Paprikash

We were chatting about food during a break today. It's a subject close to my heart; or should I say stomach. I ended up waxing lyrical about something I'd cooked yesterday. A Pork Paprikash, although any meat will do. I suppose you could even do a veggie version, it's that flexible.

One of the girls asked for the recipe I used.

'Of course' came my bold and flattered reply.

But when I sat down to write one out I realised I don't really use one.

Google 'Paprikash' with any meat in front of it, be it Pork, Chicken, Lamb or Beef and you'll get a variety of different takes on the basic recipe for each one. It is endless. About the only thing they have in common is Paprika. It's Hungarian in origin.

For all of us, it is one of our favourite dishes. I say 'it'. By that I mean 'My' Paprikash. I am the 'Master of the Paprikash' in our house. There are some dishes that Mrs AWB excels at, some that I do. This is one of mine.

It's a joy to make because I alter it slightly each time. I adjust and build on what I've learnt from previous creations.

So, let's start shall we.

Turn the music on. Quite loud.

The next ingredient is wine. Not for the dish. For the cook, silly. A good red wine to accompany the smells of the kitchen is a must.

Then comes the ritual of 'The Donning of the Pinny'. I cannot cook without my black and white checked pinny. It's all part of the act in a daft kind of way. Once it is on I am in 'Chef Mode'' all drama and focus. Mrs AWB keeps out of the way usually.

One of my strengths is that I am a patient cook; with the food that is, not interlopers into my kitchen. I am happy to faff and fanny on preparing complex things because it is a game to me. My wife hates that. She hasn't got the patience to trim the fattier meats or finely chop the myriad of stuff some dishes demand.

I digress. It was Pork on Sunday and I got a piece to chop up. It took an age because I took off as much fat and gristle as I could. Don't take enough off and you end up with a greasy dish and bits of squishy fat to chew. Take too much away and it can be dry if you're not careful.

So how much Pork?

As much as you need. The amount doesn't matter. I'll generally use a couple of pounds or so for the four of us. It can take me quite a while to trim the meat.

My reward is a good glug of wine after this onerous task.

Then mix some flour, Paprika and seasoning to roll the Pork pieces in. Again the amounts are not set in stone; usually a couple or three Tablespoons of flour and two or three dessert spoons of Paprika.

Seasoning? I go heavy on the pepper and sometimes add a touch of Chilli to taste.

Roll the Pork in it and fry to seal in batches. Then fling it into a casserole dish; I always use my trusty cast iron thingummyjig. One of those posh French affairs.

Chop up a couple of onions and fry them in the pan you used for the Pork. It'll take up any residue. Once they have softened and filled the kitchen with that lovely frying smell chop up some garlic....while the onions are on a low heat......and throw, with gay abandon of course, the garlic into the frying onions.

How much garlic? Again it is all down to whim. I used about six cloves yesterday.

By now I've sometimes started my second glass of wine.

Sometimes I'll add a chopped fresh chilli.

It is now that I'll add whatever vegetables are going in. Mushrooms are good. Peas too. Yesterday it was green beans. In they went to be tossed around in that 'Wobbling Buttock' shimmy you have to adopt when shaking the frying pan to mix stuff without using a wooden spoon.

I tell a lie. I use a Skillet. If I used a frying pan I'd spill half the bloody stuff.

All this gets tipped into the Casserole dish. I add some stock, a pint or so but it doesn't really matter about the exact amount. Occasionally I will squeeze some tomato puree in. That largely depends on whether I'm in a tube squeezing mood. It does help balance the heat of the chilli. If I've not added chilli I don't add the puree. By now I've dragged the casserole onto the gas ring I had used for frying and bring the mixture to the boil.

Always, but always, a load of chopped parsley. Finely chopped. I generally shove a load into one of those whizzy things with a bit of water and pour it in after a couple of whizzes. You could just chop it with a big knife or cleaver but I fancied pratting about with a gadget yesterday. The parsley lightens the earthy flavour of the Paprika.

I usually add the soured cream at this point although yesterday it went in later...............I'd forgotten and was wondering why it was so dark in colour when 'ping' I realised.

A medium sized carton will do but, again, it depends on what you want. You don't even have to use it. I've seen recipes without.

On occasion I've used some ordinary cream in addition.

Put the lid on the Casserole and shove it in a preheated oven; 170 ish or so will do and leave for as long as you want. Couple of hours will do.

And there you have it.

Basically you can make it up as you go along and depending on what you have bought.

You're supposed to have it with rice but we like it with mash and 'Spaghetti Greens'; very finely sliced greens or Savoy cabbage which go very well with the rich sauce.