Have I mentioned that my husband is from Eastern Europe? And that the food he grew up on is delish and fairly low carb?
The other day I had some pork chops in the fridge waiting for me to do something with them and I was just uninspired. All cooked out.
So I fell back on an old Eastern European standby: Goulash.
This goulash consists of pork and sauerkraut in a cream sauce.
Yes, really. Sauerkraut and cream. I know it sounds weird but it works, trust me. This is also one of those recipes that makes for a good amount of leftovers. One batch fed us for two dinners.
Ingredients for 4 to 6 servings
- 3 thick boneless pork chops or 2lbs pork loin, fat trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or a dash of garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- 2 to 4 cups of chicken broth or water
- 1 jar Vlasic sauerkraut (I think Vlasic is the best brand)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- Olive oil
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil and butter.
2.Saute onions and garlic until browned.
3.Sprinkle salt and pepper on meat and add to the pan. Sear quickly.
4.Add broth or water* to just the top of the meat. Don't cover, you want them poking through a bit.
*This recipe is traditionally made with just water, but I like the extra omph of the broth.
5.Cover pan, turn down heat and let simmer for a good 40 to 60 minutes. This tenderizes the meat. Check and stir every so often, adding more liquid as necessary to keep the pan from going dry. Although note that you don't have to cover the meat as much once the first batch of liquid reduces off, just keep the pan wet.
6.Drain the sauerkraut and rinse thoroughly with water. This is the single most important step of this recipe. A good rinse is key because you want to take out as much of the sour flavor as possible. Go ahead and taste it as you rinse, you'll be able to tell if it needs more rinsing. Once it's rinsed, let it sit to drain.
7.When the meat is cooked through, add the kraut. Cook until kraut is heated.
8. To finish off the goulash, add the cream and cook until the remaining liquid has reduced and thickened a bit into a nice cream sauce.
Note: At this point in the recipe you want most of the broth to have cooked off, there should just be about 1 1/2 cups liquid left in the entire pan. If you have too much liquid, strain some off.
