Winter. Goulash is the base of long cold evenings and hiking in summer. That’s how I know it from my childhood. During a hike in The Summer Season, goulash plays its part of our culture. Sleeping in tents, playing guitars, singing songs and cooking of a spicy soup in a cauldron above the fire – Comforting Beef Potato Goulash.
As I previously mentioned in My Hungarian Stew with Zander Fish Recipe, these dishes are extremely popular among the whole region of the Central Europe. In countries like Czech Republic, it is being served mostly as main dish with bread dumplings on side. In Slovakia, goulash resembles a thick soup that consists of many seasonal vegetables and potatoes, served in a bread bowl or bread on side.
The secret of the Beef Potato Goulash is the spice. Hungarian paprika, herbs, sea salt and black pepper. Work the taste until perfection. I provide you a luxurious version basted in a full-flavoured wine. Dobrú chuť!
Total Time: 1 hour + 3 hours of slow cooking
Shopping List
2 knobs of lard/butter
500g of lean beef goulash meat, drained in chunks
1 medium white onion, 2 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled and finely chopped
3 large carrots, peeled, washed and diced
1 large white carrot, peeled, washed and diced
A small piece of leek and celeriac, peeled, washed and diced
1 red paprika, washed, cleaned and diced
2 large tomatoes, washed and diced
1 handful of fresh parsley, hardly chopped
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, sea salt, satureja and cumin
A pinch of cayenne pepper and black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup of full-flavoured red wine
½ kg of potatoes, peeled, washed and diced
Fresh bread to serve with
Instructions
In a large frying pan or non sticking deep pan casserole melt a knob of lard on high heat.
Beef in. Roast it from all the sides until nicely golden.
Lower the heat to medium and add onions and garlic. Stir.
Next, add carrots, leek and celeriac.
Stir in the paprika and tomatoes. Flavour up with all the spices and herbs (parsley, smoked paprika, sea salt, satureja, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and bay leaf). Mix well.
Increase the heat to high and baste with the wine and 1 cup of hot boiling water. Reduce, so the meat is staring at you nicely.
Lower the heat to low, cover with a lid and let it simmer for at least 2 hours until the meat is very tender.
Afterwards, add potatoes and cook them until soft. Taste and season accordingly. Such a wonderful smell and color. Enjoy with bread and a glass of wine or beer. Yummy!
Makes 5 serves.
