By Marilyn Harris
Enquirer contributor

Looking through my recipes files is a little like reading my biography. So many of my favorite recipes hold poignant memories of special places and interesting people. Today's recipe goes back to a year I spent in Berlin, where I had my first taste of many wonderful ethnic foods, each one a culinary adventure.

The following recipe is my rendition of a dish I enjoyed, especially on chilly winter evenings, in a simple but charming Czech restaurant.

A recent trip to visit the "new" Berlin reminded me of how much I like its dishes with sauerkraut. Berlin-prepared sauerkraut is made with apples and onions that are well sautÈed before adding light white wine, such as Riesling, and finishing it with caraway seeds.

When I make it, I just use butter for sautÈing the apple and onion, but my Berlin neighbor back in my student days always cooked hers with gaense schmaltz, or goose fat.

An important flavor component in today's recipe is bacon, and I like it best with a good applewood-smoked bacon. I sometimes buy one that is peppered - that adds another dimension of flavor.

Good, fresh sauerkraut is another necessity. I buy the fresh cold-packed sauerkraut from the meat case because it has more flavor and a much better texture than the canned version.

One other flavor tip: Use real Hungarian paprika. Store your paprika in a small freezer bag in the freezer to keep it fresh longer.

The restaurant where I found this great Eastern European comfort food usually served it with some sort of dumplings. I often have made spaetzle, but it is almost as good with broad egg noodles cooked until tender, but still firm - and there is considerably less work involved.

Bohemian Goulash

8 strips good smoked bacon, diced

1 tablespoon butter

3 cups chopped yellow onion

3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

3 pounds lean pork, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup chicken or beef stock

1 cup dry white wine

2 pounds fresh sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Salt and black pepper, to taste

8 ounces cooked noodles

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup sour cream

Blanch the bacon 2 minutes in a small amount of boiling water; drain and place on paper towels to dry. In a large heavy pot, melt the butter and stir in the bacon. Cook, stirring, until bacon browns. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon.

Add onions and cook over medium heat, stirring until they are tender and golden. Stir in the paprika and cook over low heat, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pork and stir well. Add the stock and wine and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour, or until pork is fork-tender.

Add the sauerkraut, reserved bacon, tomato paste and caraway seeds. Cook 30 minutes longer. (Pork should be very tender.) Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook the noodles, drain and toss with the parsley.

Spoon over the noodles. Pass sour cream to spoon over the top. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Contact Marilyn Harris by mail: c/o Cincinnati Enquirer; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: marilyn@55krc.com.