(click to enlarge)

The Hungarian name means something like "Cowboy Stew". A Tokany is a drier stew than a Pörkölt, which in turn has much less liquid than a Gulyas. This is an excellent tasty stew with plenty of pork. Myself, I like it also without the sour cream, but that just wouldn't be Hungarian, now, would it?

1. Trim the PORK of excess fat and cut into strips about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch on each side.
2. Cut the BACON into strips of similar size to the pork.
3. Cut ONION in half lengthwise, then slice thin crosswise.
4. In a well seasoned iron skillet, heat 1 T Lard and fry Bacon until light golden. Remove to a heavy bottomed pot or sauté pan leaving as much fat in the skillet as possible.
5. Over moderate heat fry Onions until just starting to color. Remove from the skillet to the pot leaving behind as much fat as possible.
6. Add another 1 T Lard and bring up very hot. Fry Pork in batches until moderately browned on all sides. Place each batch in the pot with the onions leaving as much fat behind as possible. Add a little lard only if necessary.
7. Pour 1/2 c Water into the skillet, bring to a boil and scrape to deglaze the skillet, then pour into the pot.
8. Stir Paprika and Salt into the pot.
9. Peel TOMATOES and cut into chunks about 1/2 inch on a side. Core BELL PEPPER and cut into strips about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide. Add both to pot along with just enough water to come about 1/2 way up on the ingredients.
10. Bring pot to a boil, then simmer for 3/4 hour stirring a couple of times. Keep the water level about 1/2 way up on the ingredients.
11. Meanwhile set your Sour Cream out to warm to room temperature and boil your galuska.
12. When nearly ready to serve, let it cool just a bit, then stir 2 T of the sauce into the Sour Cream, then stir it all back into the pot and bring back just to a simmer.
13. Put some Galuska at one side of each shallow bowl or deep plate, and spoon Tokany to fill the rest.