The days are getting shorter, and the busy holiday season is coming up fast, so I decided to stock my freezer. I wanted something I could pull out and heat up quickly on a busy night but that would still satisfy us during the cold months. Goulash always sounds good on a cold night. It is simple to put together but can be a little time consuming and the increasing prices at the grocery store can put beef out of your price range. The solution I came up with is Pork Goulash Ravioli. Pork is more affordable than beef and making it into ravioli and freezing it helps you get the flavor of goulash on the table in minutes.
I started cooking on the stove like I normally would when making goulash. I added butter and chopped onions to a cast iron pot and cooked them until they were golden. Then I added minced garlic, tomato paste and my spices and cooked it for another minute while stirring making sure the paprika did not burn. Then I added water and mixed until it was combined. Meanwhile, I cut my pork shoulder into 10 large pieces and placed them in a slow cooker. Then I poured the liquid over the pork and cooked on low for 8 hours.
I let the pork cool down completely and placed it in the fridge overnight. In the morning I was able to easily remove the cooled fat from the top before shredding the meat. Once the meat was shredded, I added about 1 ½ cups of the liquid to the meat to moisten it and I was ready to make the ravioli. I used wonton wrappers to make my ravioli. It was a great shortcut. I made 50 ravioli. I could have easily made 150 with this recipe but I chose to freeze the remaining meat in two portions to use for other meals such as sandwiches.
To make the ravioli I only used about ½ a tablespoon in each. If you overstuff them, you will have a huge mess. I placed the meat on the wonton wrapper and then brushed water along the edges and folded it in half to create a triangle. Be sure to press down and seal them tightly so they do not open while cooking. Then I placed them in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheets and put them in the freezer. Once they were completely frozen, I transferred them to a plastic bag.
When you are ready to cook them, they only take about 2-3 minutes in boiling water. I served mine with butter and fresh parsley. The ravioli are very delicate, so I melted butter separately and poured it over rather than tossing them in the butter. They were delicious and tasted just like goulash. I am happy knowing I have more in my freezer for a busy weeknight.
Jenn Lineman Blank
INGREDIENTS
6-7lb pork shoulder
3 medium onions
1 garlic clove
2T tomato paste
4T paprika
1T marjoram
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 c water
salt and pepper to taste
Featured Photos courtesy of Jenn Lineman Blank
