Kolbászos Túrós Csusza

Kolbászos Túrós Csusza

Recipes with Csabai Kolbász

Túrós csusza is one of Hungary's oldest pasta dishes: egg noodles tossed with cottage cheese, fried pork crackling, and sour cream. Adding csabai kolbász turns it into a full meal. The paprika fat from the fried sausage stains the noodles red and seasons the whole dish.

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

Servings

2

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • 200g wide egg noodles or pappardelle
  • 120g csabai kolbász, diced into small cubes
  • 150g túró (Hungarian dry curd cottage cheese) or ricotta
  • 100ml tejföl (sour cream)
  • 40g smoked bacon lardons or pork crackling
  • Salt
  • Black pepper

Steps

1

Cook the egg noodles in well-salted boiling water until tender, about 7 minutes. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.

2

While the noodles cook, place a dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and cook until the fat renders and the pieces are crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.

3

In the same pan, add the diced kolbász. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the edges colour. The red paprika oil will coat the pan.

4

Drain the noodles and add them directly to the pan with the kolbász. Toss over low heat for 1 minute. Add a splash of pasta water if the noodles stick.

5

Remove from heat. Crumble the túró over the noodles and toss loosely. Spoon the tejföl over the top. Finish with the crisp bacon and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately in the pan or on warmed plates.

Tips

Túró is a dry, crumbly curd cheese with very little moisture. If you substitute ricotta, drain it in a sieve for an hour first so it does not water down the dish. The kolbász provides enough seasoning; taste before adding any salt at the end.