Another classic Czech recipe…Goulash/ Recept na gulas

The word “goulash” means “herdsman” in Hungarian, meaning that it was originally a meat dish prepared by herdsmen. Starting back in the Middle Ages massive herds of cattle were driven to Europe’s greatest cattle markets in Moravia (hello!!), Vienna and Venice. During those long voyages the sickly animals had to be slaughtered. In order for the herdsmen not to waste any cow they just cut them up and threw them in the pot together with all of the germs, viruses, bacteria or whatever the poor cow died of….and that’s how goulash came into the world! Goulash has quickly become an important part of the Czech cuisine as its taste penetrated the whole former Austrian-Hungarian Empire. This luscious mixture of slow-stewed meat, vegetables and a good handful of sweet paprika just took over Eastern Europe. Beware though when you cook it! One authentic Hungarian website warns that “under no circumstances should flour be used to bind the soup..” (oops, I guess I have a confession to make..). The reason why no thickening substances (flour or cornstarch) need to be used is because the meat itself derives its thickness from tough collagen, which is converted to gelatin during the cooking process.

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb beef for stew or beef chuck
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 can of tomato paste
• 5 cups of beef broth
• about 3 Tbs of sweet paprika
• 1 Tsp of caraway seeds, 1 Tsp marjoram
  
• 6 Tbs. oil

Method:

1. Season cubed meat with some salt, pepper and about 1 Tbs. of sweet paprika
2. Brown meat on a pan (5 min.)
3. Add chopped onion, garlic and red pepper; continue to brown (5 min.)
4. Add the rest of the paprika (2 Tbs.), tomato paste, caraway seeds, and marjoram
   
5. Add the 5 cups of beef broth
6. Simmer for a looong time: about 3-4 hours, until meat is super tender!!
7. If you want to thicken the final mixture go ahead, be a sinner and add about 2 Tbs. of flour (first dissolve the flour in a 1/4 cup of cold water, otherwise it is going to clump). Some recipes say to dissolve 1 cubed slice of dark bread to thicken the goulash.
8. Simmer a little longer until stew reaches desired thickness.

Sources:

http://www.cookbook.hu/angol_receptek/GoulashE.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash