Whilst digging about in the freezer yesterday searching for cheesecake (I had an “I need cheesecake” moment) I took out a pack of cubed beef and put it on the side and then promptly forgot about putting it back having found the cheesecake and being on a mission to get it defrosted! I woke up with a start at 3am….or should that be 4am, clocks went forward during the night, suddenly remembering not putting the beef back and decided that was a sign that I needed to make goulash soup today!
It’s a really cold, wet, miserable day here so the sign was very timely. I’m afraid the light was all wrong for photography but we need to eat it and I know there won’t be any left for pretty pictures in the right type of light tomorrow!
And for all of those out there yelling “but goulash is Hungarian”, no history lesson about the Austro-Hungarian empire but this soup isn’t quite the same as the thick stew I think of as Hungarian goulash, it is definitely a soup. Anybody who has been to Vienna in winter will have seen this soup on the menu. I don’t ski but I imagine it is pretty good fodder when you’ve spent a day on the slopes too.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
500g cubed beef (the cheaper the cut the better for this kind of thing)
1 tablespoon flour, seasoned with black pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot paprika
1 litre strong beef stock
440g can chopped tomatoes
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed (1cm dice)
1. Heat the oil in a large lidded saucepan.
2. Brown the beef in the oil and then add the onion, reduce the heat to medium and fry for about 5 minutes when the beef should have browned and the onion softened.
3. Add the flour, paprika and cumin, stir in thoroughly and cook for a further minute.
4. Add the garlic, beef stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for two hours.
6. Add the potatoes, bring back to a simmer and cook for about another 30 minutes when the potatoes should be tender.
7. Serve with warm crusty bread and a drizzle of sour cream.
8. Feel all warmed up and happy about life!
