Real Hungarian Goulash Cooks Illustrated Recipes

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 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.

REAL HUNGARIAN GOULASH - COOK'S ILLUSTRATED

Steps:

• Place rack in lower-middle position of oven and heat to 325°F.
• Sprinkle meat with 1 tsp salt and let stand 15 minute.
• In a food processor, combine paprika, peppers, tomato paste and 2 tsp vinegar until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
• Heat oil in Dutch oven until shimmering. Add onions and 1 tsp salt. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften but are not brown, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in paprika paste and cook until onions begin to stick to bottom of pan, 2 minutes.
• Add beef, carrots and bay leaf. Stir until everything is well coated. Scrape down sides of pot, cover and place in oven. Cook, stirring every 30 minutes, until meat is tender, and liquid is 1/2" below top of meat, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove pot from oven and add enough warmed beef broth to bring liquid level up to 1/4" below top of meat. Do not cover meat in liquid! Replace pot cover and return to oven about 30 minutes more, until a fork slides in and out of beef easily.
• Meanwhile, put potatoes, 1/2 cup beef broth and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a rapid simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes.
• Skim fat off surface of stew. Stir in 1 tsp vinegar and sour cream, if using. Remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings. Serve over boiled potatoes.

REAL HUNGARIAN GOULASH (NO TOMATO PASTE HERE)

Steps:

• Melt lard in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot lard until soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Stir beef and paprika into onions. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup water and simmer, adding more water if moisture gets too low, until meat falls apart and onion sauce is thick, about 1 hour more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH (GULYáS)

Steps:

• Melt the pork lard or butter/oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the beef is just starting to brown, 7-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt, pepper and caraway (if using) (note: paprika becomes bitter if at all scorched). Add the beef broth, bay leaf, return to the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until the beef is nice and tender. Add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaf.