Or is it too soon to speak about that?
Last year beer sales fell everywhere, I think. The Czech Republic is no exception, where sales dropped by 5% overall (with 10% on exports). No surprise here.
However, if we take a second to look at the numbers in more detail we will notice a couple of very interesting things.
Plzeňský Prazdoj, the largest brewer in the country, reported a decrease of 4.4%. Budvar, of 2%. Staropramen haven't released the figures yet, but I don't think they'll be much better, and neither I think Heineken CZ's will be, even though I haven't seem them yet.
On the other hand, during the same period, K Brewery Trade reported that the sales of their six regional breweries grew by 7%, reaching a volume of 850k hl. Černá Hora, KBT's newest member, also had a successful 2009, with sales going up by 5%.
But the most impressive results are, no doubt, those from Svijany and Rohozec. They grew by almost 17.5% and 16% respectively. Svijany's output last year was 385k hl and their goal is to reach 400k this year.
Although I haven't been able to find any figures (not that I looked too much for them), another segment that has grown was the micro breweries', who now represent 3% of the total beer production in the Czech Rep. It might not look like big deal, but let me remind you that most micros here are brewpubs that don't bottle and hardly distribute their beers. It's true that there were some closings last year, but the same number, if not more (if anyone has actual figures, please share them) have opened, including the "micro-industrials" Tambor and Chotěboř, who I've heard are really happy with their first results.
At first, these figures surprised me a bit. But then I realised that that they only reflect something I've been seeing for quite some time, at least here in Prague. Regional beers, or some of them, have become easier to find than ever before; they can be seen at supermarket chains and not few shops. Wandering around the city researching for my book I have come across quite a few places that offer exclusively regional beers, some of them are new, others have switched suppliers. Either way, they seem to be doing quite well, as shown by Celeste and their experience with Kout na Šumavě. There are also those who added a regional or micro to their offer, also with some success. And of course, I can't leave out the čtvrtá pípa phenomenon that keeps on growing, hospody that offer "rotating beers" must be about 50 in the whole country. The owner of Zlý Časy, who has taken this to the extreme, told me the other day that sales of draught beer have doubled in the last year.
Someone must be feeling the pain, and I'm pretty sure it's the big boys. My empiric observations (I've always wanted to say this) show that most of those who get a taste of these "alternative" beers never go back and also spread the word. This in a way follows what Stephen Beaumont was saying the other day about "Boire Moins, Boire Mieux" (drink less, drink better). Perhaps not so much from the style point of view (though the number of "special" beers - those with a Plato higher than 13% - have doubled in the last three or four years), but it's certainly true from the quality point of view.
Too soon to be speaking about a trend? No way!
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Making the best of an invitation
Though I talk about places that I visit while wandering around the city, restaurant reviewing is nor my area of expertise, neither the main topic of this blog. That's why I was quite surprised by the mail received from Restaurace Paprika a few days before Christmas.
Paprika is a small Hungarian restaurant located in a back street of Holešovice. Its owner Holešovice wanted to invite me to taste the home made sausages his brother, the chef, makes. I love sausages, they are one of the best beer snacks in the world, and I have a greasy spot for Hungarian-like sausages. Of course I accepted the invitation. In my religion refusing without a very good reason an invitation to good food is a capital sin punished by an eternity of drinking piss-warm Corona from glasses of Kout na Šumavě.
So a couple of weeks ago I agreed with Lászlo to pay him a visit on a quiet afternoon. I didn't go empty handed, I took a few beers with me to try some pairings and share with my host.
Paprika is a pretty small restaurant, but very welcoming, a real neighbourhood place. The decoration and the furnishings are basic and unpretentious, I quite liked it. I was welcomed by László. He's a very nice and friendly bloke, from Hungary, but has been living in Prague for many years. He told me the restaurant had opened in March and that fortunately, things were beginning to go very well. Still, he said they would like to move to a nicer location, with more pedestrian traffic. He also explained their philosophy of using only fresh ingredients, as authentic as possible, what they can't get here, they bring from their home-town. The aim is to cook really home made typical Hungarian food.
To get things started he brought me three pieces of bread topped with different lard based spreads, kacsazsír, with duck lard; tepertőkrém, with pork drippings and kolbászzsír tarjadarabokkal with sausage drippings with bits of roasted pork neck. All three absolutely delicious. The perfect beer snack. I paired the first two with Svijanský Rytíř, the bitterness of this světlý ležák cut through the fattiness and brought up the flavours of the spreads. I tried the other with Primátor 13%, not bad, but I liked the match with Svijany better.
The "main course" (or so I thought at the moment) came next, the promised home made sausage. László told me that they mince the season the meat themselves and then stuff it in tripes brought from Hungary. It was wonderful! Perhaps the best sausage I've ever had in a restaurant. Incredibly meaty, with the right amount of spice that gained intensity as the sausage lost length. I wasn't a big fan of the tripe, very thin and soft, I prefer them snappier, but László told me that it is the kind used for this type of sausage. I paired it both with Primátor 13% and with Herold Tmavé. The latter worked better. Its roasted notes complemented the spice very well. The sausage also came with a plate of mixed pickles, I loved the cabbage, which also went well with the Herold.
After that I was brought another round of spreads on (now bigger) pieces of bread and we chatted a bit more about Hungarian food and culinary traditions and, specially, about Goulash and how they prepare it. I got a couple of good tips to improve my already wicked gulášek. After I was done with the spreads (man, they are lovely!) I went to the loo, when I came back I had a surprise waiting for me on the table. A generous portion of the dish we had been discussing.
The real name is vörösboros marhalábszárpörkölt. It came with something that looked like cus-cus called tarhonya. Though a bit too salty for my taste, it was still very, very good. Wonderfully rich and tasty, with very tender mean that was neither stringy nor dry. Fantastic. Here, Primátor 13% did a very good job. Its caramel notes made a nice base for the tasty flavours of this goulash.
I ended up stuffed and with a very jolly belly, also very satisfied with my pairing experiments. I promised László I would visit his restaurant with my family once the weather got a bit nicer. The offer of draught beer is nothing to write home about, Pilsner Urquell and Kozel (I'm trying to see if László wants to change suppliers), but they have the pretty good Maisel Weisse, from Germany at 37CZK a bottle. Of course, there's also a nice selection of Hungarian wines.
I strongly recommend Restaurace Paprika. Not only they serve good home-made food, but the owners are honest, hard-working people who are everything they can to offer the best possible quality to their clients, and that deserves support.
Na Zdraví!
Restaurace Paprika
Jateční 39
Holešovice - Praga 7
+420 722 064 214
info@restauracepaprika.cz
Choose your preferred Prague hotels and get free transport.
Paprika is a small Hungarian restaurant located in a back street of Holešovice. Its owner Holešovice wanted to invite me to taste the home made sausages his brother, the chef, makes. I love sausages, they are one of the best beer snacks in the world, and I have a greasy spot for Hungarian-like sausages. Of course I accepted the invitation. In my religion refusing without a very good reason an invitation to good food is a capital sin punished by an eternity of drinking piss-warm Corona from glasses of Kout na Šumavě.
So a couple of weeks ago I agreed with Lászlo to pay him a visit on a quiet afternoon. I didn't go empty handed, I took a few beers with me to try some pairings and share with my host.
Paprika is a pretty small restaurant, but very welcoming, a real neighbourhood place. The decoration and the furnishings are basic and unpretentious, I quite liked it. I was welcomed by László. He's a very nice and friendly bloke, from Hungary, but has been living in Prague for many years. He told me the restaurant had opened in March and that fortunately, things were beginning to go very well. Still, he said they would like to move to a nicer location, with more pedestrian traffic. He also explained their philosophy of using only fresh ingredients, as authentic as possible, what they can't get here, they bring from their home-town. The aim is to cook really home made typical Hungarian food.To get things started he brought me three pieces of bread topped with different lard based spreads, kacsazsír, with duck lard; tepertőkrém, with pork drippings and kolbászzsír tarjadarabokkal with sausage drippings with bits of roasted pork neck. All three absolutely delicious. The perfect beer snack. I paired the first two with Svijanský Rytíř, the bitterness of this světlý ležák cut through the fattiness and brought up the flavours of the spreads. I tried the other with Primátor 13%, not bad, but I liked the match with Svijany better.
The "main course" (or so I thought at the moment) came next, the promised home made sausage. László told me that they mince the season the meat themselves and then stuff it in tripes brought from Hungary. It was wonderful! Perhaps the best sausage I've ever had in a restaurant. Incredibly meaty, with the right amount of spice that gained intensity as the sausage lost length. I wasn't a big fan of the tripe, very thin and soft, I prefer them snappier, but László told me that it is the kind used for this type of sausage. I paired it both with Primátor 13% and with Herold Tmavé. The latter worked better. Its roasted notes complemented the spice very well. The sausage also came with a plate of mixed pickles, I loved the cabbage, which also went well with the Herold.After that I was brought another round of spreads on (now bigger) pieces of bread and we chatted a bit more about Hungarian food and culinary traditions and, specially, about Goulash and how they prepare it. I got a couple of good tips to improve my already wicked gulášek. After I was done with the spreads (man, they are lovely!) I went to the loo, when I came back I had a surprise waiting for me on the table. A generous portion of the dish we had been discussing.
The real name is vörösboros marhalábszárpörkölt. It came with something that looked like cus-cus called tarhonya. Though a bit too salty for my taste, it was still very, very good. Wonderfully rich and tasty, with very tender mean that was neither stringy nor dry. Fantastic. Here, Primátor 13% did a very good job. Its caramel notes made a nice base for the tasty flavours of this goulash.I ended up stuffed and with a very jolly belly, also very satisfied with my pairing experiments. I promised László I would visit his restaurant with my family once the weather got a bit nicer. The offer of draught beer is nothing to write home about, Pilsner Urquell and Kozel (I'm trying to see if László wants to change suppliers), but they have the pretty good Maisel Weisse, from Germany at 37CZK a bottle. Of course, there's also a nice selection of Hungarian wines.
I strongly recommend Restaurace Paprika. Not only they serve good home-made food, but the owners are honest, hard-working people who are everything they can to offer the best possible quality to their clients, and that deserves support.
Na Zdraví!
Restaurace Paprika
Jateční 39
Holešovice - Praga 7
+420 722 064 214
info@restauracepaprika.cz
Choose your preferred Prague hotels and get free transport.
A pisshead anecdote
To a certain extent, Czech beer lovers aren't spoil for choice when it comes to style variety, but if it's good quality lagers what we are talking about, and session beers in particular, we really can't complain. Moreover, unlike what happens in most other countries, the "real beers" are often cheaper than those of the bigger brands. That's why it's sometimes hard to believe that there are still so many people that prefer to drink Gambrinus or Staropramen. It's easy to be tempted to think that they are all morons.
And I must confess that at some point that was exactly what I used to believe. Until around two years ago:
One Wednesday I met my friend Mark for lunch, we went to Kralovství. Right before we met we had both received the news that our appointments for the rest of the day had been canceled. Lunch then was extended both in time and Černá Hora beers. Since we were having such a good time, Mark suggested we have a shot to cap the meeting. The waitress told us they had home made slivovice...
Three shots and a couple of bees later, we left that pleasant Žižkov's restaurant slightly bouncing against each other. On the way to the street Seifertová, Mark said he had a call of nature to attend. I remembered we were very near a hospůdka that back then sold Staropramen, Svijany and Regent (ironically, today this place, with a different name, sells Gambrinus). There we headed.
It was a dive. Small, full of smoke and pissheads. Those who weren't drunk, were working hard to correct that. We fitted in perfectly.
We ordered Svijany and Regent and started to talk to the people at the table. All were drinking Staropramen. Just like a dodgy televangelist i started preaching. I accused them of being idiots. Told them that what they were drinking wasn't Czech beer anymore, but Brazilian, and wielding my půl litr of Máz like a sacred relic I appealed to their national pride and wallets. When we left many had seen the light and the mugs with the logo from Smíchov weren't so many anymore.
A couple of beers later, and bumping even harder against each other, we said good-bye to our new friends. Mark got into a taxi, I took a tram. There I was spotted by one of the drunkards we had spent such a good time with. With a marked slur, he said I was right, that Staropramen was rubbish, but that he had been drinking it for 30 years now and that it was now part of his life.
For obvious reasons, that truth didn't sink in at the time. Some time later, during the presentation of Chodovar at Pivovarský Klub, the brewery's owner told how today's big brands took advantage of the situation to to expand in such a brutal way. They had a huge advantage, the were able to guarantee consistent quality. Many of the regional breweries weren't in a position to do that. During the previous four decades hardly any investment had been made on their equipment and technologies. So people got used to drinking the brands that to this day enjoy an enormous popularity without realising the gradual drop in their quality.
Today, regional and micro breweries are slowly gaining more market share, but they don't have it easy. I have stopped thinking that those who drink Gambáč or Starouš are idiots. Humans are creatures of habit and as long as beer is seen as a generic product, those will be very hard to change.
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And I must confess that at some point that was exactly what I used to believe. Until around two years ago:
One Wednesday I met my friend Mark for lunch, we went to Kralovství. Right before we met we had both received the news that our appointments for the rest of the day had been canceled. Lunch then was extended both in time and Černá Hora beers. Since we were having such a good time, Mark suggested we have a shot to cap the meeting. The waitress told us they had home made slivovice...
Three shots and a couple of bees later, we left that pleasant Žižkov's restaurant slightly bouncing against each other. On the way to the street Seifertová, Mark said he had a call of nature to attend. I remembered we were very near a hospůdka that back then sold Staropramen, Svijany and Regent (ironically, today this place, with a different name, sells Gambrinus). There we headed.
It was a dive. Small, full of smoke and pissheads. Those who weren't drunk, were working hard to correct that. We fitted in perfectly.
We ordered Svijany and Regent and started to talk to the people at the table. All were drinking Staropramen. Just like a dodgy televangelist i started preaching. I accused them of being idiots. Told them that what they were drinking wasn't Czech beer anymore, but Brazilian, and wielding my půl litr of Máz like a sacred relic I appealed to their national pride and wallets. When we left many had seen the light and the mugs with the logo from Smíchov weren't so many anymore.
A couple of beers later, and bumping even harder against each other, we said good-bye to our new friends. Mark got into a taxi, I took a tram. There I was spotted by one of the drunkards we had spent such a good time with. With a marked slur, he said I was right, that Staropramen was rubbish, but that he had been drinking it for 30 years now and that it was now part of his life.
For obvious reasons, that truth didn't sink in at the time. Some time later, during the presentation of Chodovar at Pivovarský Klub, the brewery's owner told how today's big brands took advantage of the situation to to expand in such a brutal way. They had a huge advantage, the were able to guarantee consistent quality. Many of the regional breweries weren't in a position to do that. During the previous four decades hardly any investment had been made on their equipment and technologies. So people got used to drinking the brands that to this day enjoy an enormous popularity without realising the gradual drop in their quality.
Today, regional and micro breweries are slowly gaining more market share, but they don't have it easy. I have stopped thinking that those who drink Gambáč or Starouš are idiots. Humans are creatures of habit and as long as beer is seen as a generic product, those will be very hard to change.
Na Zdraví!
Reserve yourPrague hotel and win a walking tour.
Surprise from Barcelona
Fortunately, Glops Fumada wasn't the only thing that my friend Ramón brought me on his last visit.
When he wrote asking if there was any beer in particular I was interested in, I could have asked him for another sample from Guineu, their Montserrat was lovely and I have good reason to believe it isn't an exception among their product line. I could have also asked him to bring over a bottle from Ales Agullons, so I could see what their beer is like when it's in good shape. However, and against my better judgement, I decided for something from the brewery everyone in Barcelona seemed to be talking about at the time, Zulogaarden. Ramón obliged and during a long, animated and liquid lunch he gave me two samples from this new micro, Norai and Sang de Gossa.
When I saw Norai's presentation I started to have serious doubts about my choice. The label seems hand drawn, cut with scissors by someone who was either laughing really hard or riding a horse and then stuck on an engraved bottle of Alahambra Reserva 1925. To be fair, Ramón mentioned something about that bottle not being for sale when he still insisted on buying it. Anyway, it was the one I decided to open first.
What a surprise! Zulogaarden Norai defines itself as a Porter of Icouldn'tfindhowmuch %ABV (not much, for sure). It pours an expected very dark brown topped by a spongy and firm, lightly tanned head. The nose is lovely, strong sweet coffee and bitter chocolate in stereo surround, very tempting. Light bodied, with a mild sour fruit touch that gives depth to the strong presence of chocolate. A beer with excellent balance and incredible personality. I loved it and I would put it on the same level as Guineu Monthserrat.
With my doubts already gone, a few days later, I opened the bottle of Sang de Gossa, which was in fact the beer everyone was talking about when I wrote with Ramón. Of course, it was also the one I was most curious about.
Sang de Gossa calls itself a "Brutal IPA" and "Beer for the Brave". I chose to ignore that bollocks. Having tasted quite a few really brutal beers for the pretty brave (my own cretions included and not precisely because of their high quality) I thought it very unlikely that this beer would live up to its chest beating. Fortunately, what I poured in the glass was good, really good. It pours something right on the border of pale (as in pale lager) and amber, the nose is rich with tropical fruit and sweet oranges. Full and firm bodied with the hops threatening to explode and obliterate everything on their path, though it turns out their are on a leash firmly held by a base of malts and summer fruit. When adding to the mix the fortunately little sediment in the bottle, the beer gets an almost Belgian character that I really fancied. I really, really liked this beer a lot. It's pretty far from being "Brutal", but pretty close from being perfect.
The brewery has recently announced a new batch of Sang de Gossa with a tuned up recipe. I hope the changes aren't too radical and that the brewer has not fallen into the temptation of making a hop bomb, it would be a shame. Anyway, congratulations Zulogaarden for these two fantastic beers. Wish you nothing but success with them.
Na Zdraví!
Reserve yourPrague hotel and win a walking tour.
When he wrote asking if there was any beer in particular I was interested in, I could have asked him for another sample from Guineu, their Montserrat was lovely and I have good reason to believe it isn't an exception among their product line. I could have also asked him to bring over a bottle from Ales Agullons, so I could see what their beer is like when it's in good shape. However, and against my better judgement, I decided for something from the brewery everyone in Barcelona seemed to be talking about at the time, Zulogaarden. Ramón obliged and during a long, animated and liquid lunch he gave me two samples from this new micro, Norai and Sang de Gossa.
When I saw Norai's presentation I started to have serious doubts about my choice. The label seems hand drawn, cut with scissors by someone who was either laughing really hard or riding a horse and then stuck on an engraved bottle of Alahambra Reserva 1925. To be fair, Ramón mentioned something about that bottle not being for sale when he still insisted on buying it. Anyway, it was the one I decided to open first.
What a surprise! Zulogaarden Norai defines itself as a Porter of Icouldn'tfindhowmuch %ABV (not much, for sure). It pours an expected very dark brown topped by a spongy and firm, lightly tanned head. The nose is lovely, strong sweet coffee and bitter chocolate in stereo surround, very tempting. Light bodied, with a mild sour fruit touch that gives depth to the strong presence of chocolate. A beer with excellent balance and incredible personality. I loved it and I would put it on the same level as Guineu Monthserrat.With my doubts already gone, a few days later, I opened the bottle of Sang de Gossa, which was in fact the beer everyone was talking about when I wrote with Ramón. Of course, it was also the one I was most curious about.
Sang de Gossa calls itself a "Brutal IPA" and "Beer for the Brave". I chose to ignore that bollocks. Having tasted quite a few really brutal beers for the pretty brave (my own cretions included and not precisely because of their high quality) I thought it very unlikely that this beer would live up to its chest beating. Fortunately, what I poured in the glass was good, really good. It pours something right on the border of pale (as in pale lager) and amber, the nose is rich with tropical fruit and sweet oranges. Full and firm bodied with the hops threatening to explode and obliterate everything on their path, though it turns out their are on a leash firmly held by a base of malts and summer fruit. When adding to the mix the fortunately little sediment in the bottle, the beer gets an almost Belgian character that I really fancied. I really, really liked this beer a lot. It's pretty far from being "Brutal", but pretty close from being perfect.The brewery has recently announced a new batch of Sang de Gossa with a tuned up recipe. I hope the changes aren't too radical and that the brewer has not fallen into the temptation of making a hop bomb, it would be a shame. Anyway, congratulations Zulogaarden for these two fantastic beers. Wish you nothing but success with them.
Na Zdraví!
Reserve yourPrague hotel and win a walking tour.
Darker greys
Some time ago I commented that what Heineken was doing in the Czech Republic was neither black, nor white, but rather of several shades of grey. Well, it seems those shades are getting a bit darker.
Pivovar Kutná Hora wasn't the only brewery that Heineken closed last year. They also sealed the fate of Pivovar Znojmo, which stopped brewing last summer.
After closing down the shop, the Dutch group offered to sell the brewery to the city of Znojmo for CZK 26 million (about a million EU). The city's government is, of course, very interested in buying it, not so much for the brewery itself, but because within its property is located the Rotunda sv. Kateřiny, a small Romanesque church dating from the 11th century, as well as the access to the Znojmo Castle, both sites of great historical and touristic importance.
So far so good. However, there is a condition that Heineken has put to sell the brewery which illustrates very well the attitude that companies like this have towards the concept of "Free Market". If the city of Znojmo decides to buy the brewery, for ten years they, or any other third party, won't be allowed to brew beer in the facilities, and if they decide to open, or allow the functioning of any sort of gastronomic venue, only beers from Heineken CZ will be sold for the same period.
Once the city sorts out the access to the historical sites, these conditions will result in them being stuck with a basically useless building, and will probably have no other option but to sell it, likely to a real state developer or something like that.
What a sick mentality! I understand that the accountants that run the company decided to close down a brewery that had actually been on life support for some time, but that they won't let anyone else make use of the facilities? That a future owner will have to accept such conditions that will leave them with very little choice but give the brewery a final death blow? And that they won't even allow other beers but theirs to be sold there? Are they so afraid of the competition?
This things really make me sick.
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Pivovar Kutná Hora wasn't the only brewery that Heineken closed last year. They also sealed the fate of Pivovar Znojmo, which stopped brewing last summer.
After closing down the shop, the Dutch group offered to sell the brewery to the city of Znojmo for CZK 26 million (about a million EU). The city's government is, of course, very interested in buying it, not so much for the brewery itself, but because within its property is located the Rotunda sv. Kateřiny, a small Romanesque church dating from the 11th century, as well as the access to the Znojmo Castle, both sites of great historical and touristic importance.
So far so good. However, there is a condition that Heineken has put to sell the brewery which illustrates very well the attitude that companies like this have towards the concept of "Free Market". If the city of Znojmo decides to buy the brewery, for ten years they, or any other third party, won't be allowed to brew beer in the facilities, and if they decide to open, or allow the functioning of any sort of gastronomic venue, only beers from Heineken CZ will be sold for the same period.
Once the city sorts out the access to the historical sites, these conditions will result in them being stuck with a basically useless building, and will probably have no other option but to sell it, likely to a real state developer or something like that.
What a sick mentality! I understand that the accountants that run the company decided to close down a brewery that had actually been on life support for some time, but that they won't let anyone else make use of the facilities? That a future owner will have to accept such conditions that will leave them with very little choice but give the brewery a final death blow? And that they won't even allow other beers but theirs to be sold there? Are they so afraid of the competition?
This things really make me sick.
Na Zdraví!
Choose a Hotel in Prague in the city centre.
I just love winter
The colder the better. OK, it's true that the amount of snow that fell the last two weekends was way more than necessary, and that clearing it from the driveway, walkway and part of the terrace, several times, was a pain in the ass. The reward, however, was priceless.
I love winter, a few minutes outside and a světlý ležák gets to the right temperature.
Na Zdraví!
Travel to the Czech Republic and stay at the best Prague Hotels
I love winter, a few minutes outside and a světlý ležák gets to the right temperature.Na Zdraví!
Travel to the Czech Republic and stay at the best Prague Hotels
Something tasty for the weekend
This is the result of another culinary experiment that turned out to be great, tasty, rich and very caloric, what isn't there to love?: Baltic Porter Ragout
Ingredients: (Bailey, you are going to love this)
500g of shoulder of pork (though mutton, lamb or even boar could be good)
1/2l Baltic Porter (If you don't have anything in that style, plain Porter or Dopplebock should do fine)
100g of smoked streaky bacon, chopped.
1 mid sized onion, coarsely chopped.
3 garlic cloves, chopped.
200g (approx.) of tomato puree (I used what was left from the sauce I had made for a pizza the day before)
Soy sauce, paprika, salt, pepper and cumin. Oil or lard.
Cut the meat in the smallest pieces you can be arsed to and put them in a large bowl. Add some soy sauce, salt and the spices, mix and then add half the beer (the other half pour in a glass and drink while you cook, it's a very important step). Put that aside while you chop and fry the other stuff in a large pan. When the onions start to turn brown, add the meat and the marinade, bring to a boil and add the tomato puree. Bring the heat down almost to a minimum, cover the pan and let thing stew for at least an hour.
We served it very simple, with polenta, but rice, potatoes, beans or pasta should do fine, too. A few days later I had the leftovers, I just added a bit of water and ate it with rye bread. It was still lovely.
We paired with with Schlenkerla Urbock. The original plan was to drink Pardubický Porter, but I spotted the Rauch there in the cellar. It was a really nice match.
Hope you'll like it as much as we did.
Na Zdraví! a Dobrou Chuť!
Ingredients: (Bailey, you are going to love this)
500g of shoulder of pork (though mutton, lamb or even boar could be good)
1/2l Baltic Porter (If you don't have anything in that style, plain Porter or Dopplebock should do fine)
100g of smoked streaky bacon, chopped.
1 mid sized onion, coarsely chopped.
3 garlic cloves, chopped.
200g (approx.) of tomato puree (I used what was left from the sauce I had made for a pizza the day before)
Soy sauce, paprika, salt, pepper and cumin. Oil or lard.
Cut the meat in the smallest pieces you can be arsed to and put them in a large bowl. Add some soy sauce, salt and the spices, mix and then add half the beer (the other half pour in a glass and drink while you cook, it's a very important step). Put that aside while you chop and fry the other stuff in a large pan. When the onions start to turn brown, add the meat and the marinade, bring to a boil and add the tomato puree. Bring the heat down almost to a minimum, cover the pan and let thing stew for at least an hour.
We served it very simple, with polenta, but rice, potatoes, beans or pasta should do fine, too. A few days later I had the leftovers, I just added a bit of water and ate it with rye bread. It was still lovely.
We paired with with Schlenkerla Urbock. The original plan was to drink Pardubický Porter, but I spotted the Rauch there in the cellar. It was a really nice match.
Hope you'll like it as much as we did.
Na Zdraví! a Dobrou Chuť!
