Goulash recipes

Devon Barclay · Goulash recipes

Some folks have asked for a recipe for Hungarian Goulash. Hard earned, here's the best one I know of (short of including chicken feet - which are SO HARD to find here in the 'states unless you want to harvest your own - I hear there's a place at 24th and Newland you can still find chickens):

A good goulash has just a couple of ingredients. It doesn't involve potatoes, pasta, or other carb/starch ingredients. It's still good if you put the goulash on top of those, though.

Ingredients:
- Beef (I usually buy a roast and cube it with a good knife - 1" squares are good)
- Onions (diced up - equal proportion to beef)
- Salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, marjoram
- Peanut or Sunflower oil
- HOT paprika (this one is hard to find - Szeged is the best kind, but you can find a wonderful smoked Spanish paprika at Savory Spice Shop, at 15th / Platte. I don't know if you can find Szegedina paprika in the 'states anymore)
- Stock

Directions:

1. Dice up beef. Braise in a pan, seasoning with salt and pepper.
2. In saucepan or pot, fry chopped onions in oil (any oil OTHER THAN OLIVE OIL is OK, but peanut / sunflower is best) and add hot paprika as the onions cook. The result should be dark (dark red / black) when onions are cooked and ready. Darker = hotter.
3. Add beef.
4. Add stock, just covering the beef and onions
5. Add garlic, marjoram, and cumin to taste
6. Bring to a boil, them reduce to simmer, covered
7. Wait 1-2 hours. If waiting for company, family, or if really hungry, expect to wait an extra hour for the meal to be ready. It always takes MUCH longer than expected. When you can no longer find onions (they dissolve) and the sauce is spitting and thick, it's done.
8. Add 1 tsp. vinegar, stir through.
9. Let rest ten minutes, and enjoy.

SECRET SZEGEDINA GOULASH:

Same as above, but use pork instead.
Follow the same recipe and directions, but 15 minutes before finishing cooking, add sauerkraut and whipping cream. DO NOT ADD VINEGAR.

JB Freeman · Thanks for the recipe Devon!

I can personally attest to the excellent flavor of this goulash, having sampled some at the Charter-watch election night potluck. I take it, Devon, that you do the organic "make it until you're happy with your spice proportions" method of cooking since you don't have proportions beyond = meat and onions

Interesting that you say peanut or sunflower but not olive oil - I assume you tried it and didn't like the added flavor. Of course the old Hungarians would have used suet, not having vegetable oils back then (certainly peanuts were from the Americas, and I think sunflowers, too)

I've always thought of goulash as a great cold weather dish. I was surprised at how good it was on a fine Summer Victory night!

Thanks again Devon.

JB

Guest

H Mart is an Asian grocery store in Aurora. They have chicken feet there.

I hope nobody says that they use mesquite smoking in their Hungarian Goulash...

Devon Barclay · Olive Oil

Actually, I've never tried it with Olive Oil. The person who taught me the recipe said it was no good with Olive Oil, I took his word for it, and out of respect for such an excellent shared secret, wouldn't dare defy his recipe.

Who knows? Maybe it's better. I'll never find out.

Are sunflowers from the Americas? My fondest memory of Eastern Europe is driving in some horrible Soviet car across the plains of Hungary (with the former Soviet heavyweight champ), looking across fields of Sunflowers. I was always amazed how the blooms really do follow the sun.

Why were we driving? Knowing his predilection to getting in barfights, every barowner in Szeged (incidentally, the town this recipe comes from) had committed to giving him only *1* drink per day. As it turns out, shots of Barack started at 8:00AM.

Good thing there are merely FIVE bars in Szeged. We still managed to sink a rowboat together, as he tried to get us to the next town over. I'm so glad the rescue record would have to be translated :)

Vicarious traveler · The Hungarians stole our sunflowers, what cheek!

OK, maybe not.
Great story, Devon! Thanks, I'm not sure what this says but the visual image of you in that row boat was pretty easy to conjure up...

Maybe, like Seattle, we can start raising our own hens, for eggs, of course, not feet.

Devon Barclay · funny you should mention it...

Actually, when I first moved to Edgewater, one of my first home improvement projects was to begin the construction of a chicken coop in the backyard. Sadly, it turns out that some silly former Council enacted an ordinance prohibiting the keeping of chicken and ducks in Edgewater (even though it's legal just two blocks north of here!).

I wanted to change it in the Charter, but they wouldn't let me :)

Wanna come with me to Council and fix this little issue? I'll give you the first eggs!

Goulash recipes

Thanks for the recipe Devon!

Olive Oil

The Hungarians stole our sunflowers, what cheek!

funny you should mention it...