Traditional Hungarian Bean Goulash (Babgulyás)

February 19, 2017 by Aurel Pop in Soup

Happy 2017 beautiful people! I was ready to leave a less-than-stellar 2016 behind and re-focus in 2017. This is going to be my year; I can feel it! I recently went on a vacation to Romania and Hungary. It was great seeing my family, working with my old coworkers, and hanging out with my childhood friends, but overall, it was a trip to forget. I missed one of my flights which lead to having my ticket cancelled and having to buy a new one. I also managed to come down with an awful cold which kept me glued to bed unable to to anything.

As soon as I got back to Austin though, everything has started falling into place in terms of health, career, and side projects. I’ve also launched my newest passion project, a monthly pop-up dinner called Cameromania. My new endeavors are leaving me energized, fulfilled, and excited about them.

The idea for Cameromania was born from my friend Rudi’s New Year’s party. Rudi and I have known each other for quite some time. We met at work while I was living in Hungary, and shortly after I moved to the United States, he invited me to his home for New Year. Rudi and his mom prepared some traditional Cameroonian dishes that I found extremely flavorful, exotic, and delicious. In some ways Cameroonian cuisine remind me of Eastern Europe: lots of hearty meat based dishes seasoned with fragrant spices.

You may ask yourself what other connection is there between Cameroon and Romania or Hungary? Well, the first connection is our friendship. The dishes we make at our dinners are a reflection of the strong bond that formed between us. Also, the similar way we think about food—the joy of sharing homemade dishes with friends and family– is a commonality. When I asked Rudi what was the place that felt closest to his home, Cameroon, he told me it was Hungary. He said that he’s been to many places around the world but that the people, the food, the passion, and the love in Hungary felt most like home to him.

Gulyas —or goulash as it’s called outside of Hungary— is one of Rudi’s favorite Hungarian dishes. It’s also Hungary’s most celebrated dish. In the past, I posted my Traditional Hungarian goulash recipe on here, but there are so many variations of this delicious Hungarian staple dish, I’d have to write book to include them all. Bean goulash, or babgulyas as we call it in Hungary, is very similar to traditional goulash. In addition to beans, we also add smoked hock or some smoked sausage to the soup. It complements the beans so well! It’s a hearty and flavorful dish that is best shared with your loved ones!

Enjoy!

TRADITIONAL HUNGARIAN BEAN GOULASH (BABGULYÁS)

Serves 10-12
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2.5 hours
Inactive time: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 lb. dry kidney beans (cranberry or pinto beans)
1-2 smoked pork hocks (or country ham bones and skin)
8 cups chicken broth, warmed-up
½ cup canola oil (or duck fat)
1 medium-sized yellow onion, roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Roma tomatoes
2 Anaheim peppers (or Hungarian wax peppers)
1 ½ lbs. beef chuck
2 Tbsp. Hungarian paprika
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried marjoram
2 dried bay leaves
2 carrots, cut into rounds
2 parsley roots, cut into rounds
1 celery root, cut into half inch cubes
½ bunch fresh parsley leaves
kosher salt, to taste
sour cream

Instructions

In a large bowl, cover the beans with 1-2 inches of cold water. Let them soak overnight.
If the country ham bones or pork hock is too salty, soak them for a couple of hours.
In a sauce pan, bring broth to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low to keep the broth hot.
In a large Dutch oven (12 quarts), heat oil or duck fat over high heat. When shimmering hot, add onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning them.
Add garlic, tomatoes, and peppers and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add the beef to the mixture. Sprinkle with paprika, ground pepper, cumin, and marjoram. Mix well, until the beef is well coated. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour in hot broth, add the pork hock, toss in bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let the soup simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Add 2 cups of hot water and toss in the beans. Stir and cook for another half an hour.
Add carrots, parsley roots, celery roots, parsley leaves, and salt. Adjust to medium heat and cook until the root vegetables are tender but firm; about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from heat. Serve in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream on top and fresh bread on the side.

Spaghetti and Venison Meatballs With Marinara Sauce

December 30, 2016 by Aurel Pop in Main Dish

Hello lovely readers! Aurel here again. Sorry I ignored you for the last couple of months, but I was working on my other passion project: pop-up dinners. I’m happy to be back developing recipes, photographing food, and writing again though. My editor and good friend is back too, cleaning up and making sense out of my writing. I don’t know if I have ever mentioned her on here, but she’s the reason why my writing has improved so significantly and actually makes sense rather than being a collection of ideas scattered on paper. Anyhow, welcome back Amy!

I’ve been working on my own version of an Italian favorite: spaghetti and meatballs. I’ve had this recipe perfected for quite some time but never gotten around to photo-documenting it until now.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a dish that you can’t possibly go wrong with, whether you’re cooking for your significant other, your family, or your friends. It’s really not all that hard to make, but you have to do it right. The key is to use fresh ingredients for everything: pasta, sauce, and meatballs. If you really need to cut corners (and we all do sometimes), do it with the pasta. I use store-bought pasta 6 out of 10 times myself. No biggie! But, for god’s sake, please don’t buy the premade marinara sauce. It takes longer to make homemade marinara, but you can make a big batch at once and then freeze it. You will taste the difference; it’s not just a myth!

I truly believe that spaghetti and meatballs is one of the most accessible dishes to new home cooks. Everybody loves it: kids, adults, elderly, men, women, and even dogs. Last time I made meatballs, I accidentally dropped one, and my dog Popsi devoured it within a second. I’ll put that one down as a strong sign of approval.

Anyway, I can’t emphasize enough how glad I am to be back. I’m looking forward to sharing my cooking adventures with you in 2017. I plan to kick off the New Year by sharing stories about my recent pop-up dinners.

Happy New Year Y’all!

SPAGHETTI AND VENISON MEATBALLS WITH MARINARA SAUCE

Yields about 25 meatballs and 5 cups of sauce
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 90 minutes
Inactive time: 75 minutes

Ingredients

Marinara sauce

3 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup finely chopped shallots (about 3 medium-sized shallots)
½ cup chopped celery (about 3-4 celery stalks)
½ cup chopped carrots (about 2 medium-sized carrots)
½ cup dry red wine
1 ½ Tbsp. finely chopped garlic (about 3-4 garlic cloves)
2 28oz. cans whole San Marzano tomatoes
½ cup vegetable broth
2 inches Parmesan rind
4 anchovy filets (jarred/canned)
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves (about 12-15 leaves)

Meatballs

1 lb. ground venison
1 lb. ground beef chuck (preferably 70/30)
1 medium-sized shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 egg
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or pecorino romano)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Spaghetti (for homemade pasta see recipe here)

1 lb. spaghetti
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F (200C) degrees.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. When the oil easily slides across the pan, add shallots, celery, and carrots (called soffritto in Italy and mirepoix in France). Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning the vegetables.
Pour red wine and let the alcohol evaporate -- this is called deglazing. Toss in garlic, stir, and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add San Marzano tomatoes, broth, Parmesan rind, anchovies, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to make sure that everything is well mixed.
Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the sauce gently simmer (it will bubble very slowly) for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix them all together using your hands.
Shape the venison mixture into small balls (golf ball-sized), and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove meatballs from the oven and transfer to a plate. Add juice from meatballs to the marinara sauce.
Remove the lid from the sauce, add basil, and simmer uncovered for an additional 30-40 minutes. Then add the meatballs to the sauce, and stir well. You’re almost done!
In a large pan, bring generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the spaghetti for 8-10 minutes or until al dente (follow the instructions on the spaghetti box or bag if unsure). Drain the pasta, reserving one cup of starchy water.
Heat one tablespoon of butter in a large pan over high heat. When the butter is melted, add the water and spaghetti. Toss and add a few ladles of marinara sauce and meatballs. Mix until the pasta is evenly coated.
Serve hot with grated parmesan and chopped parsley or basil on top.

Traditional Hungarian Goulash (Gulyásleves)

March 02, 2016 by Aurel Pop in Soup

The time has arrived for me to post my very traditional beef goulash recipe. My first post on this blog was for Chicken Paprikash, another Hungarian staple. After trying it, many of my readers requested my goulash recipe. Goulash is the most famous Hungarian dish in the world. It’s one of Hungary’s national dishes -- the symbol of their country. And it is for a good reason. It’s a dish made with basic ingredients like meat, peppers and root vegetables elevated to perfection by the use of Hungary’s most famous spice: paprika. Goulash can be made with beef, pork or even chicken, but the traditional way of making it is with beef.

Speaking of traditions, goulash is usually made by men. Hungarian men take a lot of pride in making this dish. They are often cook-offs where the best Hungarian goulash cooks measure their skills. When I lived in Hungary, goulash was my go-to dish when I had a large group of friends over for dinner. Also, every time my friends and I went camping, I was the one responsible for making bográcsgulyás, which is a goulash made in a huge enamel cast iron or stainless steel cauldron, outdoors over wood fire.

Making the dish also goes hand-in-hand with drinking pálinka, Hungary’s national drink. There is something about getting smoky while standing around a huge kettle of goulash that’s slowly cooking over a wood fire while sharing a bottle of homemade pálinka with your best friends that makes you feel fulfilled and happy. Stories starting flowing, and playful teasing and bantering follow. That’s what goulash is about: friends, laughter, drinks and flavorful food.

If you ever get to Hungary ask a local to cook goulash for you (preferably outdoors in bogrács). You’ll experience something beautiful, and you’ll get a good understanding of their culture, even if you aren’t able to understand their language. Hungarian is very unique, so don’t get too downhearted if you’re unable to pick it up right away. It’s unrelated to any other language in the world, and it’s rather difficult. A friend of mine, Erin, attempted to learn it after making a dumb bet (when she was drunk of course) with my other friend, Alex. She was so excited about learning Hungarian for about two weeks, after which she gave up.

Hungarians are the proudest people you will ever meet. Although only half-Hungarian, I identify with Hungarian culture. We take pride in our traditions, language, food, and drinks. Our food consists of simple dishes made with simple ingredients turned into delicious, fragrant and hearty dishes. Chicken paprikash (paprikás csirke), Pork stew (sertéspörkölt), and Beef goulash (marhagulyás) are just a few of our most famous dishes. The basic ingredients are the same: meat, onions, peppers, and paprika. Even the cooking technique is similar for all three of them -- sauté some onions, add a bunch of Hungarian paprika to it, add some meat, and follow with peppers. You basically make a stew. From there it’s the final touch that makes a paprikash, paprikash and a goulash, goulash -- add sour cream for the former, and water and root vegetables for the latter.

Hungarian paprika is the signature flavor in most famous Hungarian dishes. It is very different than let’s say Spanish paprika. Hungarian paprika is sundried, whereas its Spanish counterpart is slowly smoked over a wood fire. As a result, the flavors differ significantly. Hungarian paprika is known for its rich, bittersweet, and intense red peppery flavor, whereas the Spanish one is more delicate and smoky. It’s worth the money to buy the Hungarian variety for this dish to get an authentic Hungarian flavor. Jó étvágyat!

TRADITIONAL HUNGARIAN GOULASH (GULYASLEVES)

Serves 10-12
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2.5 hours
Inactive time: 2 hours

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. pork lard (or bacon fat, or vegetable oil)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 ½ tsp ground caraway seeds
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 ½ Tbsp. Hungarian paprika
2 dried bay leaves
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 lbs. beef shoulder, cut into ½ inch cubes (chuck and shank are also good)
5 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Hungarian waxed peppers (or Anaheim peppers), deseeded and cut into half rings
¾ lb. carrots (about 2-3 large carrots), peeled and cut into rounds
½ lb. parsley roots (about 2-3 parsley roots), peeled and cut into rounds (or parsnips)
½ lb. celery root (1 small celery root), peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
1 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
3-4 sprigs of fresh parsley leaves, tied together
4-5 cups hot water
1 ½ tsp wood smoked salt, optional
½ TBS kosher salt
sour cream, optional
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

In a large cast iron Dutch oven, heat lard over medium-high heat. When the lard starts shimmering, add onions and cook for 8 minutes. Stir often so they don’t burn. If they start browning, add a tablespoon of water.
Stir in caraway seeds, black pepper and bay leaves, and cook for 2 more minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat, and sprinkle paprika all over the onions. Stir often! (Burnt paprika is bitter.)
Return the Dutch oven to the fire. Add ½ cup beef broth, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add beef cubes and garlic. Stir well until each piece is coated with paprika gravy. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the beef cubes start browning.
Mix in tomatoes, peppers and the remainder of the broth (1 ½ cup). The broth should cover the meat and vegetables by an inch or two. If it doesn’t, add hot water.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the Dutch oven, and let it simmer for an hour and a half.
Add the root vegetables (carrots, parsley, celery, and potatoes) and the tied parsley leaves to the pot. Add 4-5 cups of hot water to cover by an inch or two.
Season with salt, and bring soup to a boil over high heat. When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 30 minutes uncovered.
Using a sieve, skim off the scum. Remove the parsley sprigs and the bay leaves and discard them. Taste and adjust saltiness.
Serve goulash hot with fresh bread. You can add an optional dollop of sour cream to the top and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Notes

I usually add the salt at the end when cooking with beef, so that it stays tender rather than becoming chewy.
Recently I discovered wood smoked salt at my local grocery store, so I used a bit to simulate the subtle smoky flavor that comes from traditional goulash. Historically, goulash was made on wood fire in a cast iron enamel cauldron.

Hanna's Ethiopian Beef Tibs

February 15, 2016 by Aurel Pop in Cooking with Friends

Cooking with friends is a monthly series in which my dearest friends are inviting me into their kitchens and teaching me their favorite recipes. These bonding experiences deepen our friendships, expand my palate, and enhance my culinary skills by sharing a timeless practice: cooking.

It’s Cooking with friends time again, folks! I know it’s been a while since my last blog post, but I’ve been making some changes in my life lately, which have kept me busy both in and out of the kitchen. I recently started taking photography classes, and it feels oddly satisfying to go to school and do homework again. I’m also dedicating more time to recipe development and photography. Writing, on the other hand, has been really tough. I found myself on a dry spell lately, but I’m hoping that my upcoming Chilean journey and backpacking trip through Patagonia will take care of that. With all these new things happening in my life, I really value the timeless tradition of communal cooking. Friends, food and drinks always make me realize how lucky I am. Speaking of amazing friends, you probably remember Ame and Hanna from one of my older blog posts. They are back with yet another amazing Ethiopian staple: Beef Tibs.

Ame and Hanna are a well-respected and highly regarded couple in the Ethiopian community, and they were some of my first friends to feature on the blog with their delicious Ethiopian Lentils also known as Misir Wot. The post was a total success and is still one of the most visited blog posts in the life of gourmetcubicle to date. The best part was that people from the Ethiopian community reached out to me via email, commending the recipe and giving me props for the way I portrayed Ethiopian cuisine and traditions in the few lines I wrote.

There was one funny incident during the last blog post with Ame and Hanna. Whenever I write a Cooking with friends post, I don’t let my friends see the story until it goes live. It allows me to be honest about how I feel about their culture, our friendship and, of course, the food we are cooking. Putting those thoughts on paper is my way of saying thank you for the time and effort they spend on sharing their knowledge with me. Not everyone reacts the same way to what I write though. Guy thought my portrayal of him as a stubborn perfectionist was hilarious, while Maria felt a tug at her heartstrings because of my comments on our friendship.

With Ame, though, it was a completely different experience. As soon as the blog post went live, Ame told me that the title should be changed. The TITLE? The recipe was initially named Ame’s Ethiopian Lentils (Misir Wot), which was completely wrong, because the recipe belonged to Hanna. He felt like it would be unfair to take credit for his wife’s recipe. I immediately changed it to Ame and Hanna’s Ethiopian Lentils, even though a few people had already shared the recipe on social media. “I should’ve known better than that!” I thought to myself. I’m familiar with Ame’s perfectionist personality. As a matter of fact, I’m in touch with that emotion - I’m an engineer, too.

Although both Hanna and Ame are great cooks, Hanna has that special talent of making everything related to cooking look easy. She’s always calm and in control of the situation. While she was cooking, measuring, and introducing me to the secrets of Ethiopian cuisine, Hanna was also talking to Ame and looking after Nathan, the youngest of their 3 little munchkins. She told me about the importance of berbere - a medley of chili, garlic, ginger, ajwain and a few other spices, and how this spice defines their cuisine.

Misir wot (Ethiopian lentils), Doro wot (Ethiopian chicken stew), Gomen (Ethiopian collard greens) and Beef Tibs were all served on a perfectly plated injera bread. Although all the dishes prepared by Hanna and Ame were excellent, I found the beef tibs to be my personal favorite. Initially Ame and Hanna taught me a recipe that wasn’t using berbere. The flavors were good and balanced, but the addition of berbere made the gravy more flavorful and richer. It’s my preferred way of eating beef tibs because even after I run out of meat, I can dip the injera in the gravy. Enjoy!

HANNA'S ETHIOPIAN BEEF TIBS

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (or Ethiopian niter kibbeh)
1½ cups medium yellow onion, finely chopped (1/2 medium-sized onion)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ Tbsp berbere
2 Tbsp water
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 lb beef (eye of round roast), cut into ½ inch cubes
1 tsp iodine salt
2 jalapeños, deseeded and sliced
3 sprigs fresh rosemary

Instructions

In a nonstick skillet heat oil over high heat. When the oil easily slides across the pan, add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes until the onions become translucent. Stir often so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Add tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle with berbere and 2 tablespoons of water reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often.
Add beef and mix well until the meat cubes are well coated with gravy. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the meat is well cooked.If the gravy is too thick you can add another tablespoon of water.
Add salt, jalapenos, and rosemary. Give it a last stir and let it cook for 3 more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the gravy isn't spicy enough you can add more berbere.
Serve beef tibs on injera bread with a side of Misir Wot (Ethiopian lentils) and gomen (Ethiopian collard greens – coming soon).

Notes

The heat level of the dish is dependent on the amount of berbere you add. For a milder version reduce the amount to 1 tablespoon. For extra spicy double the amount of berbere and don't completely remove the seeds from the jalapeños.