Chapter One Extra Bites

Let's get right into it!  There are 27 chapters in Dracula, and I hope to post each day with some interesting extras about each chapter.  It won't be a summary of the chapter, but instead terms, pics and extras you might like to know about.  And we can discuss as well!

Chapter One: Harker's Trip To Castle Dracula

Jonathon's first meal is Paprika hendel (Paprika Chicken)  Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try!

1 young fowl, about 4 pounds
2 tablespoons fat
2 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sour cream

Cut chicken into serving pieces, and salt.  Lightly brown onions in fat. Blend in half the paprika. Add tomato juice and chicken. Simmer, covered, 1 hour or until tender.  Remove chicken. Add remaining paprika to sauce, then add the flour beaten into sour cream.  Simmer, stirring, 5 minutes or until well blended. Put sauce through sieve, food mill or blender. Heat chicken and pureed sauce together over low flame.  Arrange chicken on warm platter. Pour half the sauce over; pass the rest separately in a sauceboat.  Serve with Flour Dumplings.  (6 servings)


The next morning, Jonathon eats mamaliga and impletata for breakfast.  If you're hankering for some porridge of maize flour, here's the recipe for mamliga:

3 cups water
   salt
1 cup corn meal
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
4 slices feta cheese (or other sharp cheese)

Bring salted water to boil and add the cornmeal.  Cook like porridge while stirring frequently with wooden spoon for twenty-five minutes.
Grease a deep ovenproof casserole well with butter.  Pour in the porridge, cover with the sour cream, and arrange the slices of feta on top.  Put in a 400-degree oven for ten minutes.  Serve when mamaliga is golden on top, garnished with one poached egg per person if you wish.  (4 servings)


Transylvania means:  the Land Beyond The Forest

Here's a term that might have had you shaking your head:

London cat's-meat = cooked horse flesh, sold in the streets from a barrow

When Jonathon gets in the coach he receives some mysterious hand gestures that he checks his dictionary for the meanings, and discovers they are a guard against the evil eye.  Here are some pics I found for a few gestures against the evil eye (one must always be prepared):

mano fica

mano cornuto

mano pantea

On to Chapter Two!  Stop in tomorrow for more Dracula Extra Bites and a tribute to Jennifer Rardin!














[the recipes were taken from THE ANNOTATED DRACULA by Leonard Wolf]