I’ve been in a mood for a nice thick goulash for a while now and when I finally stumbled onto pork leg on sale, I was all set. I suggest using meat with a bit of fat in this recipe, as the fatty bits are going to cook off and in return leave the meat juicy and tender. I decided to cook store-bought gnocchi on the side, but you can totally make this with rice, mashed potatoes or pasta. Of course, whipping up your own gnocchi would be even better, but alas, I was a bit lazy for that venture.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 6 servings / 0.82 EUR per serving / 4.94 EUR for all)

To prep the meat:

500 grams of pork leg or shoulder (2.00 EUR)

1 tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (0.02 EUR)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour (0.01 EUR)

3 tbsp sunflower seed oil (0.04 EUR)

For the goulash:

2 tbsp sunflower seed oil (0.03 EUR)

2 large onions (0.20 EUR)

1 garlic bulb (0.27 EUR)

2 large carrots (0.20 EUR)

1 tin of peeled tomatoes (0.80 EUR)

2 small potatoes (0.07 EUR)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp dried red pepper flakes (0.03 EUR)

½ tsp smoked red paprika (0.03 EUR)

1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (0.07 EUR)

2 tbsp dried parsley (0.13 EUR)

1 bay leaf (0.01 EUR)

2 cups water (–)

For gnocchi:

Water (–)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

500 grams of gnocchi (1.00 EUR)

METHOD:

First prepare the meat by cutting it into cubes and tossing with salt and pepper. Set aside and let it rest for half an hour. While the meat rests wash, peel and dice all the vegetables. After 30 minutes, toss the meat with flour to coat evenly. Place a large heavy pot on high heat and add a tablespoon of oil to it, then quickly sear the cubed meat on all sides. Work in small batches, adding more oil as necessary. Remove all meat from the pot and set aside.

Add remaining two tablespoons of oil to the same pot and saute onion for a few minutes until translucent. Toss in garlic and carrot and stir to cook briefly until softened. Dump in peeled tomatoes and crush them with a spatula. Return in the meat, add potatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, smoked and Hungarian paprika, parsley and bay leaf, cover everything with water and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer with a lid cracked open for about an hour, until nicely thickened. The flour from searing the meat should be enough to thicken the goulash, but you can also simmer it with a lid off for a while if it appears too soupy. Taste and adjust seasoning.

While the goulash is coming along, cook the gnocchi in salted water as per packaging instructions. Drain and serve with goulash ladled on top and sprinkled with some finely grated hard cheese, if you are so inclined. This dish freezes and reheats great, so be sure to cook enough to have a bit reserved for later.

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Već sam dulje vrijeme raspoložena za fini gusti gulaš, a kada sam naletila i na svinjski but na sniženju, bacila sam se na kuhanje. Moj je prijedlog da ovdje upotrijebite mrvicu masnije meso. Masnoća će se s vremeno iskuhati, a samo meso ostati će sočno i mekano. Ja sam se kao prilog odlučila uzeti kupovne njoke, ali ovo možete svakako složiti sa rižom, pire krumpirom ili tjesteninom. Naravno, bilo bi još bolje da sam sama išla raditi njoke, ali sam za tu avanturu bila malo prelijena.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 6 porcija / 6,14 kn po porciji / 36,86 kn za sve)

Za prirediti meso:

500 g svinjskog buta ili plećke (15,00 kn)

1 žličica soli (0,01 kn)

½ žličice svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,13 kn)

2 žlice glatkog brašna (0,10 kn)

3 žlice suncokretovog ulja (0,30 kn)

Za gulaš:

2 žlice suncokretovog ulja (0,20 kn)

2 velika luka (1,50 kn)

1 glavica češnjaka (2,00 kn)

2 velike mrkve (1,50 kn)

1 konzerva pelata (6,00 kn)

2 mala krumpira (0,50 kn)

Dobar prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

½ žličice sušenog čilija u pahuljicama (0,25 kn)

½ žličice dimljene slatke paprike (0,25 kn)

1 žlica slatke crvene paprike (0,50 kn)

2 žlice sušenog peršina (1,00 kn)

1 lovorov list (0,10 kn)

2 šalice vode (–)

Za njoke:

Voda (–)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

500 grama njoka (7,50 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Prvo priredite meso tako da ga narežete na kockice i pomiješate sa solju i paprom. Ostavite da miruje oko pola sata. U međuvremenu operite, ogulite i narežite svo povrće. Nakon pola sata posipajte meso brašnom i promiješajte da se ravnomjerno obloži. Stavite veliki lonac na jaku vatru i na žlici ulja brzo popecite meso sa svih strana, samo da se ulovi korica. Napravite to u nekoliko manjih tura, a po potrebi dodajte još malo po malo ulja. Maknite svo meso iz lonca i stavite na stranu.

U isti lonac dodajte preostale dvije žlice ulja i prodinstajte luk par minuta dok ne postane staklast. Ubacite češnjak i mrkvu, promiješajte i kratko kuhajte da omekšaju. Dodajte pelate i izgnječite ih sa špatulom. Sada vratite u lonac meso, pa dodajte krumpire, sol, čili pahuljice, dimljenu i slatku papriku, peršin i lovorov list, te prekrijte sve sa vodom i pustite da zavrije. Smanjite vatru na srednje-nisku i krčkajte sa odškrinutim poklopcem oko jedan sat, dok se gulaš lijepo ne zgusne. Brašno od prženja mesa trebalo bi biti dovoljno da zgusne gulaš, no po potrebi završiti kuhanje i otklopljeno ako vam se čini da je prejušno. Kušajte i prilagodite začine.

Kad gulaš bude pri kraju skuhajte njoke u slanoj vodi prema uputama na pakiranju. Ocijedite i poslužite njoke prelivene sa gulašom i po želji posipane sa malo parmezana. Ovo se jelo super smrzava i podgrijava, pa skuhajte više da si možete malo spremiti i za kasnije.