Gulaš
Slow-simmered beef gulaš built on twice its weight in onions, with paprika stirred in off the heat.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 30 min
- Total
- 3 hr
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg beef shin or chuck, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 3 large onions (about 600 g), finely chopped
- 3 tbsp lard or neutral oil
- 3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (not smoked)
- 1 tsp hot paprika or a pinch of cayenne (optional)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp caraway seeds, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 3 medium potatoes (about 500 g), cut into 2 cm cubes
- 700 ml beef stock or water, plus more as needed
- 1 strip of lemon zest
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Season the beef with salt. Heat the lard in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the meat in batches, then set it aside.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 15–20 minutes until soft and deep golden — this is the base of the dish, so do not rush it.
- Add the garlic and caraway and stir for one minute. Pull the pot off the heat and stir in both paprikas and the tomato paste, so the paprika does not scorch and turn bitter.
- Return the meat and its juices. Add the bay leaves, marjoram, lemon zest, and enough stock to almost cover. Bring to a bare simmer.
- Cover and cook gently for 1.5–2 hours, until the beef is nearly tender, stirring now and then and topping up with stock so it stays stew-like.
- Add the carrots and peppers and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook another 20–25 minutes, until everything is tender and the broth has thickened slightly from the potato starch.
- Remove the bay leaves and lemon zest. Adjust the salt and pepper and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
No flour — the onions and potatoes carry the body. Keep the simmer lazy; a hard boil makes the beef tough and dry. For a soup-style gulaš (gulašleves), double the stock and skip the reduction. Better the next day.