Transylvanian Goulash

Transylvania

The bad news - I forgot to take pictures of my Transylvanian Goulash. The good news - I found beautiful pictures of Transylvania to post instead. I am also including a map to help locate Transylvania, and a travel website for more info.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Transylvania

As for the goulash, this one is made with pork shoulder and sauerkraut. I have also seen versions with chicken, and I'm sure they are delicious, but I'm sticking with the pork butt. I was struck by how closely this recipe is to traditional Alsatian recipes that combine meats simmering in sauerkraut. The difference is in the spices used. Paprika, caraway - provide a distinctly Eastern European flair.

As always when browning meat for stew, do not crowd the pan. It is always better to brown multiple batches properly, than to end up stewing your meat in released juices. Even if you are in a hurry, this step must be done properly or the meat will taste dry and the texture will be compromised.

It so happened the day I was making the goulash, I wandered into Wegman's supermarket. I don't get there often, and when I am there I don't always get to the deli counter, but on this day I did, and to my delight I found Hungarian sausage. Seemed like kismet to me, so they were browned also, when I was browning the pork.

After loosening all the yummy browned bits from the browning process with chicken broth, I proceeded to ignore the recipe, and did not wash the sauerkraut. I did that once, and ended up with tasteless cabbage. Now I leave the sauerkraut sour, the way it was meant to be.

My particular recipe also called for a red bell pepper and salt paste. Basically 2 lbs of pepper mixed witha cup of salt (I ground it with my mortar and pestle). This quantity may last me the rest of my life - we'll see. I did not get the sense it was absolutely necessary, salt would have done fine, but it did brighten the flavor and color of the dish.

With that said, I was a bit disappointed with the overall color once the cream was mixed in. I guess it can't be helped, but there was a muddiness to it that I did not find as appealing. I can't really complain though. The sourness of the cabbage combined with the sweetness of the pepper and paprika, and the savor of the meats was perfect in combination with the sour cream. Add in good, garlicky bread, and life is grand.

Szechuan Pork and Pickle Soup, sort of

So, remember how I went to the trouble of color coding the lids on my broth. Apparently, that only works when you pay attention to the broth you are pulling out of the freezer. Because frozen, chicken brown broth looks a lot like beef broth. One trick, look for stray beef particles at the bottom of the container.

With that said, the other night, I made Szechuan Pork and Pickle Soup, sort of. Very quick and easy. Marinate very thin slices of pork in sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, combine with Szechuan preserved vegetable (you can get this at a specialty shop - there are lots of different kinds - cabbage and other vegetables). I wouldn't worry if you can't find the Szechuan preserved vegetables - even kimchee or any other asian pickled vegetable will impart that sour, spicy taste that makes this soup wonderful. I used a pickled cabbage, but not the szechuan version, so my soup was not terribly spicy. You can always add chiles to suit.

Next step, combine the meat and pickle with chicken broth, unless, of cccccourse you have defrosted beef broth. Since we all know what a time consuming activity it is to make broth, guess what I used...

Finally, add scallions and serve. Season with soy sauce if necessary.

Here is what I learned regarding this soup:
1) beef broth is too heavy a substrate for pork - even marinated pork is lost
2) I might have been able to use water instead of the beef more effectively. It didn't taste bad, its just that the pork was lost.
3) Keep the cooking time on the pork to a minimum. Unless it is paper thin, it will get chewy quickly.
4) Slice the pork paper thin

Here is what I am thinking for next time:
Substitute tenderloin or even brisket for the pork, use the beef broth and use spicier preserved veggies like kimchee or the Szechuan cabbage recommended originally.