PILIS PORK RAGOUT - PILISI SERTÉS RAGU

This is a one dish meal. All you need is a piece of good bread and you are set for the rest of the day. Except maybe have a slice of zserbó sometime afterwards. Cooked over an open fire the aroma and the flavour of course are superior. It is preferable to use a small slab of bacon to start the ragout when cooking out of doors, but in my kitchen, I opt for olive oil. When chopping the meat, keep in mind that larger pieces will considerably increase cooking time.

Pilis the town is located in Pest County and interestingly not in the mountain range by the same name. I have no clue where the ragu originated from suffice to say the origin of Hungarian ragu traces back to the 9th century to stews eaten by shepherds. The cooked and flavored meat was dried on the sun and packed into bags produced from sheep's stomachs, needing only water to make it into a meal. 

PILIS PORK RAGOUT

600 g pork meat, leg portion
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 + Tbsp Hungarian paprika
2 Roma tomatoes
2 carrots
3 potatoes
1 parsnip
1 small celeriac [celery root]
1 yellow pepper

• Chop the meat into cubes.

• Add the olive oil to the pot.

• Sauté the diced onions on olive oil until transparent.

• Add the crushed garlic cloves and the pork cubes.

• Sprinkle salt, ground pepper and caraway seeds.

• Slowly cook the meat, turning it over often, until no pink shows.

• Add 2 Tbsp of Hungarian paprika and stir.

• Add the tomatoes and water halfway up the meat.

• Liquid should not cover the meat, this is stew; not a soup.

• Cover the pot and slowly sauté the meat.

• Meanwhile peel and chop the vegetables.

• Cut the carrots and the parsnip in half and cut them in half lengthwise again.

• Cube the potatoes and the celeriac.

• Cut the pepper into 4 parts.

• When meat is almost tender, add the carrots and a little water if needed.

• I five minutes add the potatoes and a little water if needed.

• When the potatoes are near being done, add the parsnip, celeriac and the yellow pepper.

• At this point you will have to add water to the ragout.

• When everything is cooked, stir in more Hungarian pepper for nice red color.

• Adjust the salt and add more water if needed. Serve with good sour cream.