This pork rib roast recipe comes from Galgahévíz, a small village in Pest county. It’s a heavy meal, so in order to enjoy it, you need to have an empty stomach, good appetite and some pills that aid digestion.
I have made only a few changes to the original recipe. I left out caraway seeds from the spice blend that is used to season the pork ribs, I added oil to the dry rub, and I also added an egg to the potato dough.
Ingredients:
For the roast:
- 800 g (~1 3/4 lbs) pork ribs, cut into single pieces
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 1-2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1-2 tbsp ground paprika
- 2-3 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp salt
For the dumplings:
- 500 g (~1 lb + 1 3/4 oz) boiled potatoes
- 1 tbsp lard
- 150 g (~1 1/4 cup) flour
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- 100 g (~3 1/2 oz) smoked bacon
- 2 medium onions
- 1 tbsp ground paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 100 ml (~1/2 cup) water
In a small bowl combine paprika, black pepper and marjoram. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Place pork ribs in a dish, add oil, the prepared spice blend and the crushed garlic, and rub in and all over the meat with your hands, covering completely. Cover the dish and put it in the fridge for a night.
The next day peel and dice approx. 600-700 grams / 1 1/3 lbs of potato (its weight after peeling needs to be 500 grams / 1 lb + 1 3/4 oz). Boil them in a pot of salty water until tender. Drain and mash them with a potato ricer. Mix in 1 tablespoon of lard. Set aside and let it cool completely.
Take the meat out of the fridge and season with salt. Put the ribs in an oven bag, then in a pan and roast at 180°C / 356°F until tender and there’s a nice brown crust (1,5-2 hours). At the end of the roasting you can brown the ribs for 5-10 minutes at 200-210°C / 392-410°F.
Meanwhile prepare the potato dumplings. Add an egg, a pinch of salt and flour to the cooled potatoes, and knead into a smooth dough.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
Working with small portions, on a lightly floured surface roll the dough into 1,5 cm / 1/2 inch thick ropes, then cut into 3,5-4 cm / 1,5 inch lenghts.
Add nudli to the boiling water in batches and when they float to the top and water boils again, cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the dumplings in a bowl and stir in some oil or melted lard to prevent them from sticking together. Set aside.
Peel and chop the onions, and dice the smoked bacon. In a skillet fry the bacon until it releases enough lard. Add finely chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Remove skillet from the heat and sprinkle paprika over the onions. Give it a stir and pour in 100 ml / a half cup of water. Put the skillet back on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook it for 1-2 minutes until it thickens a little bit, then add the dumplings and stir together to cover all pieces. Salt and pepper.
Place a pork rib on a plate, pile some nudli alongside the meat and serve with pickles.
