Beef goulash

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 kg beef, from the leg
• 3 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ bell pepper(s), red
• 1 large potato(s), floury
• 1 lemon(s), untreated
• 1 bunch of marjoram (approx. 10 sprigs)
• 350 g tomatoes, pureed
• 3 tbsp tomato paste, concentrated
• 1 tbsp mustard, hot
• some salt and pepper
• 2 pinches sweet paprika powder
• 350 ml vegetable stock
• 50 g butter
• 1 shot of red, dry wine
• Fat, for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

Remove all fat and sinew from the meat and cut into approximately 2 cm cubes. Roughly peel the onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Heat a generous amount of vegetable cream in a large pot and sauté the onions until translucent, then add the bell peppers and garlic. Add the paprika and tomato paste, stirring quickly until the first roasting aromas develop. Immediately deglaze with the passata, stock, and wine. Bring to a boil, add the meat, and reduce the heat to low so that it only simmers gently. Add the zest of 1/4 of a lemon and the whole marjoram sprigs. Peel and grate the potatoes and add them as well. There should be enough liquid to ensure the meat is always covered in the pot. Add more liquid if necessary, stirring occasionally. After this cooking time of at least 2 hours comes the somewhat time-consuming part, but it’s worth the effort: Empty the entire contents of the pot into a sieve with another pot underneath. Remove the marjoram sprigs from the mixture, then remove the individual pieces of meat and set them aside on a plate. Transfer the remaining mixture to another bowl and blend until smooth using a hand blender. Add enough pureed mixture to the pot with the strained sauce until it reaches the ideal consistency. Gently bring the whole thing back to a gentle simmer. Add the butter and return the meat to the pan, and season to taste with salt and pepper. The dish is now ready to serve, but it will definitely taste twice as good the next day! Serve with homemade spaetzle tossed in butter with fresh parsley!