Hungarian Steak Soup Recipes

HUNGARIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over high heat then add the olive oil.
• When the oil is hot add the stewing beef. Season with salt and pepper and sear the beef until it starts to brown. The beef will release liquid so continue searing on high heat, and the liquid will evaporate. Alternatively you could drain all the liquid.
• Add the onions and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions soften and become translucent. Turn the heat down to medium-high.
• Add the paprika, caraway seeds, oregano, bay leaves and brown sugar to the skillet. Stir everything together and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, beef broth and stir. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low for about 2 hours or until the beef is fork tender, stirring occasionally. The liquid will reduce down a lot as the beef cooks, so feel free to add more water as needed.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.

AUTHENTIC PöRKöLT (HUNGARIAN BEEF AND ONION STEW)

Steps:

• In a heavy pot or Dutch oven fry the bacon until done. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until golden. Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add the beef and cook for a minute until some, but not all, of the pink is gone. Stir in the paprika and remove from heat.
• Add the remaining ingredients. Add just enough water to come up to just over the halfway point of the stew mixture (in other words, not so the water is covering it). Return to heat and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 90 minutes. If the stew isn't thick enough, continue to simmer uncovered for a few more minutes so that some of the liquid evaporates. Add salt to taste.
• Serve with Spätzle (in Hungary they are shorter and stubbier, so prepare the dough accordingly or just use whatever method/shape you prefer - the texture and flavor of the dough is the same regardless). Or serve with boiled potatoes or wide egg noodles. A side salad, particularly a cucumber salad, is traditional. If desired, serve with a dollop of sour cream.

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Saute onions until soft, then add beef and brown. Stir in caraway seed, marjoram, garlic and paprika. Pour water over all, lower heat to low and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
• Add potatoes and cook until tender, another 45 minutes to 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

HUNGARIAN SWISS STEAK

Steps:

• Cut beef into 4 serving pieces. Sprinkle both sides of beef with seasoned salt.
• Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook beef in skillet 4 to 8 minutes, turning once, until brown.
• Stir in tomatoes, paprika, ketchup and caraway seed; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until beef is tender. Top each serving with sour cream and chives.

HUNGARIAN GOULASH I

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions in oil until soft, stirring frequently. Remove onions and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. Coat beef cubes in spice mixture, and cook in onion pot until brown on all sides. Return the onions to the pot, and pour in tomato paste, water, garlic and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is tender.

EASY HUNGARIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Return beef and any accumulated juices to the pan. Stir until well-combined.

HUNGARIAN TOMATO-PEPPER STEW (LECSó)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large skillet, sauté the onion in bacon fat or oil over low heat for 5 minutes.
• Add pepper strips and cook another 15 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, and paprika, and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture resembles chunky tomato sauce.

HUNGARIAN STEAK SOUP

Steps:

• Pat the meat dry.
• Trim away any excess fat and cut the meat into 3/4-inch cubes.
• Cut the onion in half and coarsely chop one half.
• Thinly slice the other half and set aside.
• Core, seed, and cut the bell peppers in half.
• Cut one half of each pepper into chunks and the other half into 1/4-inch strips.
• Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker or large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 3 minutes.
• Ad half the meat and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes.
• Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Add the remaining meat and repeat.
• Add the chopped onion and bell pepper chunks to the pot.
• Stir frequently until the vegetables soften, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the sweet and hot paprika, black pepper and caraway seeds and stir for 1 minute.
• Pour in the beef broth.
• Add the bay leaves garlic, and tomato paste.
• Return the meat and accumulated juices to the pot.
• Cover and seal the pressure cooker, if using, and bring to full pressure over high heat.
• Regulate the heat and cook for 20 minutes.
• If using a saucepan, simmer partially covered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Release pressure and uncover the cooker.
• The meat should be cooked through and tender.
• If not, re-cover the pan, bring back to full pressure and cook for 5 minutes more.
• Pour the soup through a colander into a bowl, leaving as much of the meat as possible in the pot.
• Pick out the meat cubes in the colander and return to the pot.
• Discard the bay leaves and vegetables In the colander as well as any remaining in the pot.
• Add the onion slices and bell pepper strips to the pot and pour the broth back in over the vegetables and meat.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered until the vegetables are just tender, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Add the salt and noodles and cook until the noodles are just tender.
• Drain the noodles.
• Spoon 1/2 cup of noodles into each of 6 soup bowls.
• Ladle the hot soup over the noodles and serve at once.
• Pass the sour cream at the table.
• Note: Toast the caraway seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat, tossing often, until aromatic, about 5 minutes.

CROCK POT BEEF GOULASH SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides, making sure not to crowd the pan. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Add more oil to the skillet (if needed) and heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour, garlic, paprika, and caraway and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Place the potato rounds in the bottom of a 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the beef and vegetables. Pour in the broth, water and tomato puree. Cover and cook on low until the beef is tender, 6-7 hours (takes my cooker closer to 7).
• Serve in bowls with sour cream.

VEGETARIAN GOULASH AKA AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN BEAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Wash and chop potatoes. Wash, peel and slice carrots and parsnip.
• Heat your stockpot to medium heat and add oil. Cook the chopped onion for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the sliced carrots and parsnip. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes.
• Add chopped garlic and the seasoning (salt, pepper, parsley, and caraway seeds) and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add the sweet paprika powder and the tomato or goulash paste, and stir until combined.
• Pour the vegetable broth and cook the soup for approx. 5 minutes.
• Add the diced potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Finally, add the cooked or canned beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

HUNGARIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• In a cold, heavy 6 to 8-quart stewing pot, fry bacon over low-medium heat until fat is rendered, and then discard bacon slice.
• Saute onions in the bacon fat for a few minutes, do not allow the onions to brown. If bacon does not provide enough fat, add a little olive oil to prevent the onions from sticking. When onions become glossy, add the beef, sauteing with the onions for about 10 minutes, covered, until the meat is browned.
• Meanwhile, chop and crush the garlic with the caraway seeds; add to meat and onions. Remove pot from heat. Stir in paprika rapidly with a wooden spoon. Immediately after paprika is absorbed, add the warm water. The water should just cover the meat, leaving room for potatoes.
• Add beef bouillon cubes. Cover pot and cook over low heat for about 1 hour.
• While stew is braising, prepare the tomatoes by cutting into 1-inch pieces. Core green peppers and cut into strips. After 1 hour of braising, add the tomatoes and green pepper. Add a little more water, if necessary and a little more salt if you need it. Simmer slowly for another 30 minutes.
• Peel potatoes and cut into bite-sized cubes and set aside in a bowl of water. Add potatoes, and cook another 30 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender and the goulash is done.
• Once goulash is finished, dissolve sour cream and a little of the goulash sauce in a cup. Add to goulash, it should give a creamy consistency. Serve goulash with spaetzle and Cucumber Salad on the side, adding an extra dollop of sour cream to each plate.
• Peel and slice cucumbers very thinly. The side of a metal grater with the wide slots works best here, or you can use a mandoline. Place cucumbers in a flat dish and sprinkle throughout with salt, making sure that all the slices are salted. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. The salt will draw the moisture out of the cucumbers. Cut the onion into paper-thin slices and place in a container. Once the cucumbers have released water, use your hands to squeeze out the excess water and add to the onions. The cucumbers are supposed to be limp, but still crisp.
• In a measuring cup mix vinegar, water, sugar and paprika to create a vinaigrette. Pour over the cucumbers and onions and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve with a sprinkle of dill and a little dollop of sour cream if desired.