Ghouls & Goulash

As the leaves are turning glorious shades of gold and crimson and pumpkins appear on our doorsteps, and the unmistakable aromas of autumn cooking fill our homes and hearts – this is the season of plenty.

Hearty casseroles, bubbling stews and wonderfully warming suppers welcome us home, put a smile on our faces and reminds us that some of life’s greatest pleasures are also its simplest.

This week, we’re taking a little culinary journey into the heart of Hungary, where a humble dish with a remarkable history has been warming hearts and filling hungry bellies for centuries.

First, a little history – from Hungarian Herdsmen to Halloween Hearths.

Long before goulash became a favourite on British dinner tables, it was the food of Hungarian cattle herdsmen.Imagine the scene.

Centuries ago, out on the vast, windswept Great Hungarian Plain, known as the Puszta, herdsmen spent long days tending their cattle, often miles from the nearest village. As darkness fell and the temperature dropped, they gathered around open fires, cooking simple meals in large iron cauldrons suspended above the flames.

Into the pot went chunks of beef, onions, water and whatever seasonings were available. Nothing complicated. Nothing extravagant. Just good, honest food, cooked slowly, shared generously and enjoyed beneath an enormous night sky.

The dish became known as gulyás, from the Hungarian word for cattle herdsman.

World exploration retrieved ingredients to add to the rustic basics but take nothing away. Peppers originally travelled to Europe from the Americas, eventually finding their way into Hungarian cooking. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, paprika began to boldly transform the country’s culinary identity.

Its glorious red colour, gentle warmth and distinctive sweetness gave goulash the character we recognise today. What began as a practical meal for working herdsmen eventually became a symbol of Hungarian national identity.

Not bad for a pot of beef and onions!

Good ingredients. Gentle cooking. Big flavours.Our Easy Hungarian Goulash takes its inspiration from those centuries-old cooking traditions, bringing them into the modern kitchen with a distinctly seasonal twist.

A wonderfully warming, generously flavoured autumn supper, inspired by Hungary’s great culinary traditions and given a seasonal flourish with carrots and butternut squash.Carrots bring their natural sweetness, beautiful colour and earthy goodness to the pot.

Butternut squash, meanwhile, is one of autumn’s great culinary treasures. Its golden-orange flesh becomes wonderfully tender as it cooks, adding a gentle sweetness that sits beautifully alongside the deep, savoury flavours of the goulash.

Together, they bring colour, texture and a little extra seasonal goodness to a dish already bursting with character.

Fill your kitchen with these extraordinary aromas using the RECIPE HERE.

Perfect for chilly evenings, hungry families and those occasions when only a proper, comforting bowl of something delicious will do.

Once destined almost exclusively for lanterns, spooky faces and doorstep decorations, pumpkins and their close relation, butternut squash, deserve considerably more attention in the kitchen.

They’re versatile, delicious and wonderfully suited to the hearty, warming dishes we crave as autumn settles in.

And looking back at some of our Halloween favourites from last year, there’s plenty of inspiration for making the most of this glorious seasonal ingredient.Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Soup

There’s something almost magical about transforming a humble pumpkin or butternut squash into a silky, warming bowl of soup. Sweet, comforting and beautifully coloured, it’s autumn served with a spoon.

It’s perfect after a chilly afternoon walk, or as a warming welcome for friends and family arriving on Halloween evening.

Add some crusty bread, find a comfortable chair and let the world outside do its worst.

RECIPE HERE.Stokes Original BBQ Beans

Now here’s a dish that deserves a place at any autumn gathering.

Rich, smoky, satisfying BBQ beans are wonderfully comforting when the temperature begins to fall.

Whether served alongside jacket potatoes, piled onto thick slices of toasted bread or enjoyed as part of a generous Halloween supper, they’re a delicious reminder that simple food can deliver enormous flavour.

And with Bonfire Night following hot on Halloween’s heels, this is one recipe worth keeping close to hand.

Make this your new favourite with the RECIPE HERE.Pumpkin Pasties

Little Pockets of Seasonal Happiness – who doesn’t love a good pasty?

Especially when it’s filled with delicious seasonal ingredients, wrapped in golden pastry and baked until beautifully crisp.

Pumpkin pasties are a brilliant way to celebrate autumn’s harvest. They’re ideal for Halloween parties, family gatherings or simply enjoying warm from the oven when the evenings turn chilly.

And there’s something really satisfying about food you can hold in your hands.

No fuss. No ceremony.

Just deliciousness wrapped in pastry – RECIPE HERE.Chicken, Pumpkin & Chorizo Stew

When Autumn meets a little Spanish sunshine.

If ever there were three ingredients destined to become great friends, chicken, pumpkin and chorizo must surely be among them.

Tender chicken, sweet seasonal pumpkin and the smoky, gently spicy character of chorizo create a glorious combination.

It’s hearty, colourful and packed with personality. It’s a dish that brings a little Mediterranean warmth to a British autumn evening.

And, much like our Hungarian goulash, it’s a reminder that some of the most memorable meals begin with a few honest ingredients and a willingness to let flavours develop together.

Get cooking with the RECIPE HERE.

Sweet, smoky, fiery or wonderfully mellow.

There’s rather more to paprika than meets the eye. Open your spice cupboard and there’s a good chance you’ll find an out of date jar.

But have you ever wondered what it actually is?

Is it a spice? A pepper? Something exotic grown in faraway places?Well, dear Food Lover, the answer might surprise you. It honestly surprised me when I looked into it for this article.

Paprika is simply peppers.

Yes, those beautiful red peppers that bring colour to our salads and sweetness to our cooking have close relatives that, when dried and ground, become one of the world’s most versatile spices.

But, as with so many good things in food, there’s a little more to the story.

From Pepper to Paprika

Paprika begins life as a variety of pepper belonging to the Capsicum annuum family.

The peppers are grown until beautifully ripe, developing their distinctive deep red colour.Once harvested, they’re dried to remove their moisture before being carefully ground into the fine, wonderfully fragrant powder we know as paprika.

A tale of two countries

Although peppers originated in the Americas, paprika has become particularly associated with two European countries.

Hungary – the home of sweet paprika

Hungary has made paprika something of a national treasure.It’s an essential ingredient in traditional Hungarian Goulash, adding warmth, richness and that beautiful red colour.

Hungarian paprika ranges from wonderfully sweet and delicate to distinctly hot.

Spain – where paprika gets smoky

In Spain, paprika is known as pimentón.

Spanish paprika can be sweet, hot or somewhere in between, but it’s the smoked varieties that have become particularly famous.

The peppers are slowly dried over oak wood, creating an extraordinary depth of flavour.

A little sprinkled into a stew, over roasted potatoes or stirred into a sauce can transform the whole dish.

A little paprika magic in your kitchen

Try these simple ideas.

• Sprinkle smoked paprika over homemade potato wedges before roasting.
• Stir sweet paprika into a creamy chicken casserole.
• Add a pinch to scrambled eggs for colour and gentle warmth.
• Dust paprika over hummus with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Combine smoked paprika with Stokes Real Tomato Ketchup for a deliciously smoky dipping sauce.

Sometimes the smallest ingredient makes the biggest difference.

Why Hot Dog?The term “hot dog” likely originated in the United States in the late 1800s, when German immigrants introduced frankfurters and dachshund sausages (named after the long, thin dog breed). American vendors and cartoonists then playfully started calling them “hot dogs.”

‘TK done properly.’

But we’ll leave those dogs across the pond. These are real sausages, your butcher’s finest, adorned lovingly with Stokes finest … TK done properly.What’s your ‘go to’ sauce or relish on a chilly Autumn nigh, after Trick or Treating or watching the flashes and bangs of a Bonfire Party?

Have you tried our Chilli Jam? It brings a sweet warmth to the banger, oozing addictive flavour. If you want to bring on the big guns for your fireworks finale, this is  the one – our Habanero HOT Sauce.

It’s made with fiery, fermented Habanero chillies, delivering a rich, intense depth with onions, tomatoes and mango bringing an inspired, subtle fruity finish.

Remember, Remember – it gets a little noisy out there on 5th, so please, treat your hot dogs with care …