Borsos Tokány

This was an early attempt at "food photography," so it is not a great one, but I hope you get the idea. It was well-received by the family, except for the fact that I concentrated so hard on the dish itself, I forgot a side dish! Braised cabbage would be a good side for this, or perhaps some sort of green bean, zucchini or pea-and-carrot főzelék:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=1454&title=tk-fzelk

In doing a little research for this dish, I consulted Time-life's "Foods of the World" series. In the volume titled "Vienna's Empire" (of which Hungary was a part), I learned that one of the hallmarks of Hungarian cooking is the sautéing of chopped onion as a beginning for many, many dishes. Historically, this is done in lard, but that of course is a dirty word these days, so olive oil or butter are used. These of course are a little better for you than the lard that is traditionally used, but according to all sources, the flavour just isn't the same. Having said that, commercial lard is so refined nowadays that the real depth of flavour is hard to find there as well, so some people use rendered bacon fat, reserved and kept for such purposes. What you use in the end is up to you.

According to my reading, it is important to sauté the onions to the point of being golden,  and then only just a tiny bit farther, before removing from the heat and adding garlic (if any) and paprika. The reason for this is so that the paprika will not scorch, but will instead release its oils and darken a bit as it is infused with the warm fat, turning into the rich, savory deliciousness that dishes such as this are so famous for.

I also learned that Hungary has four national "pepper dishes:" gulyás, pörkölt, paprikás and tokány. All four are varieties of hot, spicy stew with some similarities, but also with subtle and important differences.

Give this traditional Hungarian beef a try, and I am sure you will be pleased! Here's the recipe:

Borsos Tokány 3 pounds chuck & sirloin, any combination, sliced into strips 2 to 3 inches long by 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick Olive oil, butter or, to be more authentic, bacon fat or lard for frying 1 large onion, finely chopped 5 or 6 cloves garlic, crushed 4 generous tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika Salt, to taste A generous amount of freshly-ground black pepper, to taste 2 cups dry white wine 1 small can tomato paste Cut beef into strips about 2 to 3 inches long. If you have a thick chuck, slice it into strips about 1 inch wide, then flip each slice on its side and slice that in half. Set aside. Sauté the onion in a splash of oil (or other fat) over medium heat until golden. Remove from heat into a container. Add a little more fat and sauté meat in batches over high heat in an uncovered skillet or pot, browning well on all sides. Return the onions to the skillet, then remove from heat and add the garlic and paprika, stirring to coat. Season with salt and pepper, then add the wine. Return to heat and reduce to a gentle simmer, covered. After about 20 minutes, uncover skillet and add tomato paste and a splash of water or wine to turn paste into a thick gravy. Continue simmering gently until the sauce thickens well, about 30 minutes, maybe more. Let the liquid reduce as much as possible. It will become a thick, smooth, maroon sauce. Taste it at this point and add season if necessary. Serve immediately with rice, oven roasted or mashed potatoes.