Niki makes an awesome chicken paprikash. She learned it years ago when she was dating a Hungarian guy and she used to even make the noodles — the spaetzle — by hand. She’d make her own batter and grind it though a spaetzle maker and it would take hours. These days with two kids she uses farfalle — bow tie or butterfly pasta. It holds the sauce well and cuts the cooking time by two thirds I’m sure.
I used to tell her how awesome the meal is and how it’s just like my mom used to make when I was a kid. Of course, I’m not the Hungarian boyfriend, so I never ate chicken paprikash until I met Niki. I always got a kick out of that.
I have chicken paprikash on the brain because she made it last night and we had it again for lunch. It’s one dish that actually gets better sitting in the refrigerator waiting to become leftovers.
Brian Alvey 