If there’s one dish that makes my little house smell like nagymamám’s kitchen, it’s Hortobágyi palacsinta—paper-thin crêpes filled with silky paprika meat ragú and baked under a tangy tejföl (sour-cream) sauce. It looks fancy, but it’s pure comfort—otthon íze, the taste of home. Jó étvágyat, aranyom!
What Is Hortobágyi Palacsinta? (Short Description)
A classic Hungarian celebration dish: delicate palacsinta (crêpes) wrapped around a finely chopped pörkölt (paprika stew—traditionally veal or chicken), then blanketed with a paprika-tejföl sauce and baked until it softly bubbles. The result is tender, slightly smoky, and deeply paprika-perfumed—kicsit csípős, if you like.
Yield, Time & Difficulty
- Serves: 4 (8 stuffed crêpes)
- Prep Time: 35–40 minutes
- Cook Time: 60–70 minutes (includes simmering + baking)
- Difficulty: Intermediate homestyle (weekend-worthy, weeknight if prepped ahead)
Ingredients
A) Palacsinta (Crêpes)
- 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) milk (plus 2–3 Tbsp if needed)
- 2 Tbsp sparkling water (optional, for lightness)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil or melted butter (plus more for the pan)
B) Meat Pörkölt Filling
- 2 Tbsp lard/zsír or neutral oil
- 2 medium onions, finely diced
- 2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika (édes nemes)
- ½ tsp hot paprika (optional)
- 500 g veal or chicken thigh, trimmed and cut in 1–2 cm cubes
- 1 small tomato, grated or finely chopped (or 4 Tbsp tomato purée)
- 1 Hungarian wax pepper or ½ green bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced (optional)
- 150–200 ml water or light stock
- 1 tsp salt to start, black pepper to taste
C) Paprika–Tejföl Sauce
- 200 g tejföl (or full-fat sour cream)
- 150–200 ml strained pörkölt liquor (from the stew)
- 1 heaped tsp flour (or 2 tsp cornstarch) for liaison
- ½ tsp sweet paprika (for color)
- Salt to taste
D) To Assemble & Bake
- 20–30 g butter for greasing
- Chopped parsley or snipped chives, optional
- Extra tejföl for serving, optional
Equipment
- 1 wide sauté pan or pot with lid (for pörkölt)
- 1 nonstick crêpe pan or skillet (20–24 cm)
- Whisk, ladle, fine sieve, baking dish (about 20×30 cm)
How I Learned It (Nagymama’s Way)
When I was little, nagymamám would pat the flour bag like a sleeping cat and say, “Lassan, de biztosan”—slowly but surely. She taught me to take the pan off the heat before adding paprika—fontos!—so it blooms without burning. She’d let me whisk the palacsinta batter “szépen lassan,” resting it while the pörkölt simmered lassú tűzön (on gentle heat).
She always saved the glossy juices of the stew—arany, szívem!—to whisk into tejföl for that sunset-orange sauce. And when I rolled the crêpes too tight, she’d tap my wrist: “Ne szorosan, kicsim—hadd lélegezzen!” (“Not too tight, let it breathe!”). Every time I make this dish, I hear her slippers whispering over the tiles and feel her warm hand guiding the wooden spoon.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1) Make the Palacsinta Batter
- In a bowl, whisk eggs with milk, salt, and oil/butter.
- Sift in flour and whisk until smooth—no lumps. Add sparkling water if using.
- Rest 20–30 minutes; the batter should be fluid like heavy cream. If it thickens, whisk in 1–2 Tbsp milk.
2) Cook the Pörkölt (Filling)
- Warm lard/oil over medium heat. Add onions, a pinch of salt; cook 8–10 minutes until soft and pale gold (üveges—glassy).
- Remove from heat. Stir in sweet paprika (and hot paprika if using). Count to 10 while stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Return to heat. Add meat; stir to coat and lightly sear 3–4 minutes.
- Add grated tomato, diced pepper, garlic (if using), and enough water/stock to come just below the top of the meat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer lassú tűzön, covered, 30–40 minutes (veal may need closer to 40), until the meat is tender and the sauce is rich.
- Strain the stew: pour through a sieve into a bowl, pressing with a spoon to capture all the juices. Reserve the liquid for the sauce.
- Finely chop or shred the meat and vegetables by hand (or pulse in a processor—nagymama would say: just until cohesive, not a paste). Adjust seasoning.
3) Cook the Crêpes
- Heat a lightly oiled crêpe pan over medium.
- Pour a small ladle of batter, swirl thinly. Cook ~45–60 seconds until the top looks set and edges lift. Flip 10–15 seconds.
- Transfer to a plate; cover with a cloth. Repeat for 8 crêpes.
4) Make the Paprika–Tejföl Sauce
- Whisk tejföl with flour (or cornstarch) until smooth.
- Gradually whisk in the hot reserved pörkölt liquid (150–200 ml) until the sauce is silky.
- Warm gently in a small pan (do not boil) until lightly thickened. Stir in ½ tsp sweet paprika for color; salt to taste.
5) Fill and Roll
- Grease a baking dish with butter.
- Place 2–3 Tbsp meat filling along the lower third of each crêpe. Fold sides inward slightly, then roll—ne túl szorosan!
- Arrange seam-side down in the dish.
6) Sauce & Bake
- Spoon some sauce over and around the crêpes, saving a little for serving.
- Bake at 180°C for 12–15 minutes, just until heated through and the sauce is softly bubbling.
7) Serve
- Plate two crêpes per person, spoon over extra sauce, sprinkle herbs. Offer a dollop of tejföl. Jó étvágyat!
Mom-Level Tips & Variations
- Paprika 101: Use fresh, sweet Hungarian paprika (édes nemes). If it smells tired, it will taste tired.
- Don’t scorch the paprika: Always add off heat, then return to gentle heat.
- Texture goal: Filling should be moist and spreadable, not watery. Reduce juices before straining if needed.
- Meat swaps: Veal (classic), chicken thigh (family-friendly), or turkey thigh.
- Make it ahead: Cook pörkölt and crêpes a day earlier; assemble and bake before dinner.
- Vegetarian twist: Use a mushroom–paprika ragú with a splash of soy sauce for depth—nem klasszikus, but tasty.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Keep assembled (sauced) crêpes up to 24 hours before baking, or leftovers up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze filled crêpes (without sauce) up to 2 months; thaw, sauce, and bake.
- Reheat: 160°C, covered, 12–15 minutes; loosen with a spoon of water or extra sauce if thick.
Common Mistakes & Quick Fixes
- Sauce split after adding tejföl: Heat was too high. Whisk in 1–2 Tbsp cold sour cream off heat to bring it back.
- Filling too dry: Moisten with a few spoonfuls of reserved juices.
- Crêpes tearing: Batter too thick or pan too cool—add 1 Tbsp milk and raise heat slightly.
Nutrition (Approximate, per serving of 2 stuffed crêpes)
- Calories: ~580 kcal
- Protein: ~32 g
- Carbohydrates: ~40 g
- Fat: ~30 g
- Fiber: ~3 g
- Sodium: ~650–800 mg (depends on seasoning)
Notes: Chicken yields slightly leaner numbers; extra tejföl bumps fat and calories.
Na, kész is! When the tray comes out and that paprika-orange sauce sighs around the edges, my kids drift in like little birds. I set the table, whisper köszönöm, nagymama, and we dig in.
