Hungarian Goulash

We are big fans of beef stew especially when it’s a winter weather so when I saw Chef Dennis’ recipe for Hungarian Goulash , which I had never made, I considered it a must try.  As long as you like beef stew and paprika, it seemed like a can’t miss.  The recipe for Hungarian Goulash comes from his “Ask Chef Dennis” blog and I made it per his recipe.

We invited Eliza to bring her family down for dinner but only her and her mom (Wende) were available – the two important ones and they were joined by Cindy and Pat for a dinner of six.

Hungarian Goulash

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon diced

2 pounds chuck roast cut into ¾ inch pieces (I had 2 lbs. of trimmed meat)

½ tsp. salt to taste

¼ tsp. black pepper to taste

¼ cup olive oil

3 cups onions chopped

5 cloves garlic finely diced

1 cup bell pepper seeded and diced (I used green, red, and yellow)

¾ cup red wine

14 oz. diced tomatoes with juice (I used fire roasted)

2 tbsp. Hungarian paprika (I had the real deal)

2 bay leaves

3 -4 cups beef broth, 3 cups to start (only 3 for me)

3 cups potatoes peeled – medium dice

1½ cups carrots peeled – sliced

1½ cups turnips peeled – medium dice

1 tbsp Italian parsley finely chopped

Sour cream garnish – optional

Instructions

1. Add the bacon to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes.) Remove the bacon from the pan but leave any bacon fat in the pan. Set aside until needed.

2. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and place the beef cubes in the pan, making one layer. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook the beef, until all sides are browned and most of the liquid has been cooked off (7-10 minutes). Do not crowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary.

3. Remove the beef from the pan with any juices and set aside until needed.

4. Add the onions to the pan with one tablespoon of olive oil and cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until caramelized.

5. Add the bell peppers and chopped garlic to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until they have been softened and are aromatic.

6. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the tasty bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

7. Add the diced tomatoes, paprika, and bay leaves to the mixture. Stir until well blended. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

8. Add the beef stock, browned beef cubes, and bacon back to the pot and stir to blend the ingredients together.

9. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and place the lid on the pot and simmer for 60 minutes (I simmered for 2 hours).

10 Add the potatoes, carrots, and turnips to the pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes (I cooked until the carrots were tender at about 45 minutes)

11. Let the goulash soup "rest" for 15 minutes or so. Add chopped parsley Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste if needed.

12. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, more chopped parsley.

This is my bowl.

The Verdict:

We all thought is was delicious, with or without the sour cream, and will definitely make it again – a great alternative to regular beef stew.  The recipe says it makes six servings but ours would have served 8 -10.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

02/26/23 meal date