Cook: Beef Goulash

I have a weakness for Beef Stew. There's just something really comforting about a piping hot bowl of beef stew, eaten with crusty bread, especially on a cold day.

One of my favourite incarnations of this is the Hungarian Beef Goulash served at The Soup Spoon. So when I was cracking my head over what to do with a big hunk of Christmas roast that I had left over (Angus Prime Rib, no less), I decided to try my hand at making my own Beef Goulash.

I was so pleased that it turned out well! Like the-kids-lapped-it-all-up well. The husband loved it too, but was super pleased that the kids loved it, because in this household, that's the only guarantee he has of seeing the dish again. 

Both kiddos were delighted with the crusty bread I served the Beef Goulash up with, though Noey was a bit confused about there being just bread and no rice/noodles.

"Where's the dinner?" he asked. "There's just soup!"

It was just soup, but a mighty filling soup it was!

I've re-done this recipe without the Angus Prime Rib, and am glad that even with regular stewing meat, the stew turned out yummy. Something you might like to try during one of those cool nights that we seem to be having recently!

 

Beef Goulash (adapted from the recipe by Tyler Florence)
(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 kg stewing beef, trimmed and cubed (I usually use Chuck Tender)
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 roasted bell peppers, peeled and sliced
2-3 carrots, peeled and cubed 
2 tablespoons of sweet paprika
2 teaspoons of caraway seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 400g can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 (~1 litre) box of beef broth
1 bay leaf
2-3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 250g box of white or shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and quartered
1 heaping tablespoon of sour cream
Chopped parsley for garnish

Method:

1. Add olive oil to a large heavy pot and heat over medium heat.

2. When the oil is hot, add the beef cubes and brown evenly on all sides, turning with tongs. As the beef is searing, season generously with salt and pepper. Add a little more oil if necessary to keep the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

3. Toss in the onions, garlic, roasted peppers, carrots, paprika and caraway. Cook and stir for 2 minutes until fragrant.

4. Mix in the tomatoes, mushrooms, vinegar. Stir well to mix and cook for a few minutes before adding beef broth and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, covered, stirring occasionally.

5. Add in the potatoes and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.

6. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream just before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Cooking Notes:

♥ I serve this with crusty bread - get a baguette, wrap it in aluminium foil and stick it in an oven at 180°C for about 15mins.

♥ Do try to get sweet paprika for this dish. I tried making this dish with normal paprika and while it still tastes ok, sweet paprika really tastes better and more authentic in my view. I bought my bottle of sweet paprika from Cold Storage.

♥ If you can't find caraway seeds, you can try a mix of cumin and fennel seeds instead as a substitute. 

♥ If you don't have red wine vinegar, try using some red wine instead, or red wine mixed with a bit of white vinegar. Don't use black vinegar, which is much sharper in taste. Another thing I learnt the hard way.

♥ You can buy jarred roasted bell peppers, or, if you, like me don't fancy paying so much for the jarred stuff and have a gas stove, you can roast them yourself! Simply wash your peppers and pop them directly over the open flame on your stove. (I learnt this from Jamie Oliver!) I put a metal support that I usually use for steaming over the grill to create more space for the peppers to rest. Cook and turn the peppers as the skin blisters and turns black. When done, pop the peppers into a bowl and cover it with a plate to steam for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle, just peel away the skin of the pepper (it should come off quite easily), and slice it up, removing the seeds.

I've modified the original recipe by adding extra vegetables, omitting bacon and flour and changing some of the proportions to suit my family's tastebuds, and make the dish somewhat healthier. Let me know if you try it and like it!

Now I'm wondering if I would be able to make Borscht like what they serve at Shashlik?

Have a good weekend everyone!