Key Lime Pie With Walnuts, Sea Salt and Meringue

April 30, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Dessert

I don't consider myself a baker. As a matter of fact, I had never made any desserts (other than crepes, but I usually fill them with ham and cheese) up until a couple of years ago. The reason is simple- I'm not a fan of sweets. I will eat a light fruit dessert, but I seldom have a sweet tooth. When I tell this to people, usually their first reaction is to ask me if I'm kidding.

Growing up, I was the odd kid for not liking chocolate and sweets. When I got candy for Easter, Christmas or other special occasions from relatives and friends, I would just save them in my drawer and later trade them for fruit or sell them so that I could buy savory things. My sister was OK with this as she always got to eat my piece of cake. We fought a lot as kids, but it was never over dessert.

The situation hasn't changed much to this day, except now my girlfriend gets to eat all the chocolate and sweets in the house. Desserts are never a topic that we argue about. In her book, no dinner is complete without something sweet at the end. She doesn't have a sweet tooth, but rather a sweet megalodon.

As you might have guessed key lime pie isn’t exactly a dessert I had growing up in Eastern Europe. I first tasted it a few years ago and instantly liked it. The creamy texture of the filling combined with the crunchiness of the crust was something that got my attention. I found it to be my type of dessert- not too sweet, tart, and with an added citrus kick from the lime zest.

Although I knew that I found my favorite American dessert, It never actually crossed my mind to try making it on my own, thinking that it required some sort of special baking skills. Also, I feel like baking leaves me with little room for creativity. Baking is chemistry and bakers are very precise, something that I can't say about myself even though I'm an engineer. If you mess up the ratios in a cake recipe it is very likely that your dessert is either going to look like crap or taste like crap, if not both. Neither scenario is encouraging to me.

It was just this year that I made my first key lime pie. The inspiration came when we were visiting Roni's mom while she was recovering from surgery. I was warned that her sister would bring a key lime pie. THE key lime pie, as her family refers to it. What I wasn't warned about was that the pie would disappear within the blink of an eye. Suddenly I realized how different my life would've been, had I actually liked sweets as a kid. It would have been a struggle having to fight over every piece of dessert with my sister in the same way I now had to fight with Roni's family to get a bite of THE pie.

"I can totally make one of these”, I caught myself saying aloud and then started to browse the internet for recipes. I studied recipe after recipe and to my surprise none of them sounded that difficult. Why had I been so scared about baking it? This particular time I was scared because I have the bad habit of talking before thinking and found myself promising my girlfriend's family to match THE pie both in taste and presentation.

And I did! I did match it and honestly think that I topped it. It wasn't easy, but by no means was it difficult.

I prefer to use key limes (obviously), because I feel like they are less tart and a tad more bitter and smoother than the Persian ones. If it's difficult for you to get a hold of them, use regular Persian ones, but maybe reduce the amount of lime juice to 3/4 of a cup, unless you like your pie really tart.

My twist to the traditional recipe is the use of two secret ingredients: sea salt and walnuts. They will make the crust even crunchier adding more texture to the pie. The crust will contrast well with the smooth and creamy filling and the fluffiness of the meringue.

KEY LIME PIE WITH WALNUTS, SEA SALT AND MERINGUE

Serves 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cup graham crackers
1/2 cup English walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling

3-4 egg yolks (pasture raised)
1 TBS lime zest
20 oz condensed milk
15-20 key limes, juiced (about 1/2 cup)

Meringue

3-4 egg whites
1/2 tsp kosher salt (a pinch)
1/2 TBS lime zest
1 TBS lemon juice
2-3 TBS white sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
Whiz the graham crackers and walnuts in a food processor. In a bowl mix the crumbled crackers and walnuts, brown sugar and sea salt. Slowly add melted butter and mix well until the crumbs are evenly coated.
Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Put it in the oven to bake for about 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Don't worry too much if it doesn't look cooked yet, as it will return to the oven soon.
Lower the heat in the oven to 340F (170C).
In a separate bowl combine egg yolks and lime zest. Beat the mixture until the eggs become thick. Pour in the condensed milk and whisk for about 2-3 minutes. Finally add the lime juice and mix until well blended and smooth (another 2-3 minutes).
Pour the filling into the cooled crust to the top edge. Return the pie to the oven and cook for not more than 10-12 minutes.
In the meantime, mix egg whites, salt, lime zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Turn the mixer on high and slowly pour in the sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. A good test to see if they are stiff enough is to slowly turn the bowl sideways or upside down without the meringue slipping out.
Remove the pie from the oven then raise the heat to 375F (190C) again. Cover the pie with the meringue and return it to the oven for about 8 more minutes until the peaks become golden brown.
Allow the pie cool down to room temperature then chill it in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours. Serve cold and enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Salsa

April 26, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Condiment

I love Mexican cuisine and all of its American variations: Tex-Mex, New Mexican, Rancho, etc. I can't resist the bold flavors that fresh ingredients bring into these dishes, the a mix of hearty meats and cheeses with all kinds of sauces and vegetables.

In certain ways the abundance of flavors, textures and spices remind me of Eastern European cooking. In Romania we have a spread called zacusca which has a bunch of variations in the Balkans like ajvar, ljutenica or pindjur. All of them are vegetable-based with ingredients like onions, peppers and tomatoes, and sometimes aubergines, mushrooms and beans. If you think about Mexican salsas, they are not that different ingredients-wise. One thing that's not common between the two is that the salsas are served fresh, whereas the relishes/spreads in the Eastern European cuisine are preserved.

What blows my mind is that, even though the two cultures are so different and the two regions are so far away from each other, there are still similarities when it comes to flavors and ingredients.

I find salsa to be one of the most important ingredients in Mexican food. A good salsa has the ability to make a decent dish amazing. It's the ingredient that will take your taco or burrito game to the next level. What's amazing about them is how easily they can be made. If you read my previous blog post, I shared my Blackened Fish Taco recipe. That taco is marvelous as is, but if you add a spoon of this salsa or my other favorite, the TacoDeli-inspired Doña salsa (recipe to come), I guarantee that your tasting taste buds will have an orgasm.

This salsa recipe is my take on a traditional charred vegetable salsa. I've tried several other combinations and this is the best I could come up with. I added a little twist by grilling the lime and adding a bit of cumin, but the main ingredients are the traditional onions, peppers and tomatoes.

My version is on the milder side of the spectrum. I use poblano and jalapeño peppers instead of serranos and I usually remove the seeds and most of the white membrane that holds the seeds (placental tissue). That's not because I don’t like heat, but because it’s a good balance to my more fiery salsa mentioned above. You can use it for your tacos, burritos, on your breakfast eggs or as a dip with warm corn tortilla chips. No matter how you eat it, this salsa is going to make your food taste better.

Enjoy!

Roasted vegetable salsa

Yields 2-3 cups
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes, halved
1 large red onion, halved
1/2 medium yellow onion, halved
2 poblano peppers, halved and deseeded
1 jalapeño, halved and deseeded
1 bulb garlic, halved
1 lime, halved
2 tsp olive oil, drizzled
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced (about 1-2 TBS fresh lime juice)
1/2 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
salt, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. If you're using your oven pre-heat it to 425F (220C) degrees.
Place the tomatoes, onions, poblano and jalapeño peppers, garlic and lime halves in a medium bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. The amount of salt shouldn't matter at this point so don't sweat too much over it.
Transfer the vegetables to the grill. If you're roasting them in the oven, transfer them to a baking tray that's lined with aluminum foil.
Grill until the veggies are blistered and charred, about 10-15 minutes, turning them occasionally.
Remove the vegetables from the grill. Start with the tomatoes as they cook faster. If you're broiling them in the oven, jut take the tray out and let them cool for a bit.
Once the veggies are cooled down, press the garlic out of its shell, remove the skins of the tomatoes and peppers, clean the peel off the onions and gently squeeze the charred limes into the food processor. Make sure that only the juice gets out of the lime because the pulp and the white membrane is going to make your salsa bitter.
Transfer the vegetables and juices to a food processor, add the cilantro and pulse until you reach your preferred level of chunkiness. Add the lime juice, cumin, black pepper and salt to taste and pulse one more time to mix in the spices.
Transfer to a mason jar and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. If properly cooled, it will stays good for about 10 days.

Blackened Fish Tacos with Pickled Onions and Mango Salsa →

April 23, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Main Dish

The warm weather finally arrived. And if you live in Texas like I do, by warm I mean hot. I am personally not a big fan of torrid weather mostly because here in Austin, summers seem to never end. It's always hot and the cold weather seems to last for 2 weeks max. Back home in Romania, I was used to eating hearty food year-round, but it just doesn't feel right in this heat. My appetite diminishes. I crave simple, refreshing and easy dishes like tacos.

I am a taco fan, but my girlfriend is their number one fan. She's a taco groupie. As a matter of fact, she's fairly convinced that tacos are the ultimate food. She will have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack. You know how they say that there are seasonal dishes? Hearty and heavy during the colder months, and light and simple during the warmer ones? Well for Roni the taco season lasts all year long (and most Austinites would agree).

And you know what? She's right. Tacos are awesome! What's great about them is that they can be done with minimal effort and cooking skills. Heck, you can build them based on personal preference! If you're a health freak grill your protein, add veggies and go easy on the cheese and salsas. If you're a filthy animal like me, pan-roast your protein and then load your tacos with cheese instead of veggies and top everything with your favorite salsa (a few recipes to come).

The choices are endless. Next time you plan a trip to Austin, go to Veracruz, TacoDeli, Taco More or Papalote and experience it for yourself. You will find all sorts of tacos from pork or fish to cauliflower or beans. Put eggs in them and call them breakfast tacos. You can't go wrong with tacos.

I consider myself a newbie to the taco scene. I ate them for the first time 4 years ago when I moved to Austin from Hungary. I clearly remember that moment- I had a Baja Shrimp and a Mr. Pink at Torchy's. From that minute I knew that I had to start making them for myself.

My obsession with tacos escalated to the point where I turned my sister into a taco junkie. Two years ago she visited me and stayed for 2 weeks. I took her to different places so she can experience the Austin food scene, but the one thing she kept mentioning (and still does when we Skype) are the tacos. She became addicted to them. She was so desperate that when she returned to Hungary she packed (read: loaded) fresh cilantro and bottles of salsa in her luggage. Ever since I call her the Pablo Escobar of cilantro.

Over the years I have tried several recipes and experimented with non-conventional ingredients only to come to the same conclusion - keep it simple. As I was playing with the different variations and flavors I became more and more interested in breakfast tacos and fish tacos, as they are the two types of tacos that people are most opinionated about. I've tried several spice combinations for blackening the fish and I can confidently say that after 4 years I found the perfect one.

The combination of flavors in this recipe is amazing. The sweetness of the mango will cancel out the tartness of the pickled onions and the heat of the jalapeños, while the warm tortilla and flakey fish chunks will melt in our mouth.

Now enough with the talk, let's get down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with the perfect Blackened Fish Taco!

BLACKENED FISH TACOS WITH PICKLED ONIONS AND MANGO SALSA

Serves 3-4
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Blackened Fish Tacos

2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 big tilapia fillets (replace with sea bass, flounder, halibut, catfish, cod)
1/2 cup peanut oil (or canola oil, or sunflower seeds oil)
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs rosemary or thyme
9-12 tortillas (corn, wheat or flour)

Pickled onions

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
10-15 black peppercorns, whole
3 whole cloves, whole
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 big red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup carrots, julliened or grated

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, deseeded and diced
1/2 poblano pepper, deseeded and diced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
salt, to taste

Instructions

Blackened Fish Tacos

In a small bowl combine smoked paprika, Hungarian paprika, garlic and onion powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
Dry the fillets thoroughly with paper towels then coat each fish fillet with plenty of spice mix. Let them rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is sizzling, add the fillets and cook for 3 minutes on each side.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter, crushed garlic and the sprigs of aromatic herbs. Continue cooking the fillets turning them over a few times (so that they brown evenly) and basting with the lightly browned butter. Cook for about 3 more minutes until fish is white and opaque.
Transfer the fillets to a serving platter and let it rest for a few minutes.
Break up the fish into chunks and assemble the tacos on a warm tortilla (corn is my personal favorite) by adding pickled onions and mango salsa.

Pickled Onions

In a small saucepan mix vinegar, water, brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk for about 5 minutes until all sugar is dissolved.
Add onions and carrots to the pan and gently stir to combine. Remove from the heat after 1 minute.
Let the mixture cool down to room temperature then transfer it to a mason jar or to a hermetic glass container.
I prefer the way they taste after refrigerated for at least an hour.

Mango Salsa

In a medium bowl mix mango, bell pepper, green and red onions, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño and poblano peppers. Squeeze the lime all over the salsa and season with pepper and salt to your liking. Toss and combine.
Keep refrigerated for an hour before serving. That way the flavors will blend and the salsa (pico) will taste a lot better.

Collard Greens and Brisket Brisket Spanish Tortilla

April 19, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Breakfast/Brunch

It's the weekend and my dog Popsi wakes me up early just like on any other day of the week. I get up, let her out and follow her into the backyard. As I soon as I set foot on the lawn she brings me her tennis ball to fetch a few times. Even though my eyes are still not completely open and every ray of light bothers me, I comply. Twenty fetches in I realize that I'm hungry. Starving. I need something that is hearty and satisfying, but not breakfast tacos because I had that yesterday. I'm too lazy to get dressed and go somewhere to grab a bite, so I decide to take a look at what's in the fridge.

I open it and see the usual suspects: eggs, cheese and milk. I look at the shelf below and I see a big tupperware with leftover brisket from my girlfriend's family's passover dinner the night before. It was delicious, but I can't have that for breakfast. I'm not a barbarian.

I move on and look into the veggie box that was delivered to us by our a local CSA, Johnson's Backyard Garden. The first thing that catches my attention is a big leafy bunch of greens: collard greens according to the label. I go on an investigation to find out what exactly they are and what they are called in Romanian or Hungarian. After all, how am I going to tell my parents what I cooked when we meet on Skype at noon?

I can't find how they translate, but I discover that collard greens are in the same family as cabbage and broccoli. Here in the south they are traditionally cooked with bacon and garlic, so I decide to saute them with shallots and garlic then add some of that brisket and finish it up with eggs and cheese. I don't want it to be loose and jiggly like the french omelette nor do I want it to be fluffy like an Italian frittata. Instead I want something dense, like a cake. So I took the Spanish Tortilla approach.

I used brisket, but you can use whatever you'd like. Do you have leftover steak or pork chops from last night's dinner? Put it in there. Mushrooms? No problem. You aren't from the South and you hate collard greens? Replace them with spinach or potatoes. Play with the flavors. After all it's hard to mess up anything with eggs.

¡Buen provecho!

Collard Greens and Brisket Spanish Tortilla

Serves 3-5
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 TBS unsalted butter
1 TBS olive oil
2 medium shallots, finely chopped (or 1 medium yellow onion)
3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 large bunch collard greens, roughly chopped
1/3 cup beef stock (or water)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound brisket, chopped
8 eggs (pasture raised)
1 cup Manchego cheese, grated
1/2 cup whole milk (or cream)
salt, to taste

Garnish

1 tsp sweet paprika
green onions or chives, to garnish
sour cream (or crème fraîche), optional

Instructions

Start by heating up the oven to 375F (190C) degrees. By the time you're done with the preparation the oven should be at an ideal temperature.
In a large oven proof skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add shallots and saute for about 5 minutes until they become golden brown. Add garlic and stir for another 2 minutes. Make sure you don't burn the garlic, as it becomes bitter.
Add collard greens and stock to the skillet and saute for 5 minutes until the greens are almost wilted. You don't want to overcook the greens so don't worry if they don't look entirely cooked.
Add the brisket, black pepper and salt to taste and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste the brisket before using it to get familiar with its saltiness.
In the meantime, in a large bowl beat the eggs until they become light yellow and foamy. Mix in the milk or cream, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper and the grated cheese.
Reduce heat under the collard greens and brisket to medium. Pour the egg mix into the skillet and flatten out the top. Cook until the sides are set, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to occasionally loosen the eggs from the edges of the pan.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and let it cook until the top becomes golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
Sprinkle green onions and sweet paprika all over it. You can top it with a dollop of sour cream for an Eastern European touch.
Serve in the skillet or slide the tortilla on a plate.

Hungarian Chicken Paprikash With Parsley Nokedli

April 12, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Main Dish, Side Dish

Ever since I first though about starting a blog I knew that the first post would be my favorite dish - Chicken Paprikash, or as I know it, paprikás csirke. It's the dish that most vividly reminds me of my childhood- those cold days when my family would sit around the table and eat a big bowl (or two) of this hearty dish. Once the meat and spaetzle was gone, my mom would take out a loaf of freshly baked bread and a huge fight would ensue between my sister and I over who gets the crusty end of the loaf. We would then clean out our bowls better than any dishwasher ever could.

The first time I had a big group of friends over for dinner here in the U.S., I cooked them our family's paprikash recipe. Some of them heard of it before, some of them didn't, but everyone loved it. They loved it so much that I didn't even get leftovers which never happened to me before. And given that Eastern Europeans cook huge portions and a minimum of 3 dishes that’s saying something. The first cooking lesson my grandma ever taught me was that everything tastes better if cooked in big batches.

Many variation of this dish have evolved as it wandered its way out of Hungary, but a traditional paprikash is made with whole pieces of chicken (bones in), Hungarian waxed peppers, onions, sour cream, and of course a lot of Hungarian paprika.

I can't emphasize enough on how important the Hungarian paprika is to this dish. Its name translates to chicken with paprika. So before you ask me if you can substitute the Hungarian paprika with a different type, the answer is absolutely not. Do you think the Hungarians would name paprika their national spice if there wasn't something special and unique about it? It's not that hard to find and if you get to choose, go with the one from the town of Szeged.

Traditionally the paprikash is served with nokedli, the Hungarian variation of spaetzle, but it also can be served with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes or fresh bread. Hungarians are very proud of their cuisine, so don’t go trying to ask for spaetzle if you find yourself in Hungary.

The secret of a good nokedli is the eggs. My mom taught me to add 1 egg for each cup of flour. That will make the nokedli rich and tasty and it will give it a beautiful yellow color. The parsley is a little twist that I added to the traditional recipe. If you don't like parsley you can omit it, or replace it with finely chopped spinach or kale.

The dish itself is very simple and comforting and it will fill your home with its rich, fragrant aroma on a cold day. So what are you waiting for? Go make it yourself before the warm summer days get here.

Jó étvágyat (bon appétit)!

Hungarian Chicken Paprikash with parsley nokedli

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 75 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Paprikash

4 TBS canola oil (for best flavor, use duck fat or lard)
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 TBS Hungarian paprika
5 cloves garlic, crushed and finely minced
2 TBS chicken stock
3 pounds chicken (thighs, drums, wings, breast)
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp caraway seeds, ground (or cumin)
1 TBS Hungarian pepper paste (Erős Pista or Red Gold), optional
3 Hungarian waxed peppers, chopped
2 tomatoes (or 2 TBS tomato paste), chopped
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
salt, to taste

Parsley Nokedli(Spaetzle)

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp peanut oil
4 eggs (pasture-raised is best)
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 TBS butter
salt, to taste
1/2 black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Chicken Parikash

Heat up a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil, duck fat or lard and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is shimmering add the chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes until the onions become translucent. Ensure that the onions don't get burned by mixing them often.
Take the pot off the heat and add the paprika, salt and pepper. Stir well.
Add garlic to the mix and return the pot to the stove. Reduce the heat to medium and add a 2 tablespoons of stock. Cook for about 5 minutes until the broth evaporates.
Add the chicken to the pot. Mix well and make sure the fragrant mix coats well each piece of chicken. Brown the chicken for about 5 minutes.
Add thyme, bay leaves, cumin, Hungarian pepper paste (if using), waxed peppers and tomato. Stir and add the remaining stock. It should almost cover the chicken. If it doesn't or if you'd like more sauce, feel free to add more broth.
Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and then reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes stirring it gently every now and then.
This is the time when you can move on to prepare the nokedli.
When the chicken is done you'll see the meat falling off the bone. That's when you temper the sour cream by transferring one spoon at a time of hot gravy from the chicken to the bowl of cream. You want to slowly raise the temperature of the sour cream. This way you prevent the sour cream from curdling when added to the hot chicken. Once tempered, you pour the sour cream mixture into the pot and stir to combine.
Add salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Bring everything to a quick boil and then remove from the stove. It's ready!

Parsley Nokedli

In a bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, oil and the eggs.
Slowly add water to the flour mix until you reach a smooth and thick consistency for the dough. The dough should flow easily, but shouldn't be runny. I usually use a whisk to avoid lumps in the dough.
Mix in the finely chopped parsley. If parsley isn't your thing you can replace it with spinach or greens/herbs of your preference.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a good amount of salt and 1 tsp oil. Don't sweat too much over the amount of salt you add. The primary reason for adding salt to the water is to reduce the gelation of the starch in the nokedli. Adding flavor to it is just a side effect.
Use your choice of spaetzle making tool to drop the dumplings into the boiling water. My mother used to make them with a teaspoon, but I'm lazy and prefer to use a spaetzle maker. A grater or potato ricer will work as well though.
The nokedli is cooked when they float to the surface, so use a fine sieve to scoop the cooked ones from the pot. Make sure not to overcook them, because their taste and texture change when overcooked . Normally it shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes to float to the surface, but then it all depends on their size.
Drain well and move to a bowl.
Add butter while they are still warm and sprinkle fresh ground pepper and salt all over them.

NOTES

It is important that you add the paprika when the pot is off the heat because it burns very easy and that's when it becomes bitter.