Hungarian Beef Goulash for #eattheworld

Welcome to our final post of 2020 for the Eat the World project, led by Evelyne of CulturEatz. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us! For this month's assignment, we were given the country of Hungary to visit. 

When I think about Hungarian dishes, chicken paprikash and goulash are what came to mind - and considering I've never attempted to make either (at least a more authentic version of goulash) I decided to go ahead and pick one and try it. Since I had some stew beef thawed out, goulash it was! I've made plenty of iterations of the Americanized version of "goulash", and while that version borrows the tomato based sauce and some paprika seasoning, this was definitely different in both its simplicity and heavy use of the paprika for seasoning. 

It's a hearty, filling dish that I can absolutely see being a go-to on a cold day. Allowing a tough cut of beef to simmer away on the stove, throwing in a few available vegetables, tucked in with a nice thick tomato based sauce. Serving this up over some mashed potatoes helped balance the strong flavor and richness of the sauce for a comforting meal!

Take a look at all of our Hungarian dishes we're sharing today!

Sneha’s Recipe: Hungarian Beef Goulash

Magical Ingredients: Langos - Hungarian Potato Fry Bread

Sugarlovespices: Hungarian Gerbeaud Cake 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Lamb Soup With Sour Cream (Palócleves) 

Making Miracles: Beef Goulash 

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Hungarian Short Ribs 

Pandemonium Noshery: Rakott Krumpli - Hungarian Potato Casserole 

Kitchen Frau: Túrós Csusza (Pasta with Cottage Cheese) 

CulturEatz: Borleves | A Hungarian Christmas Wine Soup Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Hungarian Braised Short Ribs

Hungarian Goulash

Ingredients

3 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes

2 TBS vegetable oil 

4 large onions, diced

2 TBS minced garlic (jarred)

1 red bell pepper, diced

3-4 TBS sweet Hungarian paprika powder

2 bay leaves

1 14-oz can tomato sauce

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds

1 1/2 cups baby carrots

Directions

1. Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large nonstick soup pot or Dutch oven. Brown the beef (in batches if needed), seasoned with a little salt and pepper while browning. Remove with a slotted spoon and set beef aside.
2. Add remaining oil and brown the vegetables (onions and bell pepper) for about 8-10 minutes, until they begin to gain some color. Season with a little salt and pepper while cooking. Add in the minced garlic and sauté another minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the beef back in, along with about 3 TBS of paprika, bay leaf, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, caraway seeds, and baby carrots. 
4. Bring mixture to a low simmer. Cover and simmer 60-90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat and vegetables are completely tender. If needed, add a little bit of broth to thin if the mixture is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
5. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
6. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Recipe adapted from The Bossy Kitchen