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 2025: German classics and International Yums |
 On Nov 28, 2025 was my dad's 9th death day, and the ensuing Christmas my 10th without him – not exactly an anniversary to look forward to. BUT: on that literally last Christmas ten years ago, Dad cooked a gulasch. As Dad was recovering from radiation that Christmas Eve, and slow to wake up, all beef for his intended gulasch was already sold out  when we arrived at our nearby Cactus-supermarket (kind of a Luxembourgish Walmart, only with real food).Only "Wildsau" – wild boar – meat was left... and only a rough kilogram = 2 lb. Better than nothing, eh? So Dad cooked his gulasch, and when it finally was done, it was the F–ING BEST I'd EVER had (sorry, Mom! ). The meat tender, the sauce reeking with red wine, tomato, onion and paprika... and something else I couldn't place. Even my mom who was a dainty eater all her life took a second serving – rather hell would freeze! My friend, and substitute mother, Marina, said that Dad's "unique" gulasch was due to that gulasch – depending on the animal, part of the animal, amount of spices / herbs used, etc. – always tastes a little different, and that the "secret ingredient" was the LOVE he put into this last Christmas dinner. I don't disagree, except for ONE thing: that taste was something tangible, something real that could be uncovered and reproduced.  Lightning struck someday in December, when I was especially grinch-y, due to circumstances.  I realized after finishing the first round of "44. Sloth Christmas Cookies"  , which I'd ship across Germany to my family and friends. For the gingerbread cookies, I'd mixed my own gingerbread spice, from the spices I'd at home, ALL which are needed, too.What if Dad– Quatsch! GINGERBREAD spice... in GULASCH!? That's f–ing PERVERSE! Well, it turned out to BE the gingerbread spice – and that it made ALL the difference.  Thing was, though, that I was pretty clueless and quantity & ratios for the dish. A cook with decades of experience – like my Dad, or mom – does that easier than someone only just teaching themselves cooking decently – and yeah, I'd also left cooking all to him (them) before  . I've come far in the last five years, and "stray" more and more in the kitchen, too, BUT: I still like a good "instruction" to make my way along the rope. (It helped with "42. ROOT: Großmama's Hühnerfrikassee (Chicken fricassee)" and "30. Original Swedish Köttbullar " , for sure.)So I looked for a gulasch "instruction" in my collection and found it in Martina & Moritz – So kochen wir am liebsten. (roughly: This is how we like cooking best.) The two are a married couple of chefs with their own TV-show, where they often cook in themes – like "Potatoes", or "Pasta", or, "New Year's (Eve)" – and are known for solid German (and some international) cuisine. And since the two are born in the years "between", they're roughly as old as my parents would be now.  So watching them is always a bit like watching Mama and Papa (or Oma and Opa) cook. I also watched them already together with my parents (yes, Mom too).I roughly adhered to their gulasch-recipe for quantities, and timing (VERY important during prep work!) Then, the "secret ingredient"... and off I was in Christmassy, nostalgic food heaven.  Bring LOADS of time, however, as this is a culinary test of patience – I nearly imploded from autolysis – but, dang!, it's worth EVERY minute of the wait!  Serves: 3-4 MAIN course; 6 when eaten with a SIDE Prep Time: 4-6 hrs INCLUDING at least 3 hrs simmering  Degree of Difficulty: Easy WE NEED NOTE: I already HALVED the recipe, as I'm alone, and it was STILL so... "high-yield"  ORIGINAL quantities in brackets950 gr (2 kg) / 2 lb. 1.75 oz. (4,5 lb.) wild boar The odd number because since I'd not ordered the meat in time  , I gotta take what was left, which was "saddle" and "game stew meat." (=> translated from French tags)3 tbsp clarified butter A MIX of butter + oil, cause NO clarified butter; stuck with ORIGINAL quantity here. 1-2 tbsp flour ORIGINAL quantity too. 1 (2) kg / 2 (4.5) lb. red onions I only got about 700 gr / 1.5 lb. scraped together. Underestimated how MUCH 1 kg of onions is. 4-5 (+/– 8) garlic cloves 1 (2) tbsp tomato puree 1 (2) tbsp caraway 1 (2) tbsp dried marjoram Sold out! But THYME or OREGANO are as good. 3 heaped tbsp paprika powder As a salute to Dad, full-throttle spice. 250 ml / 8.5 US fl.oz. red wine I used a red from Tramin in South Tirol / Alto Adige, which has a fruity taste and with 12,5 vol% NOT too much alcohol.  3-6 tsp gingerbread spice I didn't use a tea spoon but a decent dip of the spice glass. SEASON TO TASTE. When the gulasch tastes SOLELY like gingerbread, you used too much. For that you need: 3 tbsp cinnamon CEYLON, as the cheaper CASSIA contains too much Cumarin which at regular use can damage the liver 1.5 tsp cloves 1 tsp EACH ground ginger, cardamom, allspice, coriander + nutmeg WE DO 1. Peel + dice the onions. Peel + chop the garlic. Mix caraway, marjoram (thyme/oregano) + paprikas in a little bowl. As I have a little difficulty to throw the right amount of SEVERAL spices into a boiling pot in quick succession  , I find that easier. Fill the flour in a little bowl. For the gingerbread spice, grind what needs to be ground – cloves, allspice, nutmeg –, and thoroughly mix the spices and fill them into an airtight glass.2. Cut the meat into 3 cm / 1 in cubes. Then, in a BIG pot, heat (clarified) butter OR butter + oil – (see above ) – and stir-fry the meat portion-wise. When you throw it ALL in, it likely doesn't fry properly and leaks juice. You want NEITHER I did four portions, and it worked! In EVERY round, add a REALLY LITTLE DUST of flour and season with salt + pepper. Add clarified butter / butter + oil as needed. "Park" the fried meat cubes in a deep plate until needed. 3. Add onions + garlic into the drippings – add more butter / oil, when needed – reduce the heat to medium and sauté them until soft. Stir regularly – then season with salt + pepper. Then add the tomato puree, stir it in, then the spices. Next, add a glass of red – = 250 ml / 8.5 US fl.oz – and a glass of water of about 200 ml / 6.75 US fl.oz. 4. Now, add the meat back into the sauce.  And NOW, dudes, comes the TORTUROUS part! Kein Sch..., I nearly died of bloody autolysis! BUT: like me, YOU gotta STAY STRONG, too: otherwise eating this feels like the equivalent of making soufflé, opening the oven too early/quickly and it imploding with a fart. 5. In the lidded pot, simmer the gulasch for 3-4 HOURS on LOWEST heat. NO shortcut It may NOT cook, OTHERWISE the sauce evaporates... and it is the MAIN + BEST part of the dish. 6. While it simmers, occasionally stir the gulasch and add a decent dip of the spice glass / 1 tsp gingerbread spice. 7. Serve with pasta (me), rice or potatoes. Keep in mind different prep times for each and align them with the overall cooking time of the gulasch. And now... Guten Hunger + Frohe Weihnachten!    |
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