The birth of her daughter and the first victory in the Champions League is considered the most beautiful moment of her life. He believes that if you are healthy, you will not be happy anymore. As he says, it is certain that everyone faces health, moral or material difficulties, but what makes them sad is the negative attitude of people towards things in Hungary. You enjoy life, you love to live the moments. He lived and played in Spain for twelve years, and he loves the Latin mentality, despite his high unemployment rates there.
“It would be nice to see happier people here, more smiling faces,” he says, but he also has other desires. “I wish I had a little sport boat in Miami one day: I would sail the bays. I spent twelve years in Barcelona, with many fond memories. I have really loved Budapest lately, when I drive on the pier late at night, admiring our capital Nicely lit. I’m not ambitious: health is paramount and finding happiness.
What flavors do you remember from your childhood?
As I heard from my parents, I wasn’t too picky as a kid, I ate everything, and that is the case to this day. I confess that if a person is hungry, he must eat the food that is placed in front of him! I was born in Sikkesfervar, but I grew up in Szeged since I was one. My dad still loves to cook, so we had male control in the kitchen. I remember once even making pigeon soup for us! I also ate soup and vegetables myself: pumpkin stew with dill was my favorite, but I had no problem with the savory greens, yellow pea greens, and tomato cabbage, too. I wasn’t a fan of sweets, but even today I still go to a pastry shop and want dumplings or fruit rice from Somló. By the way, Szilvi cookies and cakes are also delicious.
What food was on the table at Christmas?
Usually fish soup, fried carp and fried African catfish, but there was also roast turkey, and even the barbecue and pond that my grandmother had was an unforgettable experience! The poppy and walnut bagley was of course indispensable. My dad was always asking me what I’m cooking and he took our wishes into account. Anyway, I only made fish soup or fried fish from fish my brother caught. One of my favorites is Grandma’s Noodles made with sour cream, bacon and cheese: when I come home from Barcelona two or three times a year, I’m always at the table away from this delicacy.
How did you go about your culinary experience?
Cooking isn’t that close to me, but I love baking. There was a time in my life when I watched Paprika TV day and night and tried the recipes presented there: for example, I baked fish and meat on the grill, and I could tell the guests that they liked it. Once, when I couldn’t come home at Christmas, I roasted a whole turkey in Barcelona! The meat became tender and tasty, although I was not full of all kinds of stuffing, I stuffed it with apples and vegetables. It was so delicious that it was completely sold out to the last bite!
Grilled foie gras with tokaji sauce
– Likes László Nagy
Ingredients for 5 people
For the liver: 1 kg goose liver, cut into slices the thickness of a small finger, a little goose fat, salt, pepper to taste
To prepare the sauce
300 g of ripe seedless grapes, 100 ml of 5 tokaji aszu batton, 400 ml of brown sauce
to the apple
3 red Jonathan apples, 1 tablespoon icing sugar, 50 ml olive oil
for potato pillow
500 grams of potatoes, cooked in salted water, 100 grams of flour, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of goose fat, frying oil, salt, ground pepper, grated nutmeg to taste
Preparation
Drain the boiled potatoes, press them through a potato juicer into a mixing bowl, add the eggs, flour, goose fat and spices to taste, then work together. We form from it small round and flat platforms. If we do this with a slightly oily hand, we get a uniform shape. Fry both sides in plenty of oil until red, then take it out on a paper towel and let it rest.
Place the foie gras slices in a hot skillet with a little goose fat. Be careful not to burn it, fry both sides to a pleasant red color. When flipping from side to side, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. We lift the pan and let the goose liver rest until it is served.
Peel the grapes with a sharp small knife, cut them in half, put them in a small saucepan with a handle, pour the tokaj aszu on top, and wait until it boils until the alcohol content of the wine evaporates. Add the brown sauce and cook until it boils slightly.
Cut the apples into small pieces, sprinkle both cutting surfaces with powdered sugar, and leave to stand until the pan has heated up with a little olive oil. Bake both sides with a nice red color.
What food did you taste when you traveled abroad?
Japanese cuisine is my favourite, which is why I went to a lot of Japanese restaurants in Barcelona and Hungary. I love sushi, fried noodles, rice noodles with vegetables and different sauces. My daughter Deborah is also a fan of sushi. I also like spicy food, but what I really like are the sea fish, crabs and mussels in all amounts. I was a little intrigued a few years ago, and the large amount of sea scallops I consumed caused an upset stomach, from which I thankfully managed to recover quickly.
How did you come across the wine?
I tasted wine for the first time in Spain at the age of nineteen. Wine has a great culture there, as it does in Hungary. I soon learned that white wine or champagne is used to make fish, sea scallops, and red wine for meat. I prefer a full red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon.
(Cover photo: László Nagy. Photo: Gábriel Őszy-Tóth)
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