Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás)

Fragrant with Hungarian Paprika and Hungarian Hot peppers and brimming with chunks of tender beef, healthy vegetables, and homemade pinched csipetke noodles, Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás) is a heart warming, soul satisfying comfort food.

Hungarian Goulash is a thin, spicy soup that gets its beautiful brick red color from ample amounts of Hungarian Paprika. Be sure to use the best quality Hungarian paprika that you can find, it makes a world of difference.

I couldn’t pass the chance to make Hungarian Goulash this week while visiting my parents in Ohio with my dad’s amazing home-grown tomatoes and these gorgeous Hungarian Hot wax peppers. I like lots of sliced peppers in my Hungarian Goulash. I use a combination of these tangy and spicy Hungarian Hot wax peppers (with a typical Scoville range of 5,000 to 10,000 units, kind of similar to a jalapeno) and Banana peppers (which top out at about 500 Scoville Heat Units). Use whichever combination of hot to sweet peppers you like, I use about half and half.

I serve my Hungarian Goulash with an easy to make Hungarian pinched noodle called csipetke. Csipetke is a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling. Egg noodle dough is pinched off and either boiled separately in water or boiled directly in the soup. I like to boil mine separately in water so I can control the cooking time better and so the Goulash broth doesn’t get thickened from the flour. I also have some eaters who avoid carbs, so if I boil them separately, each one can add the amount of Csipetke they like.

Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás)

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Ingredients

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• 4 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds chopped onion
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 tablespoons Hungarian paprika,
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 2–3 lbs beef cut in 1/2 inch cubes (I use chuck roast)
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2–3 quarts good quality beef broth
• 8 peppers, a combination of Hungarian Hot and Banana wax peppers, sliced
• 2 potatoes cut in 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 carrots, cut in half and sliced
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• Csipetke noodles, click here for recipe
• Chopped parsley to garnish *optional

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Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon bacon fat or oil in large 5-6 quart pan over high heat. Dry 1/2 of meat cubes, add to pan, and sear over high heat until browned on all sides. Be careful not to crowd the meat in the pan. Remove meat from pan and repeat with remaining 1/2 of meat cubes and 1 tablespoon bacon fat or oil. Remove meat from pan.
2. In same pan, heat 2 tablespoons bacon fat over medium heat . Add onion and celery and cook until soft. Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute.
3. Return meat cubes to pan with cooked onion. Add paprika and tomatoes. Stir to coat and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add beef broth and simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
5. Add peppers and carrots. Cook for about 15 minutes.
6. Add potatoes and cook until soft but not falling apart.
7. Add water or beef broth as necessary.
8. While Goulash is cooking, boil the Csipetke in salted water until al dente. When potatoes are soft, add csipetke.
9. Remove from heat and serve.

• Cuisine: Hungarian