HUNGARIAN MEAT-FILLED PANCAKES

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1¼ cups flour, sifted 2 tsp. oil

1 cup water

3 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. sugar Pinch salt

2 tsp. oil

Meat filling:

2 Tbsp. oil

2 onions, chopped thinly

½ kg. ground beef

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. caraway, ground

1 light green pepper, cut into small cubes 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

½ cup soup stock (can also use 1 tsp. soup powder

dissolved in boiling water)

Sauce:

50 gr. margarine or oil

¾ Tbsp. flour, sifted

1½ cups prepared soup stock

6 Tbsp. tomatoes, peeled, seeded and crushed Salt and pepper, to taste

¼ tsp. paprika

2 tsp. lemon juice

To make the pancakes, pour the flour into a large bowl. Gradually add the eggs while beating with a whisk. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat well. Let mixture sit for 2 hours. Mix again and add another ¾ cup water while beating.

In a 20 cm. pan, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over low flame. Use a ladle to pour the batter onto the frying pan. Shake the pan a little to make sure the batter covers the entire pan in a thin layer.

Fry pancake for two minutes until the sides lift up. Flip it over and fry on other side. Prepare all of the pancakes the same way.

To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion until golden. Add the meat and fry until it turns gray. Add the salt, paprika and caraway and stir. Add the green peppers and tomatoes. Stir-fry for 10 minutes. Pour off extra liquid into a bowl and reserve for later use. Add the soup stock to the meat, cover and cook for 30 minutes over a low flame.

To prepare the sauce, melt the margarine, add the flour and fry until golden. Add the tomatoes, soup stock and spices. Stir and cook while mixing constantly until sauce thickens. Add the lemon juice and stir. Pour half of the sauce into the meat mixture and mix well.

Put two heaping spoonfuls of filling on the pancake and fold up like an envelope. Prepare all of the pancakes in the same fashion. Arrange in a pan so that they’re all touching each other.

Stir the sauce over a low flame. Add the remaining liquid that you poured off from the meat. Then, pour the sauce over the stuffed pancakes and put pan in an oven that has been preheated to a medium heat. Bake for five minutes and serve immediately.