This is one of my favourite stews. It’s slightly sweet and savoury, and completely delicious.
Mechanic
The paprika load here is 4 tablespoons per kg of meat, not the 1 tablespoon most North American recipes use. That’s what makes this taste like goulash and not like beef stew with a little paprika. Caraway is more traditional than cumin; either works but they produce different results. Bacon fat is optional; fatty pork shoulder brings enough of its own.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons fat (lard, fat cap, olive oil, or bacon fat)
- 1 kg cubed stew meat (pork shoulder or beef chuck), lightly floured
- 2 yellow onions, medium diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and medium diced
- 3 vine-ripe tomatoes, cored and medium diced (or 1 × 400g tin)
- 1½ teaspoons caraway seeds (or ground cumin, or fennel)
- 4 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
- 250ml red wine (1 cup)
- 1 litre beef or chicken stock (4 cups)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
- 3 carrots, peeled and large diced
- 15 ml Worcestershire (optional)
- salt and pepper
Optional: 1 cup each large diced celeriac and turnip.
Method
Heat fat in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high. Brown the floured meat in batches without crowding, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and bell pepper; cook 2 more minutes.
Stir in paprika and caraway. Add tomatoes and cook until they break down slightly, about 3 minutes.
Add wine and scrape up any browned bits. Add stock, bay leaves, and browned meat. Bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook on low for 1 hour. Add potatoes, carrots, and optional root vegetables. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender and the stew is thick, 30–45 more minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves.
To serve
With egg noodles, sour cream, and crusty bread. The stew deepens overnight.
Variations
Goulash with mushrooms and sherry
From a prep-day session, we substituted sherry and fennel (for the wine and caraway), and added a large bowl of sliced mushrooms. Browning sauce added depth, but can be sweet.
Simplified goulash with dried mushrooms
From another prep day, cleaned the pantry using white onions and dried mushrooms. 233C for the seasoned pork in the oven was perfect. The simpler version was still great.
Notes
- Pork shoulder is more forgiving than chuck; equally good result.