Dish of Pork with Mushrooms
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Pork with Mushrooms


Poland   -   Przysmak Białystocki
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 #
***
1-3/4 hr
Yes		 The name in Polish means "Delicacy from Bialystok", a city in the far northeast of Poland, not far from the border with Belarus. See also Comments.

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Pork, Lean (1)
Mushrooms (2)
Onion
Bell Pepper, grn  
Ginger (3)
Butter
Lard (4)
Salt
Maggi (5)
-- Serve with
Steamed Rice
Prep   -   (40 min)
  1. Cut PORK into sticks about 1/2 inch on a side and 2 to 3 inches long.
  2. Cut MUSHROOMS stems flush with caps. Slice caps about 1/8 inch thick.
  3. Cut ONIONS into quarters lengthwise, then slice thin crosswise.
  4. Blast BELL PEPPERS black with your Kitchen Torch and brush off the skins under running water. Cut into thin strips about 1 inch long and add to Onions. See Note-6.
  5. Slice GINGER very thin. Cut slices into threads, then cut threads crosswise very fine. Add to Onions.
Run   -   (1 hr)
  1. Heat 1 T Butter in a sauté pan and fry Mushrooms over moderate heat until they have given up most of their water, but there is still some in the pan. Set aside.
  2. In a spacious skillet or sauté pan (3-1/2 qts), heat 2 T Lard. Fry Pork over highest heat, tumbling often, until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside, leaving fat in the pan.
  3. Stir in Onion mix and fry stirring often and scraping up any fond in the pan, just until Onions are translucent.
  4. Stir Pork back in, along with the Mushrooms. Sprinkle with Salt and Maggi. Place over low heat and fry uncovered, tumbling fairly often, until Pork is still firm, but edible, about 20 minutes. It should be very moist, but with no free liquid in the pan.
  5. Serve hot with Steamed Rice. This recipe reheats well.
NOTES:

  1. Pork:

      This should be fairly lean with excess fat removed. Shoulder and leg have better flavor than loin (where Pork Chops come from) or tenderloin.

  2. Mushrooms:

      Regular White Mushrooms work well here, but others can be used. Mushrooms are bulky and don't keep at all well, so I usually do the mushroom steps right away. Fried and sealed in plastic they'll keep several days in the fridge.

  3. Ginger:

      The pattern recipe used 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger, fresh ginger being very scarce in Poland. Here in Southern California Fresh Ginger is a staple I always have on hand, so I used that for its superior flavor.

  4. Lard:

      This has always been the dominant frying medium of Poland. I call for it without apology - it's health profile is better than Butter, it doesn't clog arteries, and it goes to higher temperatures than butter. For details see our Lard page.

  5. Maggi Seasoning:

      This bottled seasoning is very popular in much of the world, especially Europe and Southeast Asia, but varies from region to region. The European would be appropriate for this recipe, but is hard to find here in California. The common Chinese version is good, but the Mexican seems lacking. For details see our Maggi Seasoning page.

  6. Bell Pepper

      The pattern recipe did not blast the Bell Pepper, just chopped it small. I always blast, because it improves texture, prevents annoying skins from floating around, and allows pieces to be larger. This is especially after reheating, but cooking time for this recipe is long enough to cast skins loose. Removing the skins takes only a couple minutes with the Kitchen Torch.

  7. Comments:

      The pattern recipe is by a lady who grew up in Suwalki, a bit north of Bialystok. She says it is the favorite recipe of both her brothers, and I don't doubt this at all.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
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