Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás)

The archetypal Central European stew — paprika-rich beef that needs nothing but good bread to be perfect.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• 2 large onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp hot Hungarian paprika
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3 medium potatoes, cubed
• 3 tbsp lard or vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh parsley
• Sour cream and crusty bread to serve

Directions

1. Heat lard in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches. Remove.
2. Add onion and caraway seeds. Cook until golden, 10 min.
3. Remove from heat — this is important — add paprika and stir (paprika burns if added to hot oil).
4. Return to heat. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook 2 min.
5. Add beef and enough water/broth to cover by an inch.
6. Simmer covered 1.5 hours until beef is nearly tender.
7. Add potatoes. Cook 20 more minutes.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve with sour cream and bread.

Notes

The key technique is removing the pan from heat before adding paprika — high heat makes paprika bitter. Hungarian paprika is the correct ingredient; substitute with sweet Spanish paprika if needed.