TanyaEvery time I visit the Neue Gallery in New York, I make sure to compliment my experience by stopping for lunch at Cafe Sabarsky to order Goulash Soup. Eating it always fills me with the inspiration to recreate it in my own kitchen, at home – my gallery.
Although Goulash originated in medieval Hungary (not the Neue Gallery or my kitchen), the dish that we call Goulash today is an invention of the 19th century. It started simply as a beef stew cooked by herdsmen, but it was paprika that turned it into a well known and beloved Hungarian cuisine.
Some Hungarian enthusiasts had rediscovered what was already known in the Americas, that chilies could be dried, crushed and pounded with a mortar and pestle. They discovered new varieties of spicy red peppers, found ways to process them, and created their defining spice, paprika, Hungarian Paprika. The red powder was sprinkled on bread, lard, fresh cheese; it was added to salami, river fish soups, and used in abundance in their newly established national dish, goulash.
By the end of the 18th century, travelers started mentioning the rough, spicy peasant dish that left a pleasant warmth in the stomach. Since the Hungarian term for herdsmen was gulyás, the travelers called the dish “herdsman’s meat”, or gulyás hús.
So it was not surprising that the vigorous, red, utterly Hungarian goulash began showing up in cookbooks, and restaurants in the 1830s, despite owners’ fears that it was too primitive for ladies to enjoy.
There are countless regional variations of Goulash that spread quickly throughout Europe and later, Russia. But they say that nowhere did goulash become more popular than in North America. It was probably introduced by the first wave of Hungarian migrants, who came following the failed revolution of 1848. Later, when Hungarians too poor to have enjoyed such a rich meaty stew in their home country arrived in the United States and Canada in the early 20th century, they discovered that goulash was widely known.
It’s common to call this dish “Goulash Soup”, which, essentially, is a thick stew/sauce of beef chunks, a large amount of chopped onions, paprika, and beef broth. Goulash (soup) is poured with a ladle on potatoes or noodles.
Let’s get started.
We will need the following Ingredients: 3 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1-2 inch chunks (chuck roast), 1 sweet red pepper seeded and diced, 2 large yellow onion chopped, about 2 cups, 5 cloves garlic minced, 3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (regular is fine but will somewhat change the taste), 2 cups of beef broth, 3 tbsp tomato paste, 4 tablespoons olive oil (or more), 1 bay leaf, 3/4 tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of freshly ground caraway seeds, 1 cup of Burgundy or any other full-bodied red wine, 1 ripe tomato grated (optional), 1 tsp of sugar (optional), and zest of one lemon.
My method of cooking Goulash
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic, toss in the onions and red pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add minced garlic and bay leaf and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.
Add beef to the pot and stir in 2 tbsp of paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often until meat is browned; about 5 minutes.
Pour one cup of red wine to Frenchify it stirring with a wooden spoon. Raise the heat and continue stirring until the wine is reduced making the pan nearly dry. Beef likes wine.
Stir in broth, tomato paste, grated tomato, caraway seeds, sugar, and the rest of paprika. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer about 2 hours until meat is tender, ,occasionally stirring. Remove the bay leaf when it’s done.
Stir in zest of one lemon before serving.
When Goulash was cooked in my family in Odessa, diced carrots were added together with the broth instead of sugar, as well as a tablespoon of sour cream. It seems like sour cream was added to almost every dish.
Serve the Gulyash steaming hot in large extra deep bowls. The meat should be tender but not falling apart. I usually serve Goulash on top of mashed potatoes, but egg noodles or
Either way, ladle Goulash over your choice of side dish and enjoy this spicy, hearty and memorable meal. A glass of full-bodied red wine will go well with Goulash.
P.S. All the food featured in this post has been prepared and photographed by me.
