Sertéspörkölt

Ingredients

• 1⅓ lbporkleg or shoulder, cut into roughly 2 cm cubes
• 2onionfinely diced, fried well as the base
• 1 ozlardfor frying; duck fat or oil as an alternative
• 1½ tbspPaprika powderstir in off the heat
• 2bell pepperdeseeded and diced; sources use pale, green, yellow or red ones
• 2tomatopeeled or deseeded, diced
• 2 clovesgarlicfinely chopped or pressed
• Hot pointed pepperfresh hot pointed pepper, chilli or hot powder, to taste
• 1 pinchcarawayground, added while stewing
• 1 tspblack pepperground
• saltto taste
• 1⅔ cupswaterfor topping up, added as needed
• marjoramto season the vegetable base (optional)
• ½ cupDry red winee.g. Kadarka, for deglazing (optional)
• 1 tbsptomato pasteinstead of fresh tomatoes (optional)
• 2bay leafstewed along (optional)
• parsleyfreshly chopped, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

1. Trim the pork and cut it into even cubes of about 1.5 to 2 cm. Finely dice the onions, deseed and dice the bell peppers, peel or deseed the tomatoes and dice them too, and finely chop the garlic.
2. Heat the lard in a heavy pot and fry the diced onion, stirring often, until golden brown and almost caramelised — this is where the colour and depth of flavour come from.
3. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic, season with salt and let them sweat briefly until the vegetables release their juices.
4. Season with marjoram, ground caraway and black pepper. Take the pot off the strong heat and stir in the sweet paprika powder so it doesn't turn bitter. Add hot pepper to taste.
5. Stir in the cubes of pork and fry until they have taken on colour all over.
6. Pour in a little water — and a splash of dry red wine if you like. The meat should not be covered, otherwise it boils instead of braising. Add the bay leaves if using.
7. Cover and braise over low heat for 70 to 120 minutes, stirring now and then and topping up with a little water only when needed, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick and glossy.
8. Remove the bay leaves before seasoning to taste. Adjust with salt and pepper, scatter with chopped parsley and serve with the side dish of your choice.

Tips and variations

Duck fat or vegetable oil work in place of lard, fresh tomatoes can be swapped for tomato paste or dried tomatoes, and smoked paprika gives the dish a different character. Some cooks brown the meat first and add the onion afterwards, others hold back the peppers and tomatoes until after the first stretch of braising — both work. Tarhonya can be made at home from flour and egg, pushed through a coarse sieve and dried to keep in the pantry. Serve with pickles and bread for dipping, and a Hungarian red such as Egri Bikavér; in the Czech Republic people tend to reach for dumplings and beer instead. Jó étvágyat!