Conservative goulash

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1.2 kg beef goulash, preferably veal, alternatively shoulder
• 1 kg butcher’s onion(s)
• 1 bell pepper(s), red
• 100 g clarified butter
• 500 ml beef broth, more if needed
• 25 g sweet paprika powder
• 50 ml vinegar
• 1 tsp marjoram, dried or fresh
• 1 tbsp caraway powder
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• Salt
• some broth, water or wine, for the peppers
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp caraway seeds

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 16 hours

with space for your own ideas

First, cut the onions and bell pepper into roughly 20-cent-sized cubes. Set aside 1 tablespoon of clarified butter and sauté the onions in the remaining clarified butter for 30 minutes, until they are almost textureless and golden brown. Use a suitable pot, such as a Dutch oven or a cast iron pot. Start with high heat, then gradually reduce to medium heat, stirring frequently and adding salt halfway through. Meanwhile, separately, simmer the diced bell peppers in a little broth, water, or wine until soft, then puree. For the soup base, mix the beef broth with paprika powder, vinegar, marjoram, caraway powder, bay leaves, and crushed juniper berries. For the seasoning paste, finely chop the garlic and caraway seeds and brush them into the remaining clarified butter. Once the onions are golden brown, increase the heat to high, add the seasoning paste, and sauté for 2 minutes. Before the garlic burns, deglaze with the pureed bell pepper. Now add the pieces of meat, season with salt, and simmer briefly with the lid on. Add the soup base and turn off the heat. The meat should be covered with liquid; add more broth if necessary. Close the lid and place the pot in the oven at 130°C for 2.5 hours. After 2.5 hours, test the meat: can a sample piece be cut with a spoon without any resistance? If so, it’s done! If not, cook for another 30 minutes and try again. These are the solid cornerstones of my goulash recipe, which has been developed over decades and from various sources of inspiration. Furthermore, the recipe leaves plenty of room for imagination; I’ve never made the same recipe twice in a row. For example, when I cook for my card game group, I add smoked Habenero to the soup base. I once had guests who didn’t like caraway, so I substituted it with cumin; it works, but I just can’t let the goulash police know. If there’s not enough liquid in the pot, add more broth. If there’s too much, either add more and make a goulash soup or make a dark flour roux and add it. A sauce thickener promises a quick fix, but at a high price. I prefer baguette or ciabatta as side dishes. Spätzle work just as well, as do rice and bread dumplings. The main result of all my experiments was that the end product benefits if you don’t brown the meat. It takes some getting used to and is anything but intuitive; I can only recommend you give it a try. The idea is to turn an inexpensive cut of beef that isn’t particularly popular (the rump) into an absolute family highlight meal, and to do so, you can buy it retail, currently for between €15 and €20 per kilo.