I was reading a travel featured story about Hungary from McClatchy Tribune News Service writer Mary Ann Anderson the other day, and when she started talking about food — goulash in particular — my interest was piqued. I wrote about goulash a few years ago when a co-worker, Brad Schlossman, shared his grandmother’s goulash recipe. The recipe was very tasty.
In the travel story, the writer talked about Gundel’s, Budapest’s most famous restaurant for fine dining. The restaurant opened in 1894 and is named for Chef Karoly Gundel, who took it over in 1910. The dish Gundel became most known for was his goulash. Goulash for those of you who aren’t familiar, can be made of any kind of meat: beef, chicken, lamb. And it generally has an enormous amount of onion in it.
After doing a little research, I found this goulash recipe, which is a takeoff on one in “Gundel’s Hungarian Cookbook,” published in 1992. The cookbook apparently has eight different goulash recipe, so I’m not sure which one was used for the basis of the following.
Regardless, it’s one I want to try, especially if it’s as good as Brad’s grandmother’s.
Hungarian Goulash
2.2 pounds beef, cubed into approximately ¾-inch pieces
3 ounces lard
1 large onion, chopped
4 teaspoons paprika
Salt, caraway seeds and chopped garlic to taste
2.2 pounds potatoes, cubed into 3/8-inch pieces
1 green pepper, chopped
2 ounces fresh tomatoes, chopped
Cold water
A few handfuls of small soup pasta pieces
Fry the chopped onion in the melted lard until golden brown. Lower heat and add the
paprika, stir rapidly, then add the meat, with salt to season. Keep stirring. When the meat
has browned and the liquid has evaporated, add caraway seeds, garlic and a small amount
of cold water. Cover and braise slowly, stirring occasionally and adding more water if
necessary (NB braise, don’t boil). Just before the meat is completely tender, add the
potatoes, green peppers and tomatoes. Add the pasta before serving according to the
length of time it needs to cook (should be quick) and adjust quantity by adding water or
stock.
Great goulash recipe! Made it last night. I cooked the recipe to feed me and hubby. In mine i added tomato paste, it definitely makes for a nice thicker consistency. I also used chili flavored diced tomatoes and added a dash of chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. YUM!