Hungarian goulash soup

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg beef goulash or mixed
• 400 g potatoes, waxy
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 bell peppers, red
• 4 tbsp goulash cream, Hungarian
• 4 tbsp paprika powder, sweet
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp marjoram, dried
• 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
• 2 onions
• salt and pepper
• Oil or butter for frying
• 2 liters of beef broth
• 250 ml red wine, dry

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 15 minutes

Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, approximately 2 x 2 cm, or buy pre-cut goulash. Season in a bowl with pepper and salt. Peel the potatoes and cut into similarly sized pieces, approximately 2 x 2 cm. Trim the bell peppers and cut into equal-sized cubes. Roughly dice the onions. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Heat the oil or butter in a large pot and sear the meat over high heat for 5 minutes. Then add the onions and sauté for another 3 minutes. Then add the garlic. Stir in the goulash cream and paprika and let it reduce for 2 minutes. Now deglaze everything with the red wine and then pour in the beef broth. If you don’t want red wine, you can omit it. It will be more aromatic and hearty with red wine. Add the bay leaves, salt, pepper, and marjoram and stir to combine. Then add the potatoes and simmer uncovered over medium heat for about 1.5 hours. Now add the diced bell peppers and let the soup simmer uncovered for another 1.5 hours. Then season the soup again with salt and pepper. If it’s too spicy, add a little water and let it simmer for a bit longer. Remove the bay leaves before serving. If desired, serve with a dollop of crème fraîche and some ciabatta bread.