Recipe for Hungarian Goulash
In my novel The COOKBOOK, this is recipe that held a secret that only Kate Miller would know. On special occasions Kate's grandmother and aunt cooked meals from that part of the world. One was Hungarian Goulash, which is not the most refined food, but when well cooked the spices and flavors are heavenly, especially for hungry people.
Its origins seem to have come from the pastoral life in the Great Hungarian Plain. Like Kate Miller in my novel, I've been there. Those plains are flat and seem to extend forever. One can imagine that herders of cattle and sheep traveled long distances. They cooked in round metal pots over open fires and after a hard day of work, goulash satisfied their hunger. While beef was traditional for goulash, it is also cooked with lamb and pork.
Paprika was introduced from the New World and the climatic conditions in Hungary were ideal for growing this plant. In The COOKBOOK Kate's grandmother insisted on only using Hungarian paprika, and she used a lot of it, as well as a lot of onion in the dish. It is best when slow cooked for a long time to absorb the pepper and bring out all the flavors.
There are many variations of this dish. Here is a simple one, but please understand this is a very creative dish and cooks will add other items according to their preference, like lemon juice, turnips, chili powder, red wine and other things:
This should serve about four people, so just double the quantities if you want to make more.
1 lb. cubed beef
flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 or three cloves garlic depending on size
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 lb. peeled and diced potatoes
1 chopped onion (Kate's grandmother would use at least three)
1 tbsp. paprika (Kate's grandmother would use only Hungarian paprika)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
salt to taste
caraway seeds to taste, but not too many, as this can overpower the dish
Okay, now let's cook it.
1. Blot the meat cubes dry and dredge with flour mixed with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the meat cubes, and drain off excess fat.
3. Place the meet in an iron pot, metal pot or crock-pot. Then sprinkle the meat with the paprika and turn cubes to season evenly.
4. Add onions and garlic and beef stock.
5. Now add all the other ingredients on the above list. And, here is where you can get creative by adding tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms, brown sugar, dry mustard, lemon juice, red wine which are not mentioned above. But, be careful. One ingredient might overpower the rest.
6. You can cook this for an hour and it will be okay, but to make exceptional goulash, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
7. If you want to thicken the goulash, wait until fifteen minutes before it is finished. Then knead butter with flour to make a paste, add to the goulash and turn up the heat for fifteen minutes, but don't burn it. It would be a shame to have gone through all that work and wait eight hours and then you've got charcoal at the bottom of the pan.
This is real comfort food and the Hungarians knew what they were doing. It's even better if you let it sit for a day. Cool it, then put it in the fridge. This is a meal that goes straight to people's souls.
Its origins seem to have come from the pastoral life in the Great Hungarian Plain. Like Kate Miller in my novel, I've been there. Those plains are flat and seem to extend forever. One can imagine that herders of cattle and sheep traveled long distances. They cooked in round metal pots over open fires and after a hard day of work, goulash satisfied their hunger. While beef was traditional for goulash, it is also cooked with lamb and pork.
Paprika was introduced from the New World and the climatic conditions in Hungary were ideal for growing this plant. In The COOKBOOK Kate's grandmother insisted on only using Hungarian paprika, and she used a lot of it, as well as a lot of onion in the dish. It is best when slow cooked for a long time to absorb the pepper and bring out all the flavors.
There are many variations of this dish. Here is a simple one, but please understand this is a very creative dish and cooks will add other items according to their preference, like lemon juice, turnips, chili powder, red wine and other things:
This should serve about four people, so just double the quantities if you want to make more.
1 lb. cubed beef
flour
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 or three cloves garlic depending on size
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 lb. peeled and diced potatoes
1 chopped onion (Kate's grandmother would use at least three)
1 tbsp. paprika (Kate's grandmother would use only Hungarian paprika)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
salt to taste
caraway seeds to taste, but not too many, as this can overpower the dish
Okay, now let's cook it.
1. Blot the meat cubes dry and dredge with flour mixed with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the meat cubes, and drain off excess fat.
3. Place the meet in an iron pot, metal pot or crock-pot. Then sprinkle the meat with the paprika and turn cubes to season evenly.
4. Add onions and garlic and beef stock.
5. Now add all the other ingredients on the above list. And, here is where you can get creative by adding tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms, brown sugar, dry mustard, lemon juice, red wine which are not mentioned above. But, be careful. One ingredient might overpower the rest.
6. You can cook this for an hour and it will be okay, but to make exceptional goulash, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
7. If you want to thicken the goulash, wait until fifteen minutes before it is finished. Then knead butter with flour to make a paste, add to the goulash and turn up the heat for fifteen minutes, but don't burn it. It would be a shame to have gone through all that work and wait eight hours and then you've got charcoal at the bottom of the pan.
This is real comfort food and the Hungarians knew what they were doing. It's even better if you let it sit for a day. Cool it, then put it in the fridge. This is a meal that goes straight to people's souls.
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Click Here for a list of all the foods and recipes in my novel The COOKBOOK.
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