“I like goulash but why chicken hearts?”
“I’ll eat your heart out” – a slightly horrifying quotation from B-class movies may be a good battle call before embarking on today’s challenge which is a chicken hearts goulash. Hearts, livers, intestines, and all other stuff that Western civilization ceased to consume (or that is what you think 😉 are still fully present in some countries where traditional food is still common. Unfortunately, that is disappearing rapidly in Poland as well. However, you may still enjoy exciting products like the one I present here.
Most of the nutritional experts I know and regard as unbiased make it clear that consuming “the less noble” kinds of meat and bones is actually part of a healthy diet. They contain high quantities of nutrients which otherwise are not abundant and in the end, we all find it necessary to supplement them (i.e. collagen) So if you decide to visit a local Polish shop you are likely to find products which are very unlikely to be found elsewhere. Chicken hearts or stomachs are still a part of the offer.
Goulash is a popular stew in Central Europe and one of our traditional foods. Szubryt is the brand name. Relatively popular and you will find many more products from them in most Polish shops in the UK. This one is not that common though so it may not be that straightforward to find it on the shelves. If you succeed you will be rewarded by its content. There’s a fair balance of actual meat (genuine whole-cooked chicken hearts) to the rest of the sauce ingredients – something you don’t always find in mass production. Flavoring is mild and accurate but I wouldn’t recommend that jar as a ready meal although technically it is cooked. My recommendation is to work on it a bit further to make it a real treat. Here are some basic steps which I have taken to make the experience a true culinary adventure.
- Add a small quantity of tomato sauce, passata, or tomato paste. Just don’t ask me how much exactly. That depends on what you are using – it is after all an adventure and not a boring procedure. Goulash (a central European traditional food dish) technically has to be red and “tomatoish”. Luckily, we are not Hungarians because we would need peppers as well 🙂
- Bring it to a boil and then simmer it on low heat for another half hour. The hearts would be much tenderer after that. I understand why manufacturers are very cautious with cooked canned meat because it tends to disintegrate further in pasteurization and storage but chicken hearts are different and softening of meat texture is definitely needed.
- You have half an hour (roughly) to play with the goulash taste so don’t be shy to spice it up to your own pleasure. Again – don’t ask me – this is your quest.
