Camp Camp Cook Book

EDIT: If Kevin Ryan comes this year, he *has* to include the recipe for his family clam chowder (the one with clams, saltine crackers and other ingredients I can't remember). Dude, don't break your wrist again this year-- you seriously need to do some cooking!

So it became clear to Kevin and myself that we need a Camp Camp Cookbook, for those of use who want to cook, but aren't certain *what* to cook. So for all the foodies out there, here we go... (Let's see if we can do this without me totally destroying the Camp Camp Wiki!)

Paprivka, Sour Cream and Spatzel

(by Jonathan S)

I. PAPRIVKA:

I'm not certain whether or not "Paprivka" is the actual name or not. The Hungarian gent I learned this from (My best friend's Uncle) taught it to me one night about eight years ago, and told me that this was the name. I'll take his word for it. Also of note: This dish has a LOT of oil and fat. I mean, the liquid of the stew is mostly from the fat and other juices of the pork shoulder. It is, in my opinion, *extremely* unhealthy. I only make this about once every other year. Whenever I eat it, I get a gout attack. Well, yes, of course it's worth it. Eat it once in a while, served to very good friends (Or enemies you want to kill off via cardiac arrest).

The Software: The Paprivka

About 2 tablespoons of peanut oil

Yellow Onion, coarsely diced (about 1/2" squares)

Green Bell Pepper, coarsely diced (about 1/2" squares)

1 Pork Shoulder (cut into 3/4" x 1/4" strips)

2 Jalapeño Peppers, coarsely chopped (optional)

4 teaspoons of Sweet Paprika

4 teaspoons of Hot Paprika

2-3 generous pinches of salt

Garnish:

A Dollop of Sour Cream

Diced green onions (optional)

The Hardware: The Paprivka

1 sauté pan with at least 1" tall sides

Cover for pan

1. Over medium heat, pour the peanut oil into the sauté pan, two tablespoons is a rough estimate; you basically want enough to generously cover the bottom and sides of it.

2. Add onions and sweat until just translucent. About ten minutes or so. (a)

3. Add the green pepper, pork shoulder and paprika, stir to evenly distribute the ingredients, then cover. When the mixture beins to bubble, reduce to low heat. (b)

4. Simmer for about twenty to thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. About ten minutes before the end of cook time add the Jalapeño Peppers. (c)

5. Add salt to taste. (d)

6. Camp Camp 4.0 note: I ended up with about a half again more amount of pork as the recipe calls for. I ended up doubling the amount of paprika in the actual dish. Seemed to turn out well though.

Footnotes:

(a) I'm told you want to draw this step out as slow as possible; sweating the onions over lower heat over a longer period of time resulting in a sweeter flavor. Use Maui Sweet Onions for a quicker cook time.

(b) When I was taught this recipe, the chef cut the pork shoulder while the onions were cooking. If you're efficient enough, you can pretty much finish cutting the pork shoulder by the time the onions are ready. It works out fairly well-- just make sure your pork shoulder is thawed and unfrozen! When you stir in the pork, you want to coat the meat with all the onion flavored peanut oil. I think it also prevents burning on the meat-- you basically leave it for a period of time over low heat. Of course, that's just a theory.

(c). Stir to make sure you don't burn anything. Also, keep lidded with just a bit of steam escaping-- you don't want too much moisture loss; it's a stew after all. You can also use habanero peppers for a really, really spicy version.

(d). You want this stew to be *slightly* below "too much salt". Since that's a fairly subjective opinion, it's left up to you on how much to put in. Remember that this recipe is supposed to be eaten with sour cream and spatzel; the sour cream and spatzel even out the saltiness of the paprivka.

II. SPATZEL:

A small pasta about the size of a pea, I've found it in both Germanic and Hungarian dishes. My sister's Mother-in-Law likes to prepare a variant of this with ground cilantro-- you end up with green pasta that serves as a great side to a hunk of roasted meat. Yeah, I know. I can't find a spatzel maker description at the sur la table website either. Your best bet is to just go in and ask about it. Describe the pasta in question, and the shopkeeper should be able to help you out easy.

The simple device I use resembles a cheese grater with an accompanying funnel. The batter is poured into the funnel and you move the funnel back and forth perpendicular over the grater. My sister has a grinder version-- it looks like those play dough makers that produce long strips of tubular... er, well, playdough. This version results in the smaller pea sized bits, though, so it's a bit of a "one-liner" for the kitchen. Mine is easier to clean.

The Software: spatzel:

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

About 1 to 1-1/2 cup milk or lactaid (a).

The Hardware: spatzel:

Whisk

Large Mixing Bowl

spatzel maker

A large pot of boiling water

Strainer

1. Using the whisk, mix the eggs, flour, salt and milk together in the large mixing bowl. You want enough milk in the mixture to produce a thick pancake-like batter. Let rest at least ten minutes (b).

2. Over a pot of boiling water, position your spatzel maker and pour in about a cup of batter. As the spatzel floats to the surface, scoop out with the strainer. Work in small batches to prevent one large clump from forming in the bottom of the pot. Let drain. (c)

(Footnotes)

(a). Either works well. In tests, I've found that lactaid tends to produce slightly sweeter pasta.

(b). Refrigerate while resting. The mixture must rest in order to allow air to escape.

(c). I've never tried this, but I've heard that spatzel fried in rendered bacon fat is delicious and perfect on a cold winter morning.

III. PLATING:

In a shallow bowl, put in a scoop (about a cup) of spatzel. Pour over a ladle full of the Paprivka. Over both, put a dollop (about a tablespoon) of sour cream. Garnish the sour cream with a bit of the diced green onions (a). Your chosen utensil should be a spoon.

(a). What, MORE footnotes? Footnotes for PLATING?! Hell yeah. I take pride in how my stuff looks... and tastes. The green onions are completely unnecessary. I only put them there for looks. I suppose finely chopped cilantro might work too. Never tried though.

IV. EATING:

Mix together and consume. You should have a very spicy, salty stew balanced with a mild sour cream. The sourness of the cream should be balanced with the sweetness of the spatzel. The oil and fat, while distressingly unhealthy, convey all those flavors more efficiently to your tongue. You should find it very yummy. Let me know how it goes!