German Goulash
Serves 3-4
Adapted from Gonna Want Seconds
1½ pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium-large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
½ tablespoon flour
¾ cup red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon works well)
1½ cup beef broth
1 beef bouillon cube (I like using Better Than Bouillon – if you use that, use 1 teaspoon in place of the bouillon cube)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried caraway seeds
½ teaspoon ground marjoram
¼ teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 large bay leaf (or 2 medium sized bay leaves)
½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
1½ tablespoon dried parsley
1-2 medium carrots, peeled, halved, and cut into thin slices
1 bell pepper, diced
In a large bowl, add the beef chunks, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Mix everything together and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Heat a Dutch oven, or a large pot, over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and let it get hot. You may need to work in batches, but once the oil is hot, add enough beef to cover the bottom of the pot, without overcrowding the pot. Cook until all sides of the beef have browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. Scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing is sticking. You may need to add a bit more oil for the remaining beef chunks. Repeat the browning process with the remaining beef.
The goal for this step is to brown the meat, not to cook it through, so the meat you take out of the pan will still be red inside. Not to worry, it’ll fully cook as it stews later.
Reduce heat to medium. If there is excess oil in the pot, spill away all but a few tablespoons. Add the onions to the pot and sauté until they become soft and glassy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, until it becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the sweet paprika and the flour to the pan and mix up everything. While stirring constantly, sauté the mixture for 1 minute.
Pour in the wine and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, and add in the beef broth, the bouillon, tomato paste, caraway seeds, marjoram, rosemary, red pepper flakes, cayenne, bay leaves, red wine vinegar, dried parsley, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Give everything a few good stirs to mix it all up.
Add the beef back to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the beef is tender, about 2-2½ hours.
!!Important!! Keep an eye on the goulash and add water as it cooks. You want to make sure the beef is mostly submerged in the liquid. You’ll need about 2 cups of additional water, in total, but gradually add the water in ¼ - ½ cup increments throughout the cooking time.
I check in on it about every 20-30 minutes and I add ¼ - ½ cup of water each time.
Add the carrots and bell peppers to the pot and let them soften in the goulash, for about 20-30 minutes.
When you’re ready to eat, this goulash goes well with starches (pasta, rice, or bread), but tastes fantastic on by itself.
Enjoy!
