Hungarian Goulash

When a few months ago I visited Budapest, apart from enjoying the beautiful city, I was obviously interested in the local food. We had a chance to try a few dishes and cakes that we liked very much and that I wanted to cook myself. Goulash was one such meal.

I spent some time looking for a traditional Hungarian goulash recipe and as it often happens I found many variations. Some of them asked for ingredients I don’t use (e.g. lard for frying), some asked for lots of liquid to make it more a soup rather than a stew. So at the end I combined my knowledge and came up with the recipe below. It is based on some staple ingredients used in Hungarian goulash (paprika spices, peppers, potatoes, carrots) and staple rules (e.g. not using flour to thicken the sauce but cooking the meat for a long time so it creates gelatin). I served the goulash with bread dumplings and I was very happy with the delicious result. My husband must have even been happier: he had the leftovers for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 portions):

2 tbsp oil for frying,

2 medium onions, thinly cut,

1 tsp smoked mild paprika,

500g beef (shin or shoulder), cut into 3cm cubes,

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced,

1.2-1.5l vegetable stock,

1 tsp caraway seeds,

3 tsp hot paprika paste (1 tsp hot paprika powder can be used instead),

1 bay leaf,

salt and pepper,

2 carrots, diced, *

1 parsnip diced, *

2 medium potatoes, diced, *

1 tbsp tomato paste,

1 pepper, cut into 2-3 cm pieces

METHOD:

1. Warm up the oil in a big frying pan; add the onions and fry on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the onions start getting brown.
2. Add the mild paprika and stir it with the onions.
3. Increase the heat, add the cubes of beef and fry stirring from time to time until the beef is slightly browned (approx. 5 minutes).
4. Add the garlic, caraway seeds, bay leaf, hot paprika paste or powder, pour in the stock, season and simmer covered on a low heat for 1.5-2 hours till the meat is tender.
5. Stir in the carrots, parsnip and potatoes, cook for approx. 30 minutes more.
6. When the vegetables are soft, add the tomato puree and peppers and bring to boil.
7. Serve with bread dumplings, pasta or mashed potatoes.

* The vegetables should be diced into pieces of approximately the same size.

Read More

Salad with Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes [vegetarian]

This salad is all about the wonderful combination of ingredients: tasty tomatoes with sweet roasted peppers, salty anchovies, slightly acidic capers, crunchy pine nuts and fragrant basil. I prefer to finish it off just before serving as I don’t like when the tomatoes go soft from being covered by dressing for too long. But a lot can be prepared much earlier to ease the pressure in case the salad is to be served for guests. The peppers can be roasted, peeled and cut even a day earlier and all the ingredients can be arranged on a serving plate a couple hours before serving so you only have to prepare the dressing.

This delicious, summery salad is an ideal solution, if you are looking for an accompaniment to your grilled or roasted meat for gathering with family or friends but it will also suit a salad buffet very well.

INGREDIENTS (4 portions, if served with other dishes):

3 red peppers,

3 tomatoes (I used raspberry and black tomatoes),

3 anchovies, drained and chopped,

1 tbsp drained capers,

1 tbsp pine nuts,

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced,

Dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil,

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar,

1 tsp lemon juice,

a few basil leaves, chopped,

salt and pepper.

METHOD:

1. Preheat grill in an oven.
2. Cut the peppers in half, remove stalks and seeds, cut in half lengthways again and arrange the quarters skin side up on a baking tray; put under the hot grill till the skin chars (this will take approx. 10-15 min. but check frequently as required time depends on a grill).
3. Put the charred peppers to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool.
4. Peel the peppers and cut them into strips.
5. Cut the tomatoes into bite-size portions.
6. In a big bowl arrange the tomatoes, peppers, sprinkle with anchovies, capers, pine nuts and garlic.
7. Mix all the dressing ingredients until combined and pour over the salad, season.
8. Stir the salad before serving.

Read More