Poppy Seed Noodles

Egg noodles tossed with butter and poppy seeds. Three ingredients, twenty-five minutes, and a side dish that’s been showing up next to schnitzel, goulash, and braised pork on Eastern European tables for generations. The Hungarians call it mákos tészta, the Poles make it for Christmas Eve, and the Austrians serve it with roasts.

What makes it work is the way poppy seeds taste against hot butter. They give up a faint, nutty, almost smoky aroma when warmed in fat that’s nothing like their flat raw flavor. Stirring them with the butter and noodles together off the heat is what coats every strand evenly without burning the seeds.

Use wide egg noodles. Their flat surface holds the butter and seeds far better than thin spaghetti or rotini. The egg in the noodle dough also matches up flavor-wise with the butter and seeds in a way wheat-only pasta doesn’t.

Variations

• Stir in a tablespoon of sugar and a splash of milk for the sweet Hungarian mákos tészta dessert version
• Add a clove of grated garlic and a handful of chopped parsley for a more savory side
• Toss in a quarter cup of grated Parmesan for an Italian-leaning twist that pairs better with chicken than pork