What we have here is a venison-mushroom version of borsos tokány, which is strips of beef in a rich, savory, paprika-based sauce. when I tried borsos tokány:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeb...7&title=borsos-tokny

I really liked it and vowed to do it again. This version will be my attempt to branch out a bit from what i have tried before.

Thanks to my wife, our children are closely tied to Hungarian cuisine; her family is originally from the area that is near the border between Slovakia and Hungary, and the Slovak village where her family comes from, Žakarovce, used to be a part of the Hungarian Empire.

Traditionally, tokány is usually made with beef, but my contribution to this dish is a strong tradition of self-sufficiency on my side of the family in the form of hunting - particularly deer-hunting - which provides some of the best meat possible for this dish. I am sure that somewhere along the line, a hungarian nobleman or perhaps even a lowly poacher used venison in this fashion. Additionally, my research shows that the word "tokány" translates into "stripes," so it seems that the tokány moniker is more a function of the way the meat is cut than what the meat is comprised of.

The addition of mushrooms is true to many versions of tokány and reflects culinary traditions in Hungary as well as in all areas of our family heritage, from Slovakia and Germany to the American West - and besides that, they just plain taste good!

I had considered making this with beer rather than wine; I have a feeling that it would be pretty good, but i figured that, for today, I am probably flexing my wings enough. Besides, it is possible that the use of beer would change it into an entirely different dish. If anyone does want to try tokány with beer rather than wine, I'd be interested in hearing about the results, regardless of the meat used.

Here is the recipe that will be used:

Szarvashus Gombás Tokány

3 pounds well-trimmed venison steaks from the hindquarter
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.

Here's a plated picture to give you an idea of what we've got here:

sounds very good. i would deff. try that. maybe back off on tomato a little to let mushroom come through. also like bellpepper when i do a spanish thing. you got me thinging now.

bell pepper would probably be a very good addition to the dish - i simply don't use them out of personal preference. tokány is very accepting where experimentation is concerned. the main requirements are the meat cut into strips, the carmelised onions and the usage of paprika. also, it is highly recommeneded thatr white rather than red wine be used.

the dish looks very tomato-ey but really isn't. that small can of tomato paste seems to add just the right amount of flavour, although a person might be able to cut it in half. the main reason for the redness is of course the paprika.

i LIKE THE WHITE WINE RATHER THAN RED, AND THE PAPRIKA. WILL TRY THIS WEAKEND AND LET YOU KNOW HOW I FAIR.


THANKS, LARRY

sounds good - be sure to follow the link read my full post at FOTW. i did run into a couple of minor pitfalls and reading the post might help you avoid them.

looking forward to seeing how it goes!

ron

sounds great I might have to dust off my stove and try cooking again after a yr or three for not cooking

Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to trying this.

I tried this weakend. only thing I did different was cook the meat down first. it was a great dish. coundn't find sweet hungarian pep locally. Dont cook with a lot of wine mostly stock. it was a nice change.

hey, glad you liked it! cooking the meat down first works very well, jsut be sure to keep all those savory bits of brown goodness in the pan and lift them off with wine or other liquid.

the first time i cooked a meat dish similar to this with wine, i was very impressed - a depth is added that i never suspected before and once i tried it, i was hooked!

Yes, after removing the meat I throw the veggies,(onions etc.) in.this cooling of the pot and moisture from the veggies do a good job of lifting the stickings. If not all lift throw a splash of wine, stock or water to finish lifting and cook out. This also helps to introduce flavor to the veggies.

Larry