Paneer Makhani

For the first recipe of the year, I'm charging forward into the uncharted territory of north Indian cuisine. While I love Indian food, it's very far outside of my area of expertise (such as it is). When I eat at a great Indian restaurant, I'm amazed by the depth and complexity of the flavors that can only come from a mastery of the vast library of spices used on the subcontinent. As an amateur, it is difficult to match this, but it is certainly fun to play around with new flavors. I'm very happy with how this dish turned out, and would encourage anyone to give it a try.

Paneer makhani is a Punjabi style dish that combines Indian cheese with a rich tomato sauce. It is similar to the famous murgh makhani, also known as "butter chicken." Perhaps the most interesting component of the sauce is the addition of cashews, something I had never considered before. I enjoyed having the nuttiness in sauce, adding another layer to the flavors. As the name suggests, butter is also a big part of the sauce. It would be possible to replace at least some of the butter with oil and the cream with half and half to lighten it up if desired.

As I usually do with dishes I have never made before, I took to the internet to come up with a recipe. The recipes widely differed on the herbs and spices and even on the cream. I have done my best to come up with a version with the most consistently used ingredients, and it turned out great. I attempt to strike a balance between tradition and accessibility. As such, I generally avoid whole spices, which traditional Indian recipes start with. You can certainly go this route, however, and I'm sure the results will be even better.

The two exotic ingredients here are the paneer and fenugreek leaves. Paneer is a firm, mild cheese that is quite common in Indian cuisine, often compared with cottage cheese. I have been able to buy it frozen from an Asian store. It can also be made at home, but I have not tried this. From my research, I found that fenugreek leaves are very much a staple herb for Indian cooking. Despite this, they were hard to find. I went to two different Asian groceries, and couldn't find them. I finally got a hold of them at an Indian store. If buying fenugreek, keep in mind the box may use the Hindi name kasoori methi.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup unsalted cashews (pieces are fine)
• 3 Tbs butter
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 Tbs grated garlic (about 2 large cloves)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbs fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), see notes following recipe
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 cup crushed tomato
• Approx. 1 cup water
• Salt to taste
• 400 g (14 oz) paneer
• 2 Tbs cream

Instructions

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cashews. Cook a few minutes and add ginger and garlic. Cook together a few more minutes. Add the bay leaves, fenugreek, garam masala, cardamom, and cinnamon. Stir in and cook down another minute.

Add the crushed tomato and about 1/2 cup water. Stir together, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, cut the paneer into small pieces, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch on a side. I cut my slab into 36 pieces.

Blend the sauce into a smooth mixture. Add more water as needed. It is easiest to use an immersion blender, but a regular blender or food processor could be used. Taste the sauce and add salt to taste. Add the paneer and stir to coat. Cook another five minutes, stirring as you go. The idea is just to get the paneer heated through. Before serving, stir in the cream. I served with steamed rice and baked chicken.

Notes

The amount of fenugreek leaves (1 Tbs) is in line with the recipes I found online typically use. When I made the dish, I misread my notes as 1 tsp, so I have not tested it with the intended amount. It still turned out very well, but I preserve the original proportions in the recipe.

The same basic sauce can be used to make the chicken version (murgh makhani). Marinate chicken in yogurt, lemon juice, and spices. Grill or bake the chicken, cut into small pieces, and add to the sauce in place of the paneer.

Four Years of No Free Lunch

No Free Lunch reaches its fourth birthday today! It's fun for me to look back at the last 116 posts and have a pretty good record of the things I ate in the last four years, minus a lengthy break. 2015 was a good year for the blog, and I almost hit my goal of getting at least one post in a month. Being able to pay homage to great family traditions (and not just my own) with Sam's Spaghetti and Indy's family bean recipe were certainly highlights. I had always envisioned this blog having a somewhat wider scope than it currently has, and going into 2016 I am going to experiment with some different kinds of articles, in addition to the recipes. I want to focus a bit more on the culture around food and drink, so stay tuned. As always, be sure to follow me on Twitter for the newest posts.

To celebrate the birthday of the blog, I invite you to join me on a trip back through time as we examine some of my favorite posts. Looking back to the first few months of the blog, it is quite apparently I am now a vastly better cook. Yet, I'm proud of the pace I achieved, and there is still some great stuff from the "classic" era of No Free Lunch. Let the nostalgic self-indulgence begin!

Grandma's Tangyuan

Also known as "peanut butter balls," this was the third recipe I wrote. More importantly, this is what convinced Grandma that I wasn't going to starve to death while living alone. As a bonus, this is the clearest shot of the faux-granite in my old apartment. I still enjoy these from time to time, though I haven't made them in a while. Like many early recipes, an update may be forthcoming with corrected proportions.

Guinness Stew

In week 2 of the blog, I launched the rather ambitions "Pub Week" with the first of what would turn out to be several posts on booze-based stews. This was the first time I used the internet to cobble together a recipe for a post and, it turned out great. Jason's attempt at it was judged "SOOO GOOD" by his future wife. You're welcome.

Scotch Eggs

Pub Week continued with the first time I really nailed the presentation and the photo. Just looking at those makes me want to break out the Fry Daddy. Scotch Eggs turned out to be surprisingly easy to make, and are well worth it.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This was easily the most complex recipe on the blog when it was posted. This is what made me really start to expand my spice cabinet, and I haven't looked back. While I have not made it again in the years since, I remain very proud of this one. That being said, I do still use the marinade for chicken.

Portuguese Chicken

This one makes the list because it remains, to this day, the most visited page on the blog. If I were to make it today, it would be a little different, and probably better, but it is what it is. As I noted at the time, this is a fairly obscure dish in English-language sources. This is one that could be well worth an update.

Char Siu

This is one of the recipes on the blog I make the most often. This one really launched my ongoing obsession with Chinese fermented bean products, which now occupy an entire shelf in my fridge. This is another one I have tinkered with over the years, and is probably due for an update. It is also a (very?) long term goal to create fluffy char siu bao, and I hope for them to make an appearance here one day.

Minnesota Hotdish

Sometimes the old ways are the best. In some ways, this is a guiding principle of No Free Lunch, and nothing exemplifies that spirit like a good old hotdish. It's truly a comfort food for the Midwestern soul. I also happen to have made one today!

Rava Kesari

How could we forget my attempt at rava kesari? To date, it's the only dessert recipe I have posted, and, to western eyes, a very obscure one. Without a doubt my favorite Indian dessert, it's always a treat to find at Indian restaurants. This is definitely one I'll be trying to perfect in the future.

Ariel's Amazing Strawberry Jam

Ariel hijacked my blog and wrote all in yellow. The jam was great, and I hope she will make some more contributions in time. I certainly couldn't make 150 potstickers in a day without her there to roll out the dough!

Grandpa's French Bread

Family traditions have always been an important cornerstone of No Free Lunch, and I can think of no better example than this. I practically grew up on this stuff. A slice of French bread with a piece of cheese melted on top was a great after school snack. This bread remains my go-to recipe.

Emerald Fried Rice

Fried rice has been a staple of my diet my entire life, so it's no surprise No Free Lunch has featured no less than four recipes, including the very first one. This one is my favorite, and it reminded me to stop overthinking fried rice. If anyone asks how to season fried rice, you tell them "salt and Worcestershire sauce." Really, that's it.

Lovers' Shrimp

Peimei's Chinese Cookbook has been a huge inspiration, and I've really enjoyed making and writing about these classic recipes. Lovers' Shrimp quickly became a household favorite, and it's always a great option for a fast and easy dinner. Try adding some minced garlic for a nice variation.

Chopped Liver

Four years ago, I never would have imagined I would be rendering my own chicken fat. With that done, I suppose it was only a matter of time for the meat grinder to come out. It was a real treat to be able to contribute to a Passover tradition, and doing so completely from scratch made it even better.

Shredded Pork with Steamed Buns

This post has possibly the best photo on blog, really showing how much better food looks when photographed outdoors. This meal came together very well, combining two different Peimei recipes into a real standout post.

Chicken Kebabs

Out of anything on No Free Lunch, this is probably the one I am currently making most regularly. A great dinner couldn't be easier than this: mix chicken pieces, yogurt, spices and throw it on the grill a few hours later. If you're lacking skewers and a grill you could easily broil them on a sheet pan.

Potstickers, the Hard Way

It took three posts and almost four years of tinkering to finally perfect my potstickers. First came the addition of cabbage to the filling. Then dissatisfaction with frozen skins lead to rolling our own dough. Finally, the filling came up to scratch with black mushrooms, ginger, and seasoning. I am very proud of how these came out, and they are easily one of No Free Lunch's greatest achievements.


Well, there we have it, a trip back in time. If you have any suggestions on what to cover this year, let me know in the comments!

Sautéed Chicken Chengdu Style (成都子鷄)

A few days ago, Ariel asked me to make "five spice chicken," which I had apparently made before from a Peimei recipe. Unfortunately, I had no idea what this was and had no recollection of making it. I eventually realized it was an edited version of her "Sautéed Chicken Chengdu Style." The Chinese name (Chengdu ziji - Chengdu chicken) refers to the capital city of Sichuan province. As such, the recipe includes the two classic hallmarks of Sichuanese food: Sichuan peppercorn and hot bean paste. Peimei very rarely uses five spice, but I find it is a useful substitute for the peppercorns if a less pungent flavor is desired. 

This is an interesting recipe coming from Peimei. With no marinade and no deep frying, this one is unusually quick and hassle-free. I follow the basic premise of the dish, but make significant alterations to my own taste; as such, this one is best considered "inspired by" Peimei. While simple, this dish is very nice. The chicken is tender and juicy, and the sauce is great soaked up into a bowl of rice. The five spice itself lends a subtle aroma, as opposed to the assertive Sichuan pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken (any parts of your choice)
• 1/2 Tbs five spice powder (can use Sichuan pepper here)
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs minced ginger
• 2 Tbs bean sauce (use hot bean paste or a combination of the two for a spicier dish)
• 1 Tbs sherry or Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbs black vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 Tbs corn starch
• Splash of cold water
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil

The original recipe suggests using a half chicken. I used thighs instead, and whatever you have on hand should work fine. Oddly enough, Peimei says to cut the chicken into cubes, bones and all. This didn't make much sense to me, so I deboned mine. The spice level can be adjusted by mixing regular fermented bean sauce and hot bean paste (doubanjiang). Going full hot bean is very spicy, and you may wish to experiment with half-hot or quarter-hot. I do this to tone down many Sichuanese recipes, such as Mapo doufu. 

Instructions

Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Remove bones, leave skin if desired (I removed it). Heat oil on high heat. Toss chicken with five spice powder. 

Stir fry the chicken for a few minutes, until lightly browned, but not cooked through. Add the celery, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry briefly. Add the bean sauce and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Mix wine, vinegar, sugar, and hot water and add to the pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Mix the corn starch into a paste with a little water and add to the pan. Reduce for a few minutes and stir in green onion. Salt to taste. Serve with rice.

Cheesy Polenta with Spinach and Beans

Most recipes on No Free Lunch fall into two categories: recipes I've tinkered with and perfected over a long time and recipes I've whipped up on the spot that happened to turn out well. This time, I have both. I have been making Alton Brown's polenta quite often for a few years, and it's always been a hit. I have experimented with the amounts of ingredients, and the recipe can be played with quite a bit. In fact, this time I completely forgot the butter, and it still turned out great. It's all a matter of taste.

Recently, I have been trying different ways to prepare beans, and today I came up with a quick and simple spinach and bean combination that goes very well with the polenta. My original plan was just to post the polenta, but the whole thing came together nicely, and I highly recommend giving it a try. That being said, the polenta on its own is great as a side for any dish. I suspect Sam's spaghetti sauce would be a terrific addition, as well.

A quick note on the cornmeal: I find that coarsely ground cornmeal is essential. I always use Goya, which can be found at international grocery stores. I have tried it with regular cornmeal, and it came out rather like paste.

Ingredients

Polenta

• 3/4 cups diced onion (about 2 small onions or 1 large onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
• 4 Tbs grated Parmesan
• 2 Tbs butter (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Spinach and Beans

• 3/4 cups diced onion (about 2 small onions or 1 large onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Large bunch of spinach, about 1 lb
• 1 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used red beans)
• Dash of oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Instructions

Polenta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium heat, enough to cover the bottom. Cook onions until softened. Add garlic and cook a few more minutes. 

Pour chicken stock into the pan and turn heat to high. Once the mixture boils, slowly add the cornmeal while whisking vigorously. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. 

Ready to bake

Remove the pan from the oven and add the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, and butter if desired. Make sure to taste the polenta as you go. Brown's recipe calls for 3 Tbs of butter. I usually cut this down, and it is fine without any, as well. 

Out of the oven

Spinach and Beans

The spinach and beans can be started about halfway through the baking time. Heat some oil in a large saucepan on medium high. Cook onion and garlic as before. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add spinach a handful at a time. Stir in and let each handful wilt a bit before adding the next. Once all the spinach is in, add the beans. Add oregano and season to taste. Stir together and cook for a few more minutes. Turn the heat to low to hold until the polenta is done.

Sam's Spaghetti

Happy Halloween and a happy birthday to my father, Sam. Today, I am pleased to present one of his original creations, a historical recipe from his younger days. In the late 1970s, he was working in his first job out of college. His colleague, Dan, asked if he had a spaghetti sauce recipe, and he came up with something on the fly, and likely forgot all about it. Soon after, both he and Dan had moved on from the company. Decades later, they reconnected, and he learned that "Sam's spaghetti," as it was now known, had become a beloved family tradition. To this day, Dan's (now adult) sons still ask for it.

The sauce itself is quite thick, and a deep red. Using tomato paste is an interesting choice, and gives the sauce a real intensity compared with my usual sauces with crushed tomato as a base (see beef ragù and fettuccine in tomato sauce). This sauce is certainly of the "old school" of Italian-American cookery, but continues to be delicious nearly forty years after its inception.

This version is slightly edited from the one provided by Dan. The original uses "3 mushrooms," but I brought this up a little to use an 8 oz. package. I used my own mixture of herbs rather than the recommended Italian seasoning, which I do not have. Finally, it can be useful to save a little pasta water to thin the sauce to your desired consistency.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 12 oz. tomato paste (1 large can)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked pasta (reserve some of the cooking water)

Instructions

In a large saute pan, heat a bit of olive oil on medium high heat. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until softened. Remove from pan and set aside.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add to the pan with the garlic. Add more oil if needed. Turn heat up to high and cook until the beef is browned. Deglaze the pan with wine. Add tomato paste, water, and herbs. Return the mushrooms and onion to the pan. Mix well and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. This will be just enough time to prepare the pasta. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as desired. If the sauce is too thick, mix in a splash of the pasta water. Serve with grated parmesan.

Potstickers, the Hard Way

I've been working on perfecting my potstickers for years now. I look at my original post from 2012, and it's almost funny how simplistic it is. Last year's "Part II" stepped things up considerably, and at the time I thought that was going to be it. In that post, I said "the entire process is now done from scratch." As it turns out, that wasn't completely true. The day has finally arrived where I decided store-bought ground pork is not good enough. That's right, folks, the meat grinder, passed down from Ariel's bubbie, came out to play for the first time today. You might be wondering if it was worth it. Oh, yes. These are the best potstickers I have ever made. 

Creating the perfect potsticker filling is the real focus of this post, but I also include all the other steps for completeness. As I've mentioned before, grandpa and grandma have always been vague about what goes into the filling, and I have tinkered with it a lot over the years, incorporating elements of other recipes and my own experimentation. I think I've finally nailed it here. The dried mushrooms contribute their nice earthiness. Using both parts of the napa, and lots of it, lightens the texture and adds a little crunch. The classic combination of ginger and garlic comes through on each bite. And then, of course, there's the meat.

The trouble with prepacked ground pork is that the customer typically gets no information about either the cut it came from or the fat content. Contrast this with beef, where you get the lean/fat ratio and the cut (sirloin, chuck, and so forth). Last time I made dumplings, the pork was too lean and they ended up a little dry. I chose pork shoulder for grinding. Importantly, there is a good amount of fat throughout that keeps the dumplings moist. It's also my preferred cut for char siu, which was the delicious destiny of the rest of the roast. Shoulder is also excellent for any kind of stew. Using the rather ancient and venerated grinder was a little intimidating at first, but it ended up working very well. It will no doubt feature in future posts.

This recipe will make at least 150 potstickers, with a little filling left over. It's a good thing they freeze well. I like making potstickers in large batches, as you save time in the long run. You can put frozen potstickers right in the pan and they defrost as they steam for a quick and easy meal. The leftover filling can be cooked like a burger and put on a sandwich. It can be stir fried with a little bean sauce and noodles, or it can go into a frittata. The possibilities are quite endless.

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 lb pork shoulder, with fat
• 2 lb napa, both stalks and leaves
• 1 cup dried black mushrooms, minced (about 12-15 mushrooms)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup green onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs salt
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Extra salt for the napa

Wrappers

• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2/3 cup cold water

Everything Else

• Vegetable oil for frying
• Chinese black vinegar for dipping
• Splash of soy sauce for dipping

Instructions

Filling

Ahead of time, put the mushrooms in a bowl of hot tap water. Let stand at least 30 minutes. Once soaked, remove the stems and finely mince the caps.

Roughly chop the napa, including both the white center parts and the yellowish/greenish leafy parts. In a large bowl, salt the napa and toss to combine. Let stand at least 20 minutes. Working in batches, wrap the napa in a clean towel and wring. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Once this is done, finely chop the napa.

If using ground pork, skip the next step. Otherwise, continue on. Cut the pork into small chunks, making sure to include the fat, and grind. A food processor can be used in place of a grinder. The grinder was quite straightforward to use, and the only challenge was figuring out how to best clamp it down. We ended up opening a drawer to give it room to screw in, and then putting some cardboard on the contact spots to protect the surfaces and stabilize the grinder.

Meat grinder or time machine? Maybe both.

Combine mushrooms, napa, and pork in a large bowl. Add all other filling ingredients and mix thoroughly but gently. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to fill dumplings.

The filling can be varied to taste. A good way to test the filling is to form a small patty and cook it in a frying pan.

Wrappers

Mix the flour and boiling water, and let stand for 3 minutes. Add cold water and knead into a smooth dough. Roll out on a floured surface, as thin as possible. Using a pint glass or similarly sized glass, cut circles out of the dough. Ball up and scraps and roll out again until all the dough is used.

To avoid dough drying out, it is best to keep the dough in a bag or under plastic wrap. Roll out dough as needed as the dumplings are filled. Usually, we make the dough in two batches -- the amounts given in the ingredients section reflect a double recipe.

Assembly

Prepare the "assembly station" with a large sheet pan and a bowl of water. For each dumpling, take a round wrapper and add a small amount of the filling, around 1/2 Tbs. Take care not to overfill. Over time, you will get the feel for it. It is important to also make sure the filling stays in the center and does not get into the seal. Usually, I form the filling into a slightly elongated shape parallel to the direction of the fold.

Dip a finger in the water and run it around the edge of the wrapper. Fold over and pinch into a moon shape, making sure to seal tightly. Wet the top edge and form 2-3 pleats in the same direction. For detailed photos of wrapping potstickers, see my original post.

Once the sheet pan is filled, place in the freezer. Once the dumplings are fully frozen, they can be transferred safely to a bag. If the dumplings are bagged too early, they will stick together. The potstickers can also be cooked immediately, but I find they are much easier to detach from the sheet pan once they are at least a little frozen.

Cooking

The key to cooking is the right pan. Nonstick with a well-fitting cover is essential. Add just enough oil to the pan to make a thin layer. On medium high heat, cook the potstickers until the bottoms are lighly browned. Add about a centimeter of water (if the pan is full) and cover. Cook until the water is fully absorbed. Add more oil if needed and fry until the bottoms are crunchy and well-browned.

Serve with Chinese black vinegar, either straight or with a splash of soy sauce.

Chicken and Mushroom Curry

It's been over 3 years since my last curry recipe, and I think it's about time we returned. I've done two other chicken curries in the past, but this one is a little different. Those used dairy-based sauces for a creamy texture, whereas this time I've gone tomato and stock-based. This dish is inspired by some curries I've had in restaurants along with recipes I found online. And by the fact I had a half pound of mushrooms in the fridge. Speaking of the fridge, this was also equally delicious the next day.

The curry turned out quite spicy, and this will come down to how spicy your particular garam masala blend is. It may be best to leave out the crushed pepper until the end if it is still desired. Always taste your sauce (after the chicken is cooked) and season accordingly. This curry also goes well with some plain yogurt or Greek yogurt on the table to cool things off to taste.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs, deboned
• 2 onions, diced
• 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs ginger, minced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• Dash of cinnamon and cardamom
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Canola oil

Instructions

Ahead of time, chop the onion, mushroom, garlic, and ginger. Remove skin and bones from chicken, if needed. Cut the chicken into 1 inch squares, then season lightly with salt and pepper.

 In a deep saute pan, dutch oven, or wok (anything with a lid works), heat a bit of oil on medium high. Briefly brown the chicken on both sides, then set aside. Add more oil if needed. Add all the spices to the pan and stir into the oil for a minute. Add onions and saute for a few minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, and ginger, and cook a few more minutes, until mushrooms start to soften.

Pour in the tomatoes and the juice from the can into the pan. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cook uncovered 10 more minutes to let the sauce reduce.

Salt to taste. Serve with rice and plain yogurt, if desired.

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.