Jan 17 2014
I had some good store bought spaetzel, (Bechtel farmer’s style) and wanted to make some good beef goulash to serve with it. I found a recipe by Wolfgang Puck. I always thought he was Hungarian but he was born and raised in Austria. I looked it up and found that Austrian goulash was thinner than Hungarian and sometimes served as soup.
I started about 3:45 and finished at 6:30 to serve. I used my Lodge 6 quart Dutch oven to make the goulash. Your cook time will vary according to how long it takes to get the onions caramelized.
Our local Wal-Mart is baking some good bread and had a loaf of crusty whole garlic bread to serve with it. Near the end I warmed it in a 355 deg. oven for 5 minutes to freshen.
I served it in large bowls, the goulash over top of the spaetzel and enough gravy to sop the bread. The gravy had some of the best flavor of any I ever made and the beef was melt in your mouth tender.
My wife said I am watching one of my free movies on M Go and only have so much time to view it, I can eat later. I said no, set up your TV tray and I will serve you in there, I am the boss here!
She thought the goulash was great too.
Some of the seasoning
The Beef
Browning
Deglazed goodies
Onions caramelized
Pot deglazed
All in and ready to serve
Cooking the spaetzel
The bread
My bowl of Comfort
Recipe:
Wolfgang's Beef Goulash
Adapted from a recipe by Wolfgang Puck
Cook and prep Time:2 ½ to 3 hours
Serves:4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, toasted and ground
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon spicy paprika (optional)
1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste, (I used some melted tomatoes and onions)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 cups chicken stock (use 1 cup to deglaze the pan)
2 pounds good beef, (I used sirloin cut in 1” chunks)
1 to 2 cups Baby carrots
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To Brown the meat
2 tablespoons lard or bacon grease
1 to 2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
Directions
Heat the oil on med. high in a skillet brown up the meat with a little flour, salt and pepper sprinkled over. Do it in two batches if needed.
Pour off the excess oil and deglaze the pan with some water to add to the goulash.
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and sugar until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seed. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the sweet and sharp paprika, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf. Saute another minute, until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and one cup of stock. Add the rest of the stock and add the pieces of beef, carrots, salt, and pepper return to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve over top of the spaetzel with extra gravy for sopping some crusty bread.
If you like a thicker gravy near the end bring back to a fast boil and add a slurry of flour or corn starch.
Smokin Don
