Pastrami and other delights..

A new blog entry that I've managed to post between doing the washing up and making lokshen noodles for chicken soup. 

Pastrami

Actually we never intended to produce our own pastrami.

Pastrami is 100% NYC, unlike Salt Beef (Corned Beef to our American friends) which can be found on both sides of the Atlantic (although not in Hungary nor to the best of my knowledge Poland). 

Not that we have anything against NYC, it's just that we're in Bristol.

It must be hot smoked which is a somewhat convoluted procedure that takes plenty of expertise if you're not prepared to throw away lots of failed experimental brisket and so a little reluctantly we decided not to bother.

But Barney "the smoke" from whom we get our delicious smoked salmon (he also smokes lots of other stuff for us like ox tongue and turkey breast) has some previous with pastrami and he agreed to help us. So finally last week we dry cured a 5kg brisket for our first attempt at pastrami and yesterday we sent it off to Barney's to be hot smoked.

When we get it back on Friday we'll finish cooking it for a couple of hours before trimming it, rolling it in crushed black pepper corns and coriander seeds and then finally we'll get to try it. If it's a success then we'll be serving our first pastrami on rye this Saturday.

Maybe I'll even bake some bialys to go with it?

Sólet

Sólet however was always on the agenda. It is a stew of beans and pearl barley braised long and slow with a variety of different meats and whole eggs (ours includes duck legs, smoked beef short ribs, ox tongue and of course an egg or two). 

This is the quintessential Hungarian dish to be served on the Sabbath when it is forbidden for observant Jews to cook. The uncooked Sólet would be taken to the local bakery before dusk on Friday to to be cooked in the cooling oven and then fetched the following morning for lunch. This is a story that that I have also heard (Elizabeth David perhaps?) in relation to French cassoulet a dish from which according to speculation and some scholarship Sólet originates.

It's always on the menu every Friday at Rosenstein's in Budapest.

Lecsó and Shakshuka

Lecsó (English prounciation "LETCH-oh") is a Hungarian dish of stewed peppers, tomatoes and onion with paprika. Sausage, bacon and eggs are commonly added. 

When Disney released the film "Ratatouille" in Hungary they renamed it Lecsó.

Having found a supply of Hungarian peppers in Fishponds we've added Lecsó to our brunch menu, served with our smoked lamb bacon (more assistance from Barney "the smoke"), kosher smoked beef salami or shakshuka style with eggs.

I have to be honest and say that I'd never heard of Shakshuka until one of our customers asked me if we'd be doing any..Apparently it's of North African origin and very popular in Israel and what he went on to describe was a spicy stew of peppers and tomatoes in which whole eggs are poached. 

The Ottomans introduced paprika to Hungary at around the same time that they ruled over most of North Africa. I suggest that herein lies the similarity between Lecsó and Shakshuka!

So that's how Hungarian style Shakshuka flavoured with cumin, coriander leaves and a sprinkling of feta cheese came to a small corner of Bristol BS6.

Szalontüdő zsemlegombóccal

Sweet and sour ragout of veal lung and heart served with bread dumplings

I must admit that Szalontüdő is really only on the menu for sentimental reasons rather than any belief that it will become one of Aron's best sellers.

It is another of the dishes that makes a regular appearance every Tuesday at Rosenestein's Vendéglő in Budapest. Whenever possible I like to ensure, when visiting Budapest that my trip will take in at least one Tuesday so that I can go and eat Szalontüdő.

We source all of our veal from Bocaddon Farm Veal in Cornwall who were more than a little surprised when I asked for lung but they duly obliged.

Interestingly (at least I thought so), when I was surfing the web for a szalontüdő recipe, I discovered that it is a Viennese dish of Jewish provenance and there it goes by the name of Salon Beuschel. 

For those of you with a liking for offal I can heartily recommend it.