Hungarian Gulyás (Goulash)

Goulash is a stew or soup made with meat, vegetables and potatoes. In Hungary, it is lot closer to soup then a stew and it doesn’t contain tomatoes. There are many versions in former states of Austrian Hungarian Empire. In Czech Republic and Slovakia the liquid base is chopped tomatoes and it is served with either bread or Bread Dumplings, in Austria it is served with rye bread and in Northern Italy with spaetzle or gnocchi. However, one ingredient that is constant right across whole former Empire is paprika, and lots of it. Also, in Czech version, there are as many onions as there is meat, by weight, and green and/or red peppers are always included and potatoes are seldom cooked in goulash itself but rather on side if used as side dish.

As is the case with every national dish there are many regional varieties. Szeged goulash is made with pork, some potatoes are replaced with sauerkraut and sour cream is added at the end of cooking. Znojemský (Moravian) Goulash is made with beef, onions, peppers and chopped pickles. In short, there are as many varieties as there are regions. In this post I will deal with a basic beef goulash using tomatoes and with potatoes on the side.

Ingredients

1 Lb. stewing beef
1 Lb. onions, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs. Hungarian paprika
1 tsp. caraway seeds
2 green and 2 red peppers, roughly chopped
4 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and roughly chopped
Tbs. lard or vegetable oil
2 Tbs. flour
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper (optional)

 Place flour and beef inside plastic bag, close it and shake the beef until all sides are evenly coated with flour. Shake off all excess flour and set aside.

Heat up lard or oil in heavy pan or Dutch oven on high heat. Place the beef cubes in lard, leaving space in between, and brown on all sides. Remove beef to bowl and set aside. The beef will release some juice.
Pour off the lard leaving just a thin coat on the bottom. Lower the heat to medium, drop in the onions and garlic and cook till light golden brown.
Off the heat sprinkle the paprika and caraway seeds on top and then mix until onions are evenly coated.
Put back on medium heat, add peppers and tomatoes with its juices, stir and bring to simmer.
Put back the beef with collected juice, bay leaf and black pepper. Bring back to simmer on medium high, lower the heat to low and simmer, stirring and scraping the bottom every 15 minutes or so.
Braise for 3 hours making sure that there is enough liquid. If too dry add some liquid such as beer, wine or stock.
Other option is to cook the goulash in the 350 °F oven. 10 minutes before serving add marjoram and adjust seasoning (salt, cayenne pepper).
Serve in preheated shallow bowl with potatoes, pasta, bread dumplings or just slices of rye bread.
As is the case with many stews, this goulash taste better when reheated next day and when served with a different side you end up with a new meal.

Beef is already coated in flour.

Meat is browned, onions and garlic are cooked and paprika and caraway seeds are mixed in.

Peppers, tomatoes with its juice are added and brought back to simmer.

Beef is returned to pot with bay leaves, pot is covered and slowly braised for 3 hours.

Crockpot Beef Goulash

If it wouldn’t be for me on insisting on completely caramelizing 3 large onions, this meal would need only about 10 minutes of work before slow cooker takes over. To slowly caramelize that many onions takes about half an hour but, is it ever worth it! This recipe is quite simple.

Since I was planning on leftovers for freezing I used:

Ingredients:

3 Lb of beef shank with bones and marrow

3 large or 5 medium onions, roughly chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 Tbs. sweet Hungarian paprika

1 Tbs. hot Hungarian paprika

1 cup dry red wine

1 24 oz. can crushed tomatoes

2 Tbs. oil

Flour for dusting beef

Salt and pepper

Direction:

Coat beef in flour, salt and pepper.

Put 1 cup of crushed tomatoes in Crockpot and turn on High - 4 hours.

Heat a heavy frying pan with 1 Tbs. of oil on medium high heat.

Brown the beef pieces on all sides in batches and move them to Crockpot.

When all the meat is browned remove oil leaving only thin film.

Add 1 Tbs. of oil and return to heat

Cook onions on medium heat till golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Add sweet and hot paprika and cook till fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Add carrots and cook till soft.

Scrape content of frying pan into Crockpot.

Deglaze the pan with wine and reduce until only about 2 Tbs. of liquid remains.

Scrape into Crock pot.

Reheat the frying pan again and bring tomatoes to boil.

Transfer tomatoes to Crockpot, turn the heat control to low 8 hours and relax.

When done, remove the bones.

As with almost any other stew, this one is better next day.

Serve with potatoes, pasta or dumplings (my preference).

Note: For richer taste you can add chopped green and red peppers and sliced cremini mushrooms about an hour before the end of cooking time.