After living in Europe for several years and developing a love for authentic European cuisine, our cook took on the task of teaching himself some of the more traditional dishes from the countries where he had lived. Today he presents…
Székelykáposzta (SAY-kay-kah-poo-stah)
Hungarian Pork and sauerkraut stew
How the dish got its name….Supposedly this dish got its name from the Hungarian writer and journalist, József Székely (1825-1895). The story goes like this…one day in 1846, Székely went to lunch with a friend in a Budapest restaurant. He was probably running late, because when he arrived there was nothing left but a little sauerkraut and some pork stew. Székely suggested to throw it all together, warm it up and put it on the table and voilá: Székelykáposzta (Székely goulash) was born.
Make this recipe at home
Ingredients:
2# pork shoulder cut up into stew size pieces
32 oz sauerkraut
1 lg yellow onion chopped into small pieces
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons paprika (regular or spicy) not smoked
2 bay leaves
8 oz sour cream (for garnish)
4 cloves garlic (optional)
2 tsp. caraway seeds (optional)
1/2 # smoked bacon (optional) cut up into small ½ inch pieces
Instructions:
In a large pot over a medium low heat add vegetable oil. Slowly add chopped onion and sauté until onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). Be sure not to burn or caramelize onions. Once onions are translucent, take off heat, (so the next ingredient, paprika, does not burn or turn bitter).
Add paprika and bacon (if using) to sautéed onions and stir until well blended.
Then add pork and stir.
Once all mixed together, add enough water to just cover most of pork. Return pot to stove and bring to boil, then lower heat to medium low and cover pot.
Cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours until pork looks done.
After pork is cooked thru you will then add sauerkraut, however, before doing that, you must drain, rinse (about 3 minutes) and squeeze out sauerkraut to get out the vinegar that it is packed in. If you do not do this, then the stew could be too salty or taste sour.
Add bay leaves, garlic (if using) and drained, rinsed sauerkraut to stew and cook for another 30 minutes.
Serving suggestions:
When serving put a dollop of sour cream on top. This dish can be served over rice, noodles, spätzle or just by itself.
“Jó étvágyat!” (meaning: good appetite in Hungarian)
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