1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
salt and pepper

1. Mince ground beef in a food processor until an almost paste-like consistency.
2. Work olive oil, baking soda and spices into the beef with your hands, wetting your hands as necessary to prevent sticking.
3. Place beef mixture in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Divide ground beef into 1" balls, then shape them into slightly flattened sausages.
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat and fry sausages in batches, making sure to brown all sides and cook through to the center.
6. Transfer to paper towels to absorb excess fat and serve.

Makes 4 servings

1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
3 cups green peas
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons paprika
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat and add the onion, sautéing until tender.
2. Add the peas and water to the onions and cook until peas are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine milk and flour in a separate sauce pan over medium heat.
4. Add the milk and flour to the peas and cook until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.
5. Add paprika, salt and a generous amount of pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings

My friend Simon has been in the Czech Republic for the last couple of weeks and he was going to try and pick up some Hungarian paprika for me so that I don't make any more tasteless Paprikash. I've been thinking about this for a while and decided to jump the gun and make a few Hungarian inspired dishes tonight.

Not since the Tökfõzelék have I made something so simple with such a complicated name. Another dish from that part of the world (Hungary), Börsõfozelék is Hungarian peas creamed with paprika and pepper. Much like the tökfõzelék, which is creamed zucchini, this is a delicious dish. I'm not sure it's really possible to go wrong with a creamed vegetable of any sort.

Unfortunately, no matter how good the peas were they were completely unable to redeem the god awfulness of the Mititei Sausages. I fed an assortment of people these horrible cocktail weenies and everyone made the dreaded ew face. I may even go so far as to say that this is the worst creation so far for A Food Year. This makes me angry, because I had to use a very tiny food processor to mince all the meat, since it's the only cutting kitchen appliance I haven't sold yet. The initial flavor of the sausage was unlike anything at all, perhaps just bland meat. Then came an essence of caraway. Had it ended there, these may have been somewhat edible with the addition of condiments. However, after a few chews there was an overpowering taste of something I never want to eat again, which I can only imagine is attributed to the addition of baking soda, mixed with a bit of paprika. The peas could not mask this flavor whatsoever and I ended up throwing the whole batch away.