Hungarian cellar goulash – Pincepörkölt

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 large onions
• 1 kg beef goulash made from young bull meat
• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil or sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp paprika powder, sweet or hot or mixed, depending on your taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp, levelled pepper
• 1 pinch(s) of caraway powder
• some salt
• ½ bottle of dry red wine

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours; Total time approx. 4 hours 15 minutes

according to family recipe

Finely chop the onions and garlic and set aside. Cut the goulash meat into bite-sized pieces. Pour the rapeseed or sunflower oil into a large pot and heat over high heat. First, fry the pepper, caraway seeds, salt, and bay leaves briefly for about one minute. After 1 minute, add the chopped onion and garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Now, still over high heat, fry the goulash meat until it releases water, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika. Once the paprika is evenly distributed, top up the goulash with 50%-55% water and red wine until the meat is completely covered. Then stir everything together and continue cooking with the lid on at a lower heat (level 2-3, or 1/3 of a stove’s full power). After 45 minutes, remove the lid and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. The final consistency should be thick, stirring frequently during the last hour to prevent it from burning! Ideally, gnocchi, spaetzle, or white bread should be used as a side dish, along with pickled cucumbers or other pickled vegetables. If possible, let it rest for a day. While it’s also a favorite fresh, it tastes best the next day after the flavors have had time to mature. Tips: The paprika powder can be hot or sweet, depending on your taste. As with all ingredients, high quality is important. The paprika dissolves in fat, not water, so the order is intentional. And please be careful, as it becomes bitter when cooked over direct heat. As simple as it is, the more the meat and paprika flavors come to the fore. Other ingredients can be added, but you shouldn’t, or it’s definitely not “goulash” anymore, or to be more precise, pörkölt. Pörkölt literally means “roasted meat.” So, it’s important that the pan is well heated. Use only dry wine and neutral-tasting oil. Enjoy! With 6 servings, one serving has 200 kcal.