“Denn die Todten reiten Schnell. (For the dead travel fast.)”
― Bram Stoker, Dracula
Most modern Christmas tales are warm and fuzzy (Miracle on 34th Street, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, The Polar Express, etc). But in Victorian England, ghost stories and tales of the supernatural were popular Christmas fare.
In that spirit, I recently listened to an audiobook version of Dracula by Bram Stoker, which also fits with the theme for this week’s meal, Hungarian. In the novel, Dracula is of Hungarian origin, and during his travels to the count’s infamous castle, Jonathan Harker enjoys a common Hungarian dish — paprika hendl aka chicken paprikash.
The book
It’s been a while since I last read Dracula, and I’d forgotten that it’s more than just the story of a vampire in a castle. There are so many perspectives in this novel. It begins with Jonathan Harker’s visit to Dracula’s castle, but as Dracula travels to England, his reign of terror spreads to include poor Lucy Westenra, one of his first victims abroad, Jonathan’s strong and clever wife, Mina, and Renfield, a patient in a mental asylum. The novel also includes journal entries from the vampire hunter, Van Helsing, and Dr. Seward. The multiple perspectives dulled the mystery a little for me — it’s very clear from the onset that the trouble is a vampire — but I enjoyed how each character was performed in the audiobook. My favorite character was Mina Harker, though I was a little annoyed toward the end by how much the men tried to bully her. I’d read an entire book just about her. Renfield was also creepy and interesting in a different way, and I’d love to read more about him.
The food
For my version of Jonathan Harker’s last good meal (haha), I used this recipe from The Gothic Cookbook.
It begins with cooking chicken thighs, though you could use precooked chicken to save time. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and add butter, onion, peppers, tomatoes, chicken broth and lots of paprika. Add the cooked chicken back to the sauce, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced. Stir in sour cream and serve over egg noodles.
The verdict? In Dracula, Harker complains about how spicy paprika hendl is, but I think he must just be British, because this dish wasn’t spicy at all — it was buttery and comforting, with a little smokiness from the paprika. It only takes about an hour, so it’s good for a weeknight meal. If I were to make paprika hendl again, I would shred the chicken before adding it back to the sauce, so everything is more uniform.