Pork and Cabbage Goulash

Longtime readers of No Free Lunch know that I am a big fan of stews. We have traveled from Ireland to France to Belgium, and even to Africa in search of the most delicious stews. Today, we land in a new country: Hungary. Goulash is a dish virtually synonymous with Hungary, though the dish has become popular, in various forms, all over central and eastern Europe. My version is based on  the Goulash à la Széged recipe from Plachutta and Wagner's 100 Classic Dishes of Austria (Hungary's neighbor and historical partner). The biggest difference is that their recipe, and others I have found, use sauerkraut. Cooking for someone who does not like sauerkraut, I used fresh cabbage instead. For those wishing to use sauerkraut, simply add a pound of sauerkraut to the stew about halfway through cooking instead.

There are two interesting ingredients at work here. The first is Hungarian paprika, also called sweet paprika. This type of paprika has a nice pungency and is less dark in color than others. I have seen it in grocery stores, so I don't think it is terribly hard to find, but other paprika can be substituted if unavailable. The other ingredient is caraway. I had never used it before, but it is apparently quite common in central European cuisine. The aroma is quite striking, and it immediately struck me as the smell of rye bread, which is flavored with caraway.

Ingredients

• 2 lb pork shoulder
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs flour
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 1/2 Tbs Hungarian paprika
• 2 tsp caraway
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 lb cabbage, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Canola oil

For serving

• Sour cream
• Boiled potatoes

Instructions

I used two different vessels -- a saute pan and a stock pot -- to prepare this dish. I will refer to these as the "pan" and the "pot." With a large enough dutch oven or similar equipment, it could be made using one. However, using two does speed things up a bit.

Cut the pork into one inch squares. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Heat some oil in the pan on medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the pork on both sides and set aside. This should take 3-4 batches. Be sure not to crowd the pan.

While the pork is browning, heat some oil in the pot on medium heat. Brown the onions. When the pork is almost done, add the garlic to the pot. Once the pork is all browned, add it to the pot. Add flour and mix together. Add chicken stock, paprika, caraway, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce to low and simmer.

While the stew cooks, clean out the saute pan. Work in batches to cook down the cabbage. Heat a little oil on medium heat, fill with cabbage and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes. Add each batch to the pot when done.

Let the stew cook on low heat for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with boiled potatoes and top with sour cream. If preferred, noodles or dumplings could be substituted for the potatoes.

Discussion

Compared to the original recipe, I have greatly increased the amount of onion. The original is also quite vague and does not do any pre-browning of the meat, a step I find difficult to omit.