Naked Stuffing

My original plan was to call this post Meaty Balls, mostly because despite my advanced age, I have a childish sense of humour that finds joy in wines called bastardo. But wiser counsel has prevailed as I don’t particularly want internet searches for this recipe to take folk down rabbit holes best not explored. Naked stuffing might still do that but there is a logic in this title. I have been clearing out my freezer in preparation for what will be the very long winter of economic depression coming our way 22/23 . I want to fill it with batch cooked items and squirrel away summer produce in the form of sauces, compotes etc. I do really enjoy thrift cooking – the challenge of making something tasty from leftovers and odds and sods in the fridge, but I am reasonably secure and able to afford food, plus I am lucky to have the skills and equipment to allow me to do this sort of cucina povera out of choice not necessity. Having said that, my day job is working for an environmental charity that focuses on making food systems better for the planet and its people, and my particular focus is food justice; which to me means access to fresh, fairly sourced and produced food for all, irrespective of your location or income. Not wasting food is part of this, the energy and skill taken to grow, produce or transport food is prodigious, and I can think of nothing more disrespectful than to discard perfectly edible food or allow it to become inedible due to my mismanagement.

So what’s that got to do with Naked Stuffing? Part of the freezer clear out netted me some pork mince. My local butcher prepares this for me when I ask because it’s perhaps not the most common request, but it is a staple of much of Hungarian cookery. According to George Lang, the original Magyar tribes (seven) who swept into the region back in the 9th Century or so (the arguments continue) would have been under the influence of their Muslim forbears from the Khazar Turkish empire and would probably have been operating under Jewish dietary rule, as the Khazars converted to Judaism in around 740. They brought with them the custom of using a bogracs – a chained pot suspended over an open fire and that of preserving meat in a dried form, which later became salamis and other charcuterie. However, Hungary was a land of plains and forests, containing wild boar, and the Magyars were nothing if not practical, adapting their menu to embrace what was easily available. There is also a counter argument around the proliferation of pork within Hungary post the Turkish rule of the 15th C, similar to that of the Spaniards, as a way of rejecting the Muslim rulers. In any case, pork remains an important source of flavour within Hungarian cuisines – the szalonna, smoked pork fat similar to the lard of Italy, that provides the backbone of many a vegetable based dish, the kolbász with its paprika and garlic that adds depth to a bean soup or nuggets of charred deliciousness within a rakott krumpli (see: https://finom.home.blog/2020/02/02/rakott-the-art-of-the-bake/).

As is common with many agrarian based economies, Hungarian food has always been both frugal and abundant to suit the economy of the household. The recipe I am giving below is not unique to Hungary, there are variations across the Balkans, Eastern and Central Europe, even the Mediterranean Basin have something similar. Indeed I am always fascinated by the slight variations, an addition of a herb or spice, the change of a base ingredient that then makes that version very much of its own place. I’ve called it Naked Stuffing because in this case I’ve made it on its own as a meatball, rather than stuffing into a pale jade pepper as a töltött paprika or rolled into cabbage leaves as töltött káposzta, this in particular will be familiar to Greeks, Turks and Albanians. All of which you can also do. But at the time of writing I had neither cabbage nor peppers and I was determined to not go shopping but use what was in the kitchen.

I had an abundance of fresh but slightly squishy tomatoes, so the first thing to do was make a tomato based sauce into which I would poach my meatballs. An onion, diced, was cooked softly in some butter, along with two sliced garlic cloves until translucent and tender. Yes this takes longer than you think and yes it is worth standing over and stirring it so that the alliums don’t catch and burn, we want sweetness not bitterness for this recipe. Remove half to a bowl and set aside to cool. Add 2 heaped tablespoons of rich Hungarian paprika to the pot with the remaining onion mixture and stir well. Now add about a kilo (or two tins) of chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt and leave to simmer and cook down for about half an hour or so. Stir often as the paprika can catch and burn but you want the slow release of that flavour into the sauce. I then passed the sauce through a food mill, or if you have a stick blender, you can give it a whizz. You don’t want a runny pureed sauce, just to break up any bigger pieces so it spoons well. It should have reduced as well, leaving a nice thickened sauce. Test for seasoning – you may need to add salt or sugar.

Now for the balls. The beauty of this recipe is that it really does stretch the ingredients. Take 350g of pork mince (you can also use beef or lamb), add 200g uncooked long grain rice, 1 egg, 1 heaped tbsp paprika and the reserved onions from earlier. Add herbs – I used marjoram, an underrated herb much loved by Hungarians, but you could also use dill or parsley. Chopped finely, enough to fill two tablespoons. Wash your hands and then get stuck in, mixing it all together. Wet your hands again and then quickly roll balls of the mixture, about a tbsp at a time. I got 16 out of this mixture. Put in the fridge to set for a half hour.

Put your prepared tomato paprika sauce into a baking dish that’s big enough to take all the balls in one layer – something wide and shallow is best. Add the balls of meat and rice, they should be semi submerged in the sauce but not covered. Leave a bit of space between them. Cover with a lid or foil, and place in a low oven – GM3 or 160C for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Most of the sauce will absorb into the balls and they will have grown in size. Serves 4- 6 people generously. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and the salad I wrote about here: https://finom.home.blog/2019/05/14/cucumber-salad/