Thursday, December 25, 2014

Goulash: Western Take on an Eastern Specialty

Traditional goulash is more of a soup than a stew.  We had an excellent example of it this summer made by our friend Maria over an open fire. Rather than try to copy that recipe, we decided to make something a little more in line with the Western versions that have evolved over the years. Here is the recipe we developed.  Frying the paprika dredged meat imparts it with the colour of beef roasted over an open fire.  Braising it slowly in the oven breaks down the connective tissue in the meat from the shank and allows you to savour it's phenomenal taste without the toughness. Overall the recipe has a rich and hearty balance of flavours that combines the sweetness of the tomatoes and smoked paprika with the mild spiciness of the czabi and the sourness of the lemon juice.  


Makes 16-18 servings

In a large bowl combine:
6 tablespoons of flour
6 tablespoons of smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Dredge:
4 lbs of cubed beef shank (meat only)
in the mixture.  Melt:
3 tablespoons of bacon grease
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Brown the meat in the hot fat, adding extra if necessary.  Put aside the beef in a strainer.  Remove all but:
2 tbsps of fat
From the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and fry:
3 large onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Until they begin to brown at the edges.  Add:
1/2 cup of tomato paste
and fry for another 5 minutes.  Transfer the meat, tomato paste, and onions to a large dutch oven  and add:
1 litre of San Marzano tomato sauce
1 litre of diced tomatoes
2 cups of beef stock
2 medium spicy Hungarian czabi sausagues, chopped
6 bay leaves
1 tsp caraway seeds
And bring to a simmer over high heat.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  When the mixture is simmering transfer it to the oven and cook covered for 3 hours, checking occasionally to stir and make sure it is still simmering. A half an hour before the end add:
2 large red peppers, chopped
Remove from the oven and skim any fat from the top. Add:
Juice of 1 lemon
and add:
Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. 
Serve with a:
Dollop of sour cream.

The lemon juice is a critical element of the balance of the recipe, so don't omit it because it seems odd.  Similarly, the czabi imparts a mild spiciness that infuses the dish without overpowering it.  Finally while frying in a mixture of pork and beef fat may not make this health food, it creates a flavour that is truly divine.  Egészségére!

Merry Christmas from the Hotel Cavell!

It's been a busy year that hasn't afforded a great deal of time for posting here.  I have regretted that for a while now, and made a promise to myself to post something before the new year. Christmas morning madness is done, the mess cleaned up, and brunch is behind us.  The kitchen is clean, there is a pot of stock simmering on the stove.  Soon the whole family will take a nap before Christmas dinner at my sister-in-laws this afternoon.  This will be followed by me returning to writing for my masters while Suzy works nights tonight.  Until then, here is a quick update on what's been going on in the kitchen at the Hotel Cavell.

Beyond the usual canning, cooking this year has been particularly challenging.  Working on mymasters, looking for a new job, then a different schedule that came with the new job, and Jane taking six weeks vacation made everything harder.  At the beginning of December Suzy and I took a page from the old ways, and put together a meal plan.  It's not prescriptive so much as a pattern, and it goes like this:

Sunday - "Big Cook" - Lots of extra to store for future meals
Monday - Soup
Tuesday - Grilled meat
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Order in (usually pizza from our favourite joint, Bona Pizza on Donlands)
Saturday - It depends - Saturdays are varied, so we play them by ear

Leftovers from the day before become lunch the next day.  Grocery lists are prepared in advance and scheduled.

Over the past month eating out and general waste of food has gone way down. The stress that used to come from having to answer the question of, "what are we having for dinner," has vanished in the face of certainty.  It's also one less decision to make in what has been a hectic time.  For the first time in living memory the Christmas presents were bought and wrapped before Christmas Eve.  Only Christmas cards were a bridge too far this year, as we lost all of our addresses to a nasty bit of malware several weeks back.

The other side effect has been that we've been trying out new recipes for the first time in a while.  Jambalaya, Goulash, Almedras Saldanas, and an update on our classic pea soup recipe are just a few examples.  I will be putting up the recipes again as well, as we seldom cook right off the page...

Until then, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!