Goulash

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Recipe for goulash

Goulash is simply a really lovely stew for the chilly days. And although it is essentially an authentic Hungarian soup, it is also a classic on many Danish dining tables!

It is actually considered Hungary’s national dish, and it can be traced back to the 9th century, making it a truly great old classic. Back then, though, it was a real “shepherd’s dish” because it was eaten by Hungarian shepherds. They made the soup with spiced meat that was dried in the sun.

There are many Hungarian versions of goulash, but the soup typically consists of meat and potatoes in a tomato soup with paprika, onions, and leeks. The Hungarian shepherds didn’t use paprika (it didn’t come to Europe until the 16th century), but today paprika is very characteristic of the soup! We usually serve the soup with rice, but you can also eat it with mashed potatoes, some delicious bread, or some form of pasta.

My goulash is made in a roasting dish at low heat over a long period. The meat I used for this wonderful dish was dry-aged beef chuck, which only added to the depth of flavor in the dish.

One of the most important flavor enhancers in this recipe is the crust that the meat needs to get before it simmers. For that purpose, I use ghee, as it can withstand higher heat than regular butter.

It is important that the meat is not taken directly from the refrigerator and put straight onto the pan, as the large temperature difference between cold meat and a hot pan will cause the meat to “boil” instead of fry. It is also the reason I never fry more than about 400 grams of meat at a time on one pan, as too much meat will also cause the temperature to drop. The secret to a good crust is high heat.

Goulash Recipe

Servings: 12 Portions

Goulash

Author: Per Asmussen

Keyword: beef, Beef Chuck Roast, Dinner, simmered

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Metric - US Customary

Prevent sleepKeep the display on

Ingredients

• 1200 gram Beef Chuck Roast Cut the beef into strips or cubes. For example, from chuck, shoulder, or similar
• Ghee Can be replaced with butter and oil
• Salt From the grinder
• Pepper From the grinder
• 1 pcs. Leek Or 2 if they are small
• 0.5 pcs. Celery
• 2 pcs. Carrots Large
• 2 pcs. Onion
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 68 gram Tomato Puree
• 28 gram Paprika
• 200 gram White Wine
• 800 gram Beef Stock
• 16 gram Balsamic Vinegar
• 15 gram Lemon Juice
• 50 gram Butter
• 48 gram Wheat Flour
• 200 gram Cream
• 1 pcs. Red bell pepper

Instructions

• 1. Brown the meat in 3 stages over high heat instead of frying it all at once.
  2. Once the meat is browned, place it in the Dutch oven and season with salt and pepper.
  3. While the meat is browning, cut carrots, celery root, leeks, onions, and garlic into smaller pieces.
  4. When all the meat is out of the pan, add ghee / equal parts butter and oil to the pan along with tomato paste and paprika.
  5. Let it gain a bit of color and then add celery, carrots, onions, garlic, and leek.
  6. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. They do not need to gain color.
  7. Transfer all the contents of the pan into your Dutch oven. Feel free to use a spatula to get everything out.
  8. Add wine and broth. All the meat should be covered, so you may need to use a bit more.
  9. Add balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and place the lid on the Dutch oven.
  10. Place the Dutch oven in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius (302 degrees Fahrenheit) conventional oven. The dish needs at least 1.5 hours, but if you have time, let it cook longer. I gave mine 4 hours in the oven.
  11. When you take it out of the oven, your goulash is ready. However, it is on the thin side, so I prefer to thicken it before serving. This can be done by adding a flour-based slurry or making a roux. I prefer the latter.
  12. Find a large pot and melt the butter over medium-high heat (10 out of 14 on my stove).
  13. Add the flour while whisking and once you have a butter/flour mixture, gradually add the liquid from the Dutch oven. I typically use a measuring cup and add 200 milliliters at a time.
  14. Continue whisking to avoid lumps, and gradually add 200 milliliters of liquid from the Dutch oven. 
  15. Add cream and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, vinegar, and sugar.
  16. Cut the bell pepper into smaller pieces and add it to the sauce just to warm it up for a couple of minutes. This adds a bit of crunch to the dish.
  17. Finally, add the meat, onions, and carrots from the Dutch oven to the sauce, or you can pour the sauce back into the Dutch oven over the meat and vegetables. I prefer to transfer it to the pot as I typically discard the leeks and celery root because they get too mushy for my taste after such a long time in the Dutch oven.
  18. For serving, consider mashed potatoes or cooked rice along with something pickled. It could be pickled red onions, pickled beets, or onion marmalade. Enjoy!
•  
•  

Prevent sleepKeep the display on