Since there seems to have been a public outcry over the goulash I cooked for TheWife as a belated Anniversary dinner last weekend—and given that, at least in New England, it's looking to be a nasty, rainy weekend perfect for a little hearty beef stew—I thought I'd offer the recipe here. As a point of fact, this recipe is swiped in its entirety from Maryana Vollstedt's extremely appealing Big Book of Casseroles, which I picked up over the summer and has proved, to this point, to be an excellent resource for warm food in chilly weather...
CLASSIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH
INGREDIENTS
2 TB vegetable/canola oil
2 lbs round steak (stew beef) cut into 1" cubes
2 large yellow onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Fresh-ground pepper
1 TB paprika (note: Vollstedt recommends using real, hardcore Hungarian paprika. I used supermarket paprika, which is presumably much milder, and afterwards wished I'd used more of it. Just so you know.)
1 Tsp caraway seeds
1/2 Tsp dried marjoram
1 cup beef stock/broth
1 cup red wine (note: Vollstedt recommends a dry red... I went with a nice cabernet, which a) worked great, and b) helped to lubricate the cooking process substantially)
1 Tsp red wine vinegar
2 TB tomato paste
1-1.5 Cups baby carrots or peeled/sliced carrots
1 Cup peas
1 TB flour
1/2 Cup sour cream
Rice or extra-wide egg noodles
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a Dutch oven over med-high heat, warm 1 TB oil, then add beef and brown (5-10 mins). Transfer beef to a plate, but don't pour out the stuff in the Dutch oven.
3. Reduce heat to medium, then add remaining oil and sauté onions and garlic until tender (5ish mins).
4. Stir in your spices (salt & pepper to your preference), plus beef stock, wine, vinegar, tomato paste & carrots. Bring to a boil.
5. After the whole thing reaches a boil, turn off your burner, cover the Dutch oven and put it into your real oven. Bake until beef is tender -- approximately 1 1/2 hours.
6. Enjoy your wine for the next hour and a half. Maybe watch a little football. Not that it matters.
7. Oh, wait -- don't forget to make your peas! If you use frozen (and really, who doesn't?) just boil 'em about 10 minutes before you reach the 1.5 hour mark.
8. At the 1.5 hour mark, pull out the Dutch oven and stir in the peas. Then mix the flour into your sour cream, and then stir the mixture into the juices.
8.5. This is probably also a good time to begin cooking your rice or egg noodles. Plan accordingly.
9. Bake, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning; add more salt/pepper/red wine (if you have any left) as you please.
10. Eureka: you've made a goulash. Serve it in big bowls over rice, egg noodles, or whatever floats your boat. Pour a few glasses of red wine (open a new bottle, if necessary). Sit down. Eat. Drink. Be grateful that you're sitting inside, eating something warm and hearty, while it's cold/rainy/snowy outside. Sigh contentedly.
