Viennese beef goulash

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 kg beef goulash
• 1 kg onion(s), white
• 3 tbsp paprika powder, sweet
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp clarified butter
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours

Cut the beef into approximately 2 cm cubes. Dice the onions into small cubes. Melt the clarified butter in a large pot and fry the onions until they turn a light brown. Then add the meat and fry on all sides. Mix in the tomato paste and paprika powder and immediately fill with water to prevent the paprika from becoming bitter. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Use enough water so that the entire contents of the pot are 2-3 cm below the liquid level. Then cover the goulash and let it simmer gently for several hours. After about 4 hours, the color of the goulash will change significantly—it will become quite dark. Turn off the heat and let it simmer for another hour. The long cooking time of the goulash is necessary to achieve the creamy consistency of the juices (many people mistakenly thicken the juices with flour) and to achieve the intense flavor. Add a little water during cooking if necessary, but not too much, or the juices will become too runny. I’ve tried sautéing the onions with both oil and butter, but the truly authentic flavor is only achieved with clarified butter. The so-called goulash glaze (the layer of fat floating on top) is essential for a good Viennese goulash!