Czech Goulash With Bread Dumplings Recipes

TRADITIONAL CZECH BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• Cut up the beef in to bigger chunks
• Mix together the plain flour, pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and put it in a deeper plate or bowl
• Coat the beef pieces in the flour mix
• Heat a large frying pan with some oil and leave until it's medium hot
• Fry the beef from both sides until it's golden brown and the meat is 'sealed' and place on a new plate. Do this in several batches if your pan is small.
• Next fry the onions until see through and flavour them with carraway seeds, pinch of chilli, some marjoram and also add the garlic.
• Put the beef back to the frying pan (or swap it for a large stock pan or soup pot).
• Add the beef stock cube and about 500 ml hot water
• Add the tomatoe puree
• Reduce the heat to medium low, cover with a lid and let the whole thing to simmer for about 2 hrs.
• Check regularly to make sure that the stock doesn't evaporate too much and check the beef. Depening on what cut of beef you buy, the dish might be ready sooner or longer than the recipe.
• Serve with traditional Czech dumplings or with a thickly cut sourdough bread.

CZECH BEEF GOULASH (GULAS)

Steps:

• Peel the onion and chop it roughly. Cut the beef into 1-1.½-inch pieces.
• Melt the lard or vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a pot with a thick bottom (I use a heavy iron cast Dutch oven). Fry onions until almost brown. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Finally, add the crushed caraway seeds and stir for another minute.
• Add beef chunks, season with salt, and fry them from all sides until a golden brown crust is created. Expect the meat releases some juices when fried. Stir frequently, and scrape off the burnt residue on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula. If necessary, reduce the heat or add a spoon or two of water.
• Turn the stove on medium heat, and add ground pepper, sweet paprika, and tomato paste. Fry for 1 minute while stirring. The base can't get burnt, or else the goulash will taste bitter. Add 1-2 spoons of water to prevent burning.
• Pour in water, so the meat is almost covered. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with a lid and allow the beef to simmer for 2-2.5 hours or until soft.
• Check the goulash from time to time. Add some water if the level of liquid in the pot falls. When the gulas contains too much water, cook it uncovered at the end. The liquid will be reduced, and the gulas will gain a richer flavor and a nice red color. Stir occasionally.
• When the beef cubes are soft, add flour to thicken the stew. In the next step, I'll provide a helpful method for making the stew sauce smoother and more cohesive.
• Thickening of goulash with flour (optional): Take off the pot's lid. Using a small sieve, carefully dust the surface of the stew with a tablespoon of flour. Do not stir. Cover with the lid and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir. The sauce will be just thick enough!
• Remove bay leaves, add crushed garlic and dried marjoram, and stir. Season with salt to your liking. Cover with a lid and let it rest off heat for 10 minutes.

CZECH GOULASH WITH BREAD DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Goulash:.
• Sauté onion and garlic in shortening until translucent.
• Add meat with spices and sauté till brown.
• Add water; simmer, covered, until meat is tender, about 1 hour.
• Add finely grated potato into the meat and simmer 5 minutes stirring often.
• Serve with dumplings or bread.
• Dumplings:.
• Mix together beaten egg, milk, flour, baking powder and salt until smooth.
• Add bread cubes to batter and mix well.
• Make two small loaves.
• Drop into large pot of vigorously boiling water. Cook 10 minutes, then roll dumpling over and cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove immediately from water and cut ends off to release steam.
• Cut into 1/2 inch slices and serve.

GOULASH WITH BREAD DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the goulash: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few turns of pepper. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is shimmering, sear the beef all over in batches until deep brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a bowl and set aside.
• Add the onions and cook, scraping up any meat bits from the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, garlic and a pinch of salt and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika, tomato paste and caraway and stir to combine; cook for 2 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan, then add the broth, chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the beef is tender and can be broken down with a spoon but still maintains its shape, about 2 hours.
• For the bread dumplings: Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few turns of pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together the milk and eggs in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes, cheese and scallions to the egg mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the flour mixture. Let the dumpling mixture sit for 15 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Using a 1/3-cup ice cream scoop, form firmly packed balls of the dumpling mixture. Add them to the pot and boil until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Spoon the goulash into bowls and add a dumpling or two to each. Top with chopped parsley or scallions if desired.