Hungarian Goulash
Two pounds of beef and two pounds of onions, married together with paprika, create a beautifully seasoned stew. Once everything has been prepped and combined, you can cook this Hungarian Goulash in the oven or on the stove top. Adapted somewhat from the recipe I wrote down while watching Cooking with Ruth by Ruth Fremes, back in the mid-eighties. This is one of those dishes that makes for leftovers that you can hardly wait to eat. It's great to make on the weekend and enjoy the following week. That's smart cooking!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs yellow cooking onions
- 2–2.5 lbs 2 lbs stewing beef, round roast or thick roundsteak
- 2–3 tbsp flour
- 2–3 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
- 2 cups beef stock (I use a bouillon base)
- 2.5 tbsp sweet paprika, or an equivalent combination of sweet and hot paprika to your taste
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How To Make This Recipe
-
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F if using it.
-
Peel, halve and slice the onions thinly.
-
If not using stewing beef, cut the roast or thick steak into cubes.
-
Put the beef in a paper or plastic bag with the flour, and toss until coated. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot like a Dutch oven. Add the beef, leaving behind as much of the loose flour as possible. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste, then brown it on medium high heat in two batches. The trick is to let it caramelize and release from the pan before turning it over. If you try to stir it around too soon you'll break it up. Set aside the prepared beef and turn the heat down to medium low.
-
Add another tablespoon of oil if the pot seems dry, then strew the onions atop all the caramelized and sticky bits left behind from browning the meat. Sprinkle the rest of the salt over the oinions, and cover the pot, but stir frequently for about 15 minutes. Prepare to be fascinated by the magic of the onions cooking down, softening, caramelizing and integrating with all the lovely beef bits that have loosened from the bottom of the pot. Mmmm, looks good already. (This photo below was taken about halfway through the onion cooking time.)
-
Stir in the paprika, then add the meat and stock, and more black pepper if you like. Cover and finish in the oven for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. You can also simmer it on very low heat on top of the stove, but you may need to stir it a couple of times.)
-
The beef becomes ever so tender during the cooking process, and the onions practically melt into the broth, creating a savoury sauce highlighted by the sweet piquancy of the paprika. Serve with egg noodles, simple cooked or mashed potatoes, or just a slice of crusty bread and some side vegetables.