Hungary – Goulash

There are so many different recipes for Hungarian goulash (or Gulyás) I really found it difficult knowing which one to go with. In the end I pulled inspiration from a few (Delia Online, The Hungary Dish, The Guardian, and Daring Gourmet). This probably means it is not an authentic recipe, but still takes inspiration from Hungarian influences.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 600g braising steak, cut into cubes
• 2 tbsp hungarian paprika (or other smoked sweet paprika)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• 100ml red wine
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC.
2. Heat the oil in a casserole dish then brown the cubes of beef, a few at a time, and set aside.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and add the chopped onions and celery to the dish, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the garlic.
4. Return the meat to the pan.
5. Add flour, paprika and mix.
6. Add the bay leaves and tomatoes. Add 200ml water and wine (or enough just to cover the mixture). Season well with salt and  black pepper.
7. Once it reaches a simmering point, place the lid on the casserole dish and transfer to the oven to cook for 1.5 hours.
8. Then add the chopped peppers and carrots, replace the lid and cook for another 45 minutes.

I served this with boiled rice, but it would also go well just with some bread.