Egg Noodles and Pork

We can file this recipe under "too simple to possibly be good," and that is precisely what I love about it. My entire family gobbled it up, and I let the kids name the dish, "Egg Noodles and Pork." Simple, self-explanatory, and easy enough for them to remember when I ask what they want to see on a future menu.

I was initially going to make Chicken Paprikash, a traditional Hungarian dish with onion, garlic, water, or both and lots of paprika, sometimes tomatoes, salt, pepper, and cream. After reading a dozen recipes, I found that "traditional" is widely interpreted, and recipe reviewers were often harsh if the method differed from the way their grandmother would prepare the dish.

This recipe is not traditional by any means; I took the best of what I learned from reading a bunch of other methods and tried to make something my entire family would like.

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin

Kosher salt and pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon flour

1 garlic clove, minced

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Egg noodles

Parsley, chopped (optional)

Cut the pork tenderloin into one-inch bite-size cubes. Toss in a large bowl along with a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Next, add the paprika and toss, then add the flour and toss to coat.

Start a large pot of salted water to boil on another burner. When boiling, add the egg noodles and cook as package directs. Toss the hot egg noodles in two tablespoons of butter, cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

In a large skillet, add two tablespoons of butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add the pork bites to the skillet and lightly brown, occasionally tossing for three minutes. Lastly, add the minced garlic and cook, stirring for one more minute. Remove to a plate.

You should have lots of crispy paprika stuck to the bottom of your pan at this point. Return the pan to medium-high heat and pour in the whipping cream. Using a wooden spoon, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all those flavor bits.

Allow the cream to come to a boil and add the pork back to the cream, stirring to coat. Turn the heat down to medium and cook, uncovered, until the cream is slightly thickened, about five minutes.

Serve the creamy pork bites over the hot egg noodles and sprinkle with parsley if your family will eat it that way.