Hogwash Goulash

Yucky day #3 and the promise of March's winter Norwich farmer's market this coming Saturday, had me rummaging through the freezer for inspiration for tonight's dinner. I came across a roughly 2-lbs boneless pork shoulder that I had procured from Norwich's very own Hogwash Farm at February's farmer's market. I decided to pull it out and allowed it to defrost for the first half of the day, still vacuum-packed, in a container of room-temperature water. In the meantime I went about my usual research process of sourcing ideas for preparation. I had come across a spicy pork goulash about a month ago, and liked the sound of that minus the heat. Thankfully we keep a good stock of sweet paprika at home as well as some other dried herbs and spices that can often be found in goulash variations. Bingo.
With my pork cut no longer resembling a block of ice, and with the herbs and spices at the ready, I began my process. The first step was to cut the meat into cubes, and the rest follows below in pictures and words. I must first note however that according to Wikipedia, in a traditional goulash - meaning soup - flour should never be used, and instead is ideally thickened with potato that is added to the dish at its outset. Nevertheless, as I wasn't necessarily going for authenticity, and prefer to have whole potatoes with my meat and sour cream rather than as a indiscernible component; I decided to opt for dredging the meat in flour to achieve the viscosity for which I was hoping. Here we go!

Hogwash Farm Pork Shoulder Goulash:

Ingredients:

1 tsp caraway seeds
1.5 tblsp vegetable oil, or other neutral oil

~2 lbs boneless pork shoulder (Boston Butt), cut into large cubes

1/3 c. flour

1 tsp each salt and ground black pepper

3 tblsp paprika
1 onion, sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tblsp cider vinegar

1 tblsp dried marjoram

12 oz lager

1 tblsp molasses

Method:

1) Heat a heavy-bottomed pot/dutch oven over medium high heat. Meanwhile combine the flour with 1 tblsp paprika, and the salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Toss the pork cubes in the flour until they are completely coated.

2) Add the tsp of caraway seeds to the pot and allow to dry toast for 20-30 seconds or until they become fragrant. Add 3/4 tsp of the oil and when the seeds start to sizzle add 1/2 of the meat, so as not to overcrowd. Allow the meat to sear and then turn so that each side cooks evenly. Remove the first batch of meat, add the remaining 3/4 tsp of oil and the remaining meat. Repeat.

3) Once all the meat has been removed from the pan add the onions and saute until they become transluscent. Pour in the cider vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan as you do so as to remove all the borwned bits. Add in the chopped garlic, the remaining 2 tblsp of paprika, and the the marjoram. Stir everything to combine and top with the meat.

4) Pour in the lager and enough water so that the liquid comes up high enough to cover all the meat. Finally add in the molasses, stir, and bring the liquid to a simmer.

5) Reduce the heat to medium low and allow the dish to cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat reaches your desired tenderness.

I chose to serve my goulash not so traditionally with some paprika baked potatoes and sauteed spinach.