Hungarian Gou!!!

I figured it was about time for me to end my Irish shenanigans and move on to different foods.

Over the summer, my boyfriend and I went to Budapest – an amazing city which we both loooveedddd (maybe more than Dublin?). Anyhow, we had an incredible goulash at this restaurant called Klassz and I basically tried to relive that experience with this recipe.

If you’re sick and tired of your typical beef stew, then you really got to try this. But just keep in mind, good gou needs several hours of simmering and it really is best the day after — I learned this the hard way 😦

I started by browning the bacon and meat – I chose beef, though I was very tempted to try lamb.

After browning, I set aside my meat and started cooking everything else.

Then I added back my meat and let the gou simmer for hours – about 4 in total plus a little extra heating the next day.

After all that waiting, I finally got to eat this…

Was it worth the wait??

You betcha!

By the way, the best wait to tell if the gou is ready is to test a piece of meat with a fork. You don’t have to eat it, just check if the meat tears easily with a fork.

If it does, you know the meat is tender and ready to eat 🙂

Also, sweet paprika may be hard to find, but you need it so find it.

I found the recipe here, but I changed it just a little.

Hungarian Goulash

6 pieces bacon (any kind should work)
4 lbs stewing beef, diced
4 medium onions, diced
2 large garlic cloves, pureed
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
3 cups green sweet peppers, diced
5 tbsp sweet paprika
2 cups canned tomatoes diced
2 tbsp tomato puree
4 cups beef broth
3 cups water
5 cups potatoes, peeled & diced into ½ inch cubes

Salt & pepper to taste

1)  In a large cast iron or thick-bottom pan, fry the bacon over high heat until light golden brown. Some of the fat has been rendered.  Remove the bacon.

2)  In the same pan, fry the diced beef that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.  Continue frying until the meat has a light golden brown colour, then remove from the pan.

3)  Turn down the heat, add the onion and garlic, and sauté gently for 4 – 6 minutes.

4)  Next, add the bay leaf, thyme, caraway seeds, green peppers and paprika, followed by the tomato and tomato puree.

5)  Return the beef and bacon to the pan.  Add the beef broth and water, and gently simmer on the stove top for approximately 2 hours or more – depending how close your meat is to being tender.

6)  During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the diced potatoes.  Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.  The meat should be tender and moist, and the sauce slightly thickened.

7)  Once cooked, remove from heat and remove the bay leaf.

Serves 8 – 10

Try serving with a dollop of sour cream – delicious!

Let me know how the gou tastes.

Yours edibly,

Elana