A traditional Hungarian dish gives a warm welcome to Budapest ​

We arrived in Hungary this week!

My guide to travel with young kids is forthcoming. Suffice it to say, I understand why people don’t: The challenges of jet lag and culture shock are amplified with very young children in the mix.

That said, the inconvenience and discomfort that comes with relocating an entire family does give way to unique moments of beauty and stillness when you least expect it. We have to take these moments as they come.

On our first day, after the worst sleep of our lives, we thought we’d take it easy with a casual stroll in the park. We came upon Hemingway Terrace. I asked the host for a classic Hungarian meal, whatever that looked like.

He brought cold cucumber soup, cantaloupe soup, and brassói aprópecsenye: crispy fried potatoes tossed through a mix of onions, garlic, bacon, and soft pork tenderloin. It was divine. My babies couldn’t get enough. Everyone ate in silence. That’s how you know it’s good! I asked him how he made it; the recipe follows. This was served with cold, miniature dill pickles on the side.

Ingredients

• 400g (4 x 6-7cm or 2½") potatoes

• 150g (1 cup) onion

• 1 medium (100g) tomato

• 1 small (100-125g) green pepper

• 4 garlic cloves

• 75g (2½ oz) finely chopped bacon

• 300g (11oz) pork tenderloin

• 1 tsp sweet paprika

• ½ tsp caraway seeds

• ½ tsp dried marjoram or oregano

• 1 tsp coarse sea salt (plus extra to boil the potatoes)

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 3 tbsp tallow or olive oil

• Parsley and green onion to garnish

Instructions

1. Bring an 8" saucepan of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt, then toss in the potatoes and boil them with the skin on for 20 minutes. Then drain the potatoes and cool them for 10 minutes.

2. Dice the onion and tomato.

3. Deseed the green pepper and cut it into a ¼ inch dice.

4. Peel the garlic cloves and chop them as finely as you can.

5. Cut the pork tenderloin into 1-inch cubes.

6. 5 minutes before you drain the potatoes, heat a 12" frying pan over a medium-high heat. When it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the tallow or oil. When it has melted, throw in the bacon and cook until it is golden. This will take 2-3 minutes depending on the heat.

7. Add the caraway seeds, give them a stir to combine.

8. Add the onion, green pepper, and tomato and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir this every 2-3 minutes, and keep an eye on it. If it begins to darken too much, reduce the heat a little.

9. When the potatoes have cooled for 10 minutes, peel them and cut them into a dice roughly the same size as the pork.

10. Heat the remaining tallow/oil over a medium-high heat in a second 12" frying pan. When it shimmers, add the diced potatoes and cook them until they are crispy and golden. Stir them carefully to prevent falling apart. This will take around 12-15 minutes.

11. Around 5 minutes, before the potatoes are ready, turn the heat under the onions to high, add the pork, garlic, marjoram, black pepper, and salt then cook for 5-6 minutes stirring constantly.

12. Sprinkle over the paprika and toss to coat. Then throw in the crispy potatoes, toss to coat, and serve immediately. Garnish with parsley and green onion!