Catfish in Sauerkraut

justcallmetoni's Note:

Posted in response to a request. This untried recipe is from Gundel's Hungarian Cooking. First published in 1934, this is a compilation of the best recipes of Gundel's, a then famous restaurant, and it's chef Gundel Karoly. The English translation is somewhat broken so I've tried to make it a bit clearer. I am posting the ingredients as they are listed, lard and all. Feel free to adapt as you see fit.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 ½ lbs boned catfish fillets
• 5 cups sauerkraut
• 4 slices smoked bacon , cut into squares
• ½ cup onion , finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lard
• 2 cups green peppers , sliced into rings
• 1 small tomato , peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon lard
• 6 tablespoons flour
• ½ bunch fresh dill , chopped
• 1 ¼ cups sour cream

Garnish

• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• paprika
• 2 teaspoons lard , heated

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain the sauerkraut to remove some of the bitterness.
2. Heat a large skillet and fry bacon bits until translucent, add in the onion, 2 tbsp lard, green pepper, tomato, and 1 tbsp paprika. Stir this mixture well and add the sauerkraut and black pepper. Simmer for one hour.
3. In a separate pan, prepare a light roux with 1 tablespoon lard, flour and dill.
4. After the hour of braising, add the roux to the sauerkraut mixture.
5. Place sliced fish on top of the sauerkraut. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Remove fillets from pan. Stir in the sour cream and heat.
7. To serve, place a portion of the creamed sauerkraut mixture on the plate topped with a fish fillet. Garnish with a bit of sour cream, a drizzle of lard and a dash of paprika.