A meat-free Hungarian pörkölt with mushrooms, onions and a rich sweet-paprika sauce.
Serves 4 | Preparation: 20 minutes | Cooking: 40 minutes | Total: 60 minutes
Times include the chilling, soaking or resting stated in the method. Cooking times are a guide: check tenderness and doneness before serving.
Ingredients
900 g cultivated chestnut or mixed mushrooms, thickly sliced
250 g onions, finely chopped
30 ml sunflower oil
12 g sweet Hungarian paprika
150 g pale pepper, deseeded and chopped
150 g tomato, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100 ml water, as needed
Salt and black pepper
15 g parsley, chopped
Method
Heat half the oil in a wide pan. Fry the mushrooms in two batches over medium-high heat for 8 minutes altogether, until they release their liquid and begin to colour. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the remaining oil and onions to the pan. Cook gently for 12 minutes until soft.
Take off the heat, stir in the paprika, then add the tomato, pepper, garlic and 50 ml water immediately.
Return the mushrooms and their juices. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the sauce thickens. Add only a splash more water if needed.
Season and scatter over parsley. Serve with boiled potatoes, noodles or bread prepared separately.
Variations and substitutions
Use cultivated mushrooms; do not use unidentified wild mushrooms. Leave out the sour cream for a vegan pörkölt. Stirring in 100 g sour cream at the end produces a paprikás-style variation; warm gently without boiling.
Homegrown and seasonal produce
Stored onions and frozen summer peppers are useful here. Chestnut mushrooms give a fuller flavour than very mild white buttons.
Storage and freezing
Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or below. Eat within 48 hours. Freeze in labelled portions for up to 3 months for best quality. Defrost in the fridge, use within 24 hours and reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
Find more ideas in the complete recipe menu. Explore our growing guide finder and From Garden to Kitchen guide, or plan your next harvest with Your Growing Companion.
Stock photograph illustrating ingredients or a serving idea. These recipes are practical ideas to try; they are not presented as all having been tested in my kitchen.
