Polish Pork Goulash

Cover the dried porcini mushrooms with 150 ml of hot water and let soak for 20 minutes, then remove, rinse and finely chop; strain the soaking liquid through a sieve.

Pat the pork shoulder dry and cut into cubes about 3 cm. Mix the flour with half the salt and black pepper, dredge the meat in it and shake off the excess.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Brown the pork in batches, 2–3 minutes per side until nicely seared, transferring each batch to a plate.

In the same pot, sauté the onion for 5 minutes until soft, add the carrot and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the sweet paprika and marjoram and cook for 30 seconds, stirring, so the spices don't burn.

Return the meat to the pot, add the mushrooms, bay leaf, mushroom soaking liquid and stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and simmer for another 10–15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the pork is tender. Discard the bay leaf, season with salt and black pepper to taste, and serve hot.