have to admit after your last post I did a search for eskies in animal control here in LA. I am a petfinder addict

Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/