Guláš Goulasch Recipes

TRADITIONAL CROATIAN GOULASH RECIPE (GULAš)

Steps:

• Clean the meat from the veins if there are some and cut it into smaller pieces, 3 × 3 cm. Marinate the meat in the mustard and spices and let it sit in the refrigerator for one hour
• Heat one tablespoon of pork fat or vegetable oil in a pot and fry the meat on all sides until it gets browned. Once the meat is cooked, transfer it to a plate and add another tablespoon of fat to the pot
• Cut the onions very fine, peel the carrots and shred it using a grater. Cook the onions and carrots over low heat for 15 minutes. You can salt the vegetables a little to make them soften faster
• Once the vegetables have browned and become slightly mushy, add the meat and bay leaves and garlic. Pour over with wine and simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Now is the right time to add 2/3 the amount of liquid
• Cover the pot and cook over low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally. After the first hour, pour over the rest of the water or stock and cook for another 30-45 minutes
• Allow the stew to cool slightly and serve it with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and few slices of fresh hot pepper if you like to spice it up a bit
• Slice ​​some fresh bread, season the salad and simply enjoying these wonderful flavors

HOVěZí GULáš (CZECH BEEF GOULASH)

Steps:

• Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches for about 3 to 5 minutes per batch. You'll likely need to do about 5 batches if you're using a 10-inch wide pot. Set the seared meat aside as you complete each batch. If you are using a cast iron pan (like an enameled Le Creuset French oven) it will retain heat extra well, and you may want to lower the heat to medium partway through the searing process if the meat is browning too fast.
• Add onions to the empty pot and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Next, add flour, tomato paste, paprika, garlic, and dried marjoram. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then add the water, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste and flour, and scraping up any of the fond (the dark brown residue from searing the beef) still left on the bottom of the pan.
• Return the seared beef and any residual juices to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer covered for 1 ½ hours, then uncover and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes until the beef is fork tender, and the liquid has thickened. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Serve on a flat plate with a slight lip around the edge, topped with sliced onion for garnish, and a few slices of Czech dumplings or bread on the side to soak up the sauce.

CLASSIC GOULASH

Steps:

• Cook and stir the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown, about 10 minutes. Skim off excess fat, and stir in the onions and garlic. Cook and stir the meat mixture until the onions are translucent, about 10 more minutes.
• Stir water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and seasoned salt into the meat mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir macaroni into the mixture, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and serve.