Hungarian goulash soup

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• ½ large vegetable onion(s)
• 300 g mushrooms
• 150 g cherry tomatoes or small tomatoes
• 2 medium-sized bell peppers
• some thyme, fresh or dried
• 3 tbsp oil
• 750 g goulash, mixed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt
• black pepper
• Paprika powder, sweet
• 100 g whipped cream
• 2 tbsp vegetable broth, instant
• 4 tbsp flour
• 900 ml water
• Sugar
• 4 tsp crème fraîche

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Peel and dice the onion. Trim, wash, and dice the bell peppers. Trim, wash, and dice the mushrooms, if necessary, and halve them. Wash and halve the tomatoes. Wash the thyme and pluck all but a few leaves from the stems. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a roasting pan. Brown the goulash in batches. Add the onion, bell pepper, half the thyme, bay leaf, and mushrooms and fry. Add half the tomatoes. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Deglaze with 900 ml water and cream, bring to a boil, and stir in the stock. Simmer the goulash for about 1 1/2 hours. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Toss in the remaining tomatoes and thyme leaves. Mix the flour with a little water until smooth, then stir into the goulash. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika, and sugar. Stir in the thyme-dried tomatoes. Serve the soup in bowls, each with 1 teaspoon of crème fraîche. Garnish with paprika and thyme, if desired. Serve with baguette.