Vadas Hús (Hunter-style Pot Roast)
Klotildliget, the small village where I grew up, was
subdivided from the properties of Habsburg-Lotaring Prince Joseph Karl in the
late 1890's at the area of the forested Pilis mountains, and was named after
his wife, Klotild. It was an ideal place for game hunting, which activity was
continued by his son, Prince Joseph Agost in the first half of the 20th
century.
The beasts must had been abundant those days, because my
mother was able to buy venison and wild boar meat at the local butcher's shop
during the hunting seasons.
One has to remember that this was the time before the
communists took over Hungary at the end of WWII. From 1945 everything was owned
by the Communist government, and wild meats were not available anymore for the
households. However, because the Hungarians don't give up easily, they
substituted with marinaded beef.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 6 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of thyme
- 1 carrot, cut into ½ inch strips
- 1 medium onion, sliced ¼ inch
thick
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 pounds beef, preferably rump
roast
- ½ cup diced, smoked ham
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup sour cream
- Salt
- Water
Place the first eight ingredients into a saucepan, add ½
cup water and simmer for 20 minutes.
Place the meat in a glass or porcelain dish and pour the
warm (but not hot) marinade over it. Cover the dish and keep it in a cold place
for 1-2 days.
Before cooking, take the meat out from the marinade, dry
it on a rack and rub the salt on for taste. Poor the oil into a flameproof
enameled casserole and fry the bacon. Place the meat in the dish and carefully
brown on all sides.
Take the bay leaves and peppercorns out from the marinade
and poor it over the meat. Cover and simmer gently until the meat is done,
about 2-3 hours, depending on the quality of the meat. Turn the meat a few
times so that it cooks evenly. Add some water from time-to-time if necessary.
When the meat is done, place it on a side dish and keep it warm
Mash all the vegetables in the sauce and skim off the
extra fat. In a small bowl blend the sugar, mustard, sour cream and flour
together and gradually add it to the sauce. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes
stirring constantly. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water.
Cut up the meat into slices and serve it with the sauce
over macaroni or potato dumplings, with steamed carrots on the side.
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