Hungarian beef goulash with paprika, cooked in lard

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. For goulash, the rule is an equal ratio of meat to onions, and Hungarian goulash is no exception. Judge the ratio by volume rather than by weight: cut the meat and the onions, putting each into its own bowl. Tip: too much onion would make the goulash needlessly sweet.

2. In oil or lard over low heat, slowly fry the finely chopped onions until they release their juices and take on color, even to a light caramel. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes (peeled canned tomatoes work too) and stew them down into a red pulp, letting the liquid evaporate.

3. Stir the sweet and hot ground paprika into the tomato base, add the cut-up meat, and sauté it, stirring constantly, until it is seared on the outside. Salt the meat and, to taste, add the fresh peppers, which bring out the aroma, and for a spicier goulash, sliced hot peppers or chili peppers as well. Add a little water, stir, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer the goulash over low heat.

4. Add water gradually, stir the goulash regularly, and make sure it simmers gently. Cook until the meat is tender; for beef this takes about 2 hours. In that time the excess liquid evaporates, the goulash thickens by itself, and the meat turns tender.

   Serve with halušky (small Slovak dumplings, similar to spaetzle) or homemade white dumplings.

Tip: Goulash tastes even better the next day: refrigerate it once it has cooled and reheat it slowly over low heat, stirring often, so it does not stick to the pot.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Hovädzí maďarský guláš s paprikou na bravčovej masti