Hearty Goulash--the Hungarian Eintopf

In the north of Poland where I come from, and which was under German influence for many years and boasts to be the homeland of Nicolaus Copernicus and Immanuel Kant, this type of dish was called Eintopf (one pot dish)--a very heavy soup or rather a soupy dish, and was often served on Mondays.

In the English speaking countries people call it a stew, which rightly or wrongly I associate with something unattractive from the culinary standpoint. Another well-known variety of the same idea is the Hungarian goulash--which is a heavy soup or rather a whole very nutritious meal made in one pot, which because if its consistency often poses a dilemma as to whether to eat it with a spoon or a fork.

But, under these different names, this is really all about convenience and comfort. It is something easy to make, when you mix all the ingredients and after cooking them together, you have a very satisfying meal, which you can serve with wine or beer. It is a great idea to prepare this almost no hassle dish for a big gathering, especially on a cold evening. It is so easy that it can be an every day dinner or a life saving dinner idea when unexpected guests arrive.

There are many one pot dishes in Polish culinary repertoire, as during the economically difficult times, we often had to cook up something out of nothing. By adding potatoes and different vegetables, a small portion of meat was expanded into a meal that could feed the entire family.

As the season for local vegetables still goes on, I had an idea to make a Hungarian goulash, which thanks to the colorful vegetables and dried paprika content, is one of the most attractive looking Eintopfs. Although, as the name indicates, it is a Hungarian dish, it has been so deeply-rooted in Polish cuisine, probably since the times when Hungarian kings ruled in Poland and Polish kings ruled in Hungary, that we really consider it being Hungarian only by name.

I know several dishes based on that idea, including one that is probably utterly Polish invention, as it is based on Polish sausage, although it is made with a lot of Hungarian paprika as well. I would say Hungarian paprika is a key ingredient in every goulash and its color and taste make a huge difference in this particular dish. Therefore, it is worth purchasing the original Hungarian paprika, which is now available in the international food section of many stores in America.

To make it a one pot dish I added a potato to the goulash, as it is done in Hungary. Good tomatoes are also important, although Austrians make goulash without tomatoes and in the Polish version we often make it without potatoes, but we add dried porcini for example and serve it with different kinds of noodles or buckwheat.

Next time, if you have no idea what to cook for dinner, maybe you get some paprika and try goulash.

Hungarian Goulash
(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
2 lb beef of good quality, cut into cubes.
2 onions cut into half slices,
4 garlic cloves, crushed,
2 green peppers (sweet Cuban peppers are a good substitute for the original Hungarian pepper, which have very characteristic strong flavor), cut into thick half slices,
2 large tomatoes, cut into medium-sized quarters,
2 lb baby potatoes or regular potatoes cut into cubes,
2 bay leaves,
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika,
1 tbsp caraway seeds,
3 tbsp lard or oil,
1 tsp salt,
1 tsp pepper.

Preparation:
1. In a large pot with a thick bottom, preferably cast iron (like Le Creuset) heat the lard or oil.
2. Add onion and fry until gold.
3. Take a pot off the heat to add paprika (it is important not to burn paprika, as it will become bitter) and meat and combine them until the meat becomes all covered with pepper. Let it simmer on low heat until the meat is slightly brown.
4. Add bay leaves, salt, pepper, caraway seeds, and garlic.
5. Cover with water and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes.
6. Add pepper, tomatoes, and potatoes. Add extra water if needed to cover everything, and let it cook for another 30 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are soft.

I like to garnish it with chopped parsley (a very Polish tradition), and in the Hungarian tradition you may add a dollop of sour cream on top of the portion, just before serving. Goulash can be served with white bread, which can be used to scoop up all the delicious sauce at the end.

Red Herring Salad--Polish Sushi in Nordic Style

Last week, Delicious Days featured an interview with René Redzepi, a chef of Noma, a renowned Danish restaurant, which was voted the world's best restaurant by a British magazine "Restaurant". Noma's menu draws on the Nordic culinary tradition, and is sometimes described as new Nordic cuisine, a term René does not like.

I associate Nordic cuisine mostly with fish and in particular herrings. I remember excellent Dutch Maatjesharing (or Matjes as the Germans call them) and many varieties of Scandinavian herring, which have become very popular in the world through IKEA. But I also discovered that at Noma they use a lot of sorrel, a vegetable that grows in Poland like a weed, and which we use to make a sour soup.

After reading this interview, I came to the conclusion that although Polish cuisine is generally classified as Eastern European, it has a lot of Nordic character to it. This is probably because of the Baltic sea, the cold climate, and long winters we have. Herrings, potatoes, blueberries, sorrel, unique grains, and many preserves that we eat during winter months make our cuisine more Nordic than Eastern European with which we share the affinity for all kinds of noodles, pancakes, and dumplings (e.g., Polish pierogi).

Among all these Nordic elements, herrings have a particularly strong culinary tradition in Poland. Herrings preserved well in salt, oil, or vinegar and therefore they could be transported far in land and were available all year round. Herrings were often served on Fridays, during Lent, and are a very important part of the traditionally vegetarian Christmas Eve supper.

Many years ago, a new recipe for herrings came to my home, and ever since it has been my favorite way to prepare them, even though I am not a big herring lover. This is the only herring dish that I eat eagerly. It was called "Herring à la Japonaise", but please do not ask me why. Probably, because it was very different from the traditional Polish way of serving herrings.

When my foreign friends, perhaps out of curiosity, ask me to prepare herrings, this is the way I serve them, for the fear that if I had done it the typical Polish way (with sour cream and onion), their taste would be too harsh for those who never had them before. Originally we use for that recipe salted herrings, but any herrings preserved in oil, especially Matjes will do. You can get them at Scandinavian or Eastern European food stores. All the additional ingredients make it taste less "herringish" and for those who love sushi and seafood in general it can be an interesting new experience.

This recipe uses the whole package of herrings, so at the end the amount of salad is pretty big and it can serve 4-6 Polish or Scandinavians, probably 8-10 Japanese, and easily 20 other people, who never tried herrings before.

Herring à la Japonaise

Ingredients:
4-6 herring fillets in oil, neutral, no spices, Matjes are the best,
1 cup cornichons (dill pickles),
1 medium sweet onion,
1 cup mushrooms in vinegar,
1 can (15 oz) green peas,
1 can (6 oz) of tomato paste,
1/2 cup grape seeds oil or any other neutral vegetable oil,
freshly ground pepper.

Preparation:
1. Cut herrings, cucumbers, onion, and mushrooms into very small cubes and put them together in a bowl.

2. Rinse the peas in water and add them to the mix.
3. In a separate bowl, mix gently the tomato paste, oil, and pepper until you obtain a smooth dressing.
4. Pour it over the herring/vegetable mix and combine gently not to destroy the texture of the salad (the ingredients should not get mashed).
5. Let it marinate for about 2 hours in a refrigerator and serve.

It is a nice party snack that should be served in small portions with small pieces of baguette. If you have available some Japanese style spoons, or so now popular in Europe "petites cuillères" they are excellent for that purpose. As Japanese serve their fish with sake,in Poland we serve it with a shot of icy cold vodka.

Plum Cake--A Never Ending Story

When I read other, already famous food blogs, I get very jealous these days. Most of them, like Orangette, Mowielicious, or Smitten Kitchen have already published their recipes for plum cake--the perfect fall dessert. And I still look at my recently made pictures and ideas and cannot decide which one I should share.

The only excuse for sitting on the fence for so long is that in Poland we probably have one of the richest collections of plum recipes in the world. We make many plum cakes, either with a yeast- or a baking powder-based crust. Some are soft and spongy, and some are crunchy. We also make potato dumplings with plums inside, which we serve with butter, cinamon, and sugar. (These are my favorite and I have to be restrained when I start eating them.) We prepare plums in cooked desserts, we make a plum jam spread, and preserve them in vinegar as meat accompaniment. We also make a Christmas soup with dried plums (prunes) and, like many other nations in that region, we also produce a plum vodka, called Slivovica.

There are also many different kinds of plums being cultivated in Poland, and when I think of what was growing in my family garden I could easily name at least five different types--tiny, yellow ones called Mirabelle, big and round, which here are called simply Black, oval and dark Italian or as we called them Hungarian (in various sizes), which are most popular for making preserves, round and pinkish as those that here are called Satsuma plums, and several others that I simply do not see anywhere else in the world.

I simply love them for their sweetness and the sophisticated, yet subtle taste, and their unlimited culinary uses.

My today's recipe was not the one that was most popular in my home, as we made mostly tarts with Italian plums (I will post a recipe for that in the future), but I finally decided on this cake, because it is very universal as any available kind of plums can be used to make it.

Plum Cake
(For the 11'' baking tin)

Ingredients:
All the ingredients should be in room temperature.
2 lb any ripe plums,
4 eggs,
1 stick butter,
1 cup sugar for the cake and 3 tbsp for the topping,
1 2/3 cup flour,
1 tbsp corn starch,
2 tsp baking powder,
4-5 tbsp sour cream,
1 tbsp vanilla extract,
2 tbsp slivered almonds (optional).

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 250F.
2. Grease baking pan with butter.
3. If you use Italian plums just cut them in halves and remove stones, any bigger plums you should cut in quarters.
4. Using a mixer beat together butter and sugar until smooth.
5. Add flour, corn starch, baking powder, and vanilla extract (at the very end), and mix.
6. Add 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks (save the two remaining whites) and beat with a mixer until all the ingredients are combined into a perfect blend.
7. Add sour cream to it and beat together again.
8. Spread a batter on the baking tin.
9. Put plums pieces on top pushing them half way into the batter.

10. Bake for about 30-40 min.
11. Meanwhile, whip the two remaining whites until almost stiff. Add a tbsp of sugar and beat again. Add the second spoon of sugar, beat and eventually add the third one until you obtain a smooth meringue frosting. Spread the forsting on the cake, scatter almonds, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the top becomes gold.

This cake is nothing fancy, but believe me, it is very comforting on a cool fall day with a cup of coffee or lemon tea.