What is up, Warriors? That fall chill is in the air and if it isn’t, it will be soon. I mean it’s been Pumpkin Spice season for a good six weeks now. Today I’ve got a recipe that is all the best fall things: warming, comforting, and makes plenty of leftovers.
Goulash is a type of stew eaten in one variety or another throughout much of Central Europe. Growing up, my dad often made a version very similar to the traditional Hungarian version with ground beef, elbow noodles, and a tomato based sauce. All goulash have a few basic similarities. Namely the paprika that is used to flavor the sauce and that it is typically made with beef, pork, mutton, or lamb and simmers the off cuts for a long period of time to thicken the sauce and tenderize the meat.
After that, each country and region has added or omitted ingredients based on availability and taste preference. While we were living in Germany, we had an absolutely delicious version at about this time of year. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we took it upon ourselves to hunt down a recipe we could make at home. And it was no easy feat given the aforementioned regional variety.
My husband usually makes this in our house. In fact, full disclosure, my job is usually just to chop the veggies for him so they all end up a uniform size. So, he has added his own special flair as well. The way we had this in Germany, the stew was served over spaetzle, a traditional German dumpling. This is how my husband and I like this goulash best, but the stew could certainly be served over egg noodles, potatoes (mashed – how my little guy likes this – or roasted), or regular pasta. Spaetzle can be found in the international section of most major grocery stores.
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds of beef chuck or stewing beef cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt
Pepper
¼ cup flour
Cooking oil of choice
1 medium onion, diced; or one bunch of scallions thinly sliced
2 tsp sweet paprika
¾ cup red wine
1 ½ cup beef stock
2 Tbsp double concentrate tomato paste
½ tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp marjoram
1-2 bay leaves
1 tsp chili powder
1 ½ Tbsp dried parsley
Optional 1 tsp of red pepper flakes and/or ½ tsp cayenne if you like things spicy
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved, and sliced into half moons
2 bell peppers (any color, we like red and yellow) cut into a large dice
¼ cup sour cream, plus more for serving
Spaetzle, potatoes, or pasta cooked according to directions/preference
To a large bowl, add the beef chunks, salt, pepper, and flour. Stir to coat the beef well and allow to sit for a few minutes. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add a swirl of oil to the bottom and warm it until the surface appears to shimmer. Working in two batches, add the beef cubes and brown thoroughly on each side. They do not have to be cooked through at this point. Remove browned beef to a plate. Reduce heat slightly and add onion. Cook until translucent, stirring to scrape up anything on the bottom of the pan. Add the sweet paprika and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add in the beef broth and seasonings. Return the beef to the pan and stir to mix. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered about 2-2 ½ hours, or until the beef is tender. Keep an eye on the mixture and add water as needed. The beef should remain mostly submerged. (Easiest way is to check every 30 minutes and add about a half cup of water each time.) Add the carrots and the peppers and cook an additional 20-30 minutes allowing them to soften. Stir ¼ cup of sour cream into the mixture right before serving.
Serve over spaetzle and with a dollop of sour cream.
