Hungarian immigrants have been a part of our nation's history from the start; Michael de Kovats founded the U.S. Cavalry at the time of the Revolution, and there has always been a steady trickle of "Magyars" and an occasional spurt. The great patriot Lajos Kossuth gave a well-received speaking tour in the early 1850s, such that my great-great-grandfather was Louis Kossuth Powell. He later served on the Ohio Supreme Court.
This wonderful dish has very likely graced the hearths of many a homestead in the Midwest -- and satisfied tired travelers lucky enough to stumble on a restaurant or tavern that served it. Once you taste this, you will never, ever be remotely satisfied with the abomination using ground beef and noodles that many Americans have been hoodwinked to believe is goulash.
Székely Gulyás
I have made a traditional Transylvanian Goulash -- Székely Gulyás -- using this recipe, taken from the Hungarian chapter of "Cooking of Vienna's Empire," Time-Life Foods of the World series. It is a real crowd pleaser -- I mean be prepared for food rioting, seriously. Serve it over fresh-made spätzle if you really want to wow the crowd. I'll bet it would be enhanced by using fresh feral pork.
To serve 4 to 6:
1 pound sauerkraut, fresh, canned or packaged
2 tablespoons lard
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
3 cups chicken stock or water
2 pounds boneless shoulder of pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1.5 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/4 cup tomato puree
Salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons flour
Wash the sauerkraut thoroughly under cold running water, then soak it in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes to reduce its sourness. Melt the lard in a 5-quart casserole and add the onions. Cook them over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are lightly colored, then add the garlic and cook a minute or 2 longer. Off the heat, stir in the paprika, continuing to stir until the onions are well coated. Pour in ½ cup of the stock or water and bring it to a boil, then add the pork cubes.
Now spread the sauerkraut over the pork and sprinkle it with the caraway seeds. In a small bowl, combine the tomato puree and the rest of the stock or water, and pour the mixture over the sauerkraut. Bring the liquid to a boil once more, then reduce the heat to its lowest point, cover the casserole tightly and simmer for 1 hour. Check every now and then to make sure the liquid has not cooked away. Add a little stock or water if it has; the sauerkraut should be moist.
When the pork is tender, combine the sour cream and heavy cream in a mixing bowl. Beat the flour into the cream with a wire whisk, then carefully stir this mixture into the casserole. Simmer for 10 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning. Serve "Transylvanian goulash" in deep individual plates, accompanied by a bowl of sour cream.