GOULASH

Maybe there’s no such thing as a classic goulash because the
ingredients vary considerably from one region to another according
to the country of origin – Hungary and Austria most typically.
In fact, veal is traditionally used in the majority of goulash
recipes, but apart from any principles you may have about eating
veal, it’s expensive and not particularly accessible, so I make mine
with stewing or braising steak instead.
2 lb+ (at least 1 kg) stewing steak
Onions
Mushrooms
2 or 3 carrots
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp sugar
1 level tsp cayenne pepper
1–11⁄2 pints (600–850 ml) stock
1⁄2 glass white wine (or red, or sherry)
Worcestershire sauce
Tomato purée
Salt & pepper
Oil
Butter
Method
1. Warm some oil in a very large pan, trim any excess fat off the meat
(there shouldn’t be much in any case), preheat the oven to Gas
Mark 2 (160ºC) and prepare and roughly chop the vegetables.
2. Season the meat with a very little salt and some pepper then fry
over a high heat a few pieces at a time to seal and brown it quickly.
3. Put the cooked meat into a large casserole dish, discard any
liquid left in the pan then add a little more oil or some butter (or
some of each) and fry the carrots, peppers and onion for a few
minutes until they soften up a bit and brown slightly. Add the
mushrooms to the pan and fry for another couple of minutes.
4. Turn the heat right down, sift in the paprika, cayenne pepper
and flour and cook for another minute, stirring well.
5. Make the stock, add a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce,
a tablespoon of sugar and plenty of tomato purée then pour the
stock and 1⁄2 glass of wine or sherry into the pan, stirring again.
6. Pour the stock and vegetables over the meat in the casserole
dish and cook in a low oven for 2 1⁄2–3 hours until the meat is
very tender. Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables.
Tip
No need to wash red meat, just snip off any excess fat,
season and use straight from the packet. (If you really
have to rinse it first, dry it thoroughly or the meat won’t
seal well in the pan and the end result will be dry.)