Warning: If any of you out there has cholesterol problems, you'd better not read the following recipe. If any of you out there is voluntarily on a diet, leave it! It's not good for you. Get you ass off that chair and do some exercise instead.
Some of the names of classical Czech dishes are rather curious. "Moravský Vrabec", for example. The translation is "Moravian Sparrows", but it's actually made with roasted cubes of marinated pork. It's a favourite pub grub, specially at lunch time.
The other day I thought I would make my version of the recipe. It's ideal for an ugly weekend day, when we have more than enough time, but don't feel like doing much. It doesn't need much work, but it requires quite a bit of time.
Another advantage is that this is a very versatile recipe. Here it's usually served with knedlíky and stewed cabbage, but there's no problem to serve it with potatoes in any form, veggies, rice or salad.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
1.5 kg of pork. Shoulder or any other fatty cut.
Almost a pint of beer. I used a good Czech Pale Lager, but a German Pils or Export or even a Pale Ale would do the job just fine.
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of Hungarian paprika.
1 tablespoon of cumin or caraway seed
Some sage, thyme and rosemary
Salt and pepper
Approx. 100g of lard.
For the marinade. In a large bowl put all the ingredients except the pork and lard. I do it this way. I first add the spices, salt and herbs, then a bit of the beer and mix well with an eggbeater. Then I add the rest of the beer, the oil and garlic and mix once again until it looks rather uniform.
Cut the meat in cubes of 3 cm by side, sort of, leaving all the fat, no matter how thick, and add it to the marinade. Leave it on the counter for 2 (maybe 3) hours.
Put the meat with the marinade in a deep and not too big roasting pan. Add enough water to cover 3/4 of it, then add the lard cut in small cubes (without it this would be too light, and we don't want that to happen).
Put the pan in an oven preheated to 200°C and roast for 60-70 min. Halfway through have a look to see if there is enough liquid and also mix it a bit. Serve still warm with some of the juice from the pan.
If you've been careful with the liquid, the meat will be really, really tender. Even the fat will melt on your tongue. Truly delicious stuff.
I didn't try, but I reckon the juice left in the pan could be a nice base for a gravy, otherwise, it's great to dip some bread in.
Since the side was a salad, we paired it with a pale lager, Svijanský Rytíř, the same I used as ingredient. Had I served it with something more solid, I think a Polotmavé, Dunkĺes, Bock, Pale Ale or even a good Porter would have gone down really well.
Enjoy, without moderation. Remember that it's not what you eat, drink or even smoke what kills you, it's how you live.
Na Zdraví! a Dobrou Chuť!
Travel to the Czech Republic and stay at the best Prague Hotels
Some of the names of classical Czech dishes are rather curious. "Moravský Vrabec", for example. The translation is "Moravian Sparrows", but it's actually made with roasted cubes of marinated pork. It's a favourite pub grub, specially at lunch time.
The other day I thought I would make my version of the recipe. It's ideal for an ugly weekend day, when we have more than enough time, but don't feel like doing much. It doesn't need much work, but it requires quite a bit of time.
Another advantage is that this is a very versatile recipe. Here it's usually served with knedlíky and stewed cabbage, but there's no problem to serve it with potatoes in any form, veggies, rice or salad.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
1.5 kg of pork. Shoulder or any other fatty cut.
Almost a pint of beer. I used a good Czech Pale Lager, but a German Pils or Export or even a Pale Ale would do the job just fine.
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of Hungarian paprika.
1 tablespoon of cumin or caraway seed
Some sage, thyme and rosemary
Salt and pepper
Approx. 100g of lard.
For the marinade. In a large bowl put all the ingredients except the pork and lard. I do it this way. I first add the spices, salt and herbs, then a bit of the beer and mix well with an eggbeater. Then I add the rest of the beer, the oil and garlic and mix once again until it looks rather uniform.
Cut the meat in cubes of 3 cm by side, sort of, leaving all the fat, no matter how thick, and add it to the marinade. Leave it on the counter for 2 (maybe 3) hours.
Put the meat with the marinade in a deep and not too big roasting pan. Add enough water to cover 3/4 of it, then add the lard cut in small cubes (without it this would be too light, and we don't want that to happen).
Put the pan in an oven preheated to 200°C and roast for 60-70 min. Halfway through have a look to see if there is enough liquid and also mix it a bit. Serve still warm with some of the juice from the pan.
If you've been careful with the liquid, the meat will be really, really tender. Even the fat will melt on your tongue. Truly delicious stuff.
I didn't try, but I reckon the juice left in the pan could be a nice base for a gravy, otherwise, it's great to dip some bread in.
Since the side was a salad, we paired it with a pale lager, Svijanský Rytíř, the same I used as ingredient. Had I served it with something more solid, I think a Polotmavé, Dunkĺes, Bock, Pale Ale or even a good Porter would have gone down really well.
Enjoy, without moderation. Remember that it's not what you eat, drink or even smoke what kills you, it's how you live.
Na Zdraví! a Dobrou Chuť!
Travel to the Czech Republic and stay at the best Prague Hotels
You had me at "Shoulder or any other fatty cut".
ReplyDeleteCan't resist the power of the lard, can you?
ReplyDelete