Traditional Viennese Goulash Recipes

AUTHENTIC VIENNESE GOULASH (WIENER FIAKERGULASCH)

Steps:

• Heat oil or lard in a heavy pot. Add onions and garlic and under constant stirring saute until very dark. Add salt.
• Add meat in batches, brown on all sides before adding next batch.Do not let the meat steam, raise the heat and add oil if necessary.
• Saute meat until browned on all sides, add paprika, stir until fragrant but watch out so it doesn't burn.
• Add broth, caraway seeds, majoram and tomato paste and simmer until meat is tender. Depending on the cut, this can take up to 2 hours.If it gets too dry, add some broth.
• When the meat is tender, make a slurry with the flour and a few ts of water and add little by little, checking on the thickness of the sauce.
• Simmer until the floury taste is gone and the sauce has the perfect consistency.
• Enjoy with spaetzle, dumplings or noodles.

VIENNESE GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat the lard in a large pot and fry the onions until they are deep golden brown. Add the garlic, cook for a minute, then add the tomato purée, paprikas, crushed caraway seeds, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar and cover with 1 litre/1¾ pints of water.
• Bring to a boil, then add the beef. Turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 2½ hours. Check the pan fairly frequently and stir, adding more water to cover the meat if necessary. Check the meat for tenderness, if not tender add a little more water and cook for a little longer. Remove the meat when done and, if needed, continue to cook the liquid to thicken the sauce.
• Serve the goulash sprinkled with a little chopped parsley with new potatoes, spatzle or dark rye bread. Top with a spoonful of soured cream

AUSTRIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• You will need a large Dutch oven with a lid for best results. Add just enough olive oil to coat the pan and turn the heat high enough to make the oil shimmer, but not smoke.
• Pat the meat dry and dredge in flour, seasoned with kosher salt & cracked pepper.
• Add one piece of meat to the hot oil to make sure that it sizzles. Add the remaining meat, without crowding the pan and sear for about 3-4 minutes per side. You want a golden crust that will give the gravy great flavor.
• Cook the meat in batches, if necessary and set aside in a bowl-- to collect the juice.
• When all the meat is seared, turn the heat to medium and add a little more olive oil to the pan and cook the onion until tender-- 3-4 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook till fragrant-- 30 seconds or so.
• Add the tomato paste and paprika, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce, caraway seeds, lemon zest and chicken stock and stir well.
• Bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little more chicken stock or water until it is the consistency of a gravy.
• Simmer for 2 hours, or you can use a slow cooker for 4-6 hours.
• This stew tastes even better if made one day in advance. Serve or buttered egg noodles or spaetzle or Bavarian Bread Dumplings "Semmel Knoedel", which is posted on my blog:.
• http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/bavarian-dumplings-on-halloween-no.html.

TRADITIONAL VIENNESE GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, peel and half the onions. Cut them into thin strips and add to the hot oil.
• Stirring often, lightly fry the onions until they become soft and have developed a golden colour, about 10 minutes.
• Add the paprika and toast for 30 seconds. Deglaze the saucepan with the vinegar diluted in 60 ml of water. Allow to steam for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the beef, salt, herbs and tomato puree. Stir to coat all beef pieces, then turn down the heat to medium low. Partially cover the saucepan and let the meat steam in the sauce for 15 minutes. Add a little extra water if the bottom of the pan starts to show.
• When the outside of the beef pieces is cooked but the centre is still uncooked, add enough water to cover the beef pieces completely. Cook uncovered on a low heat for 1.5 hours.
• Optional: gently remove the beef and, using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth. Add the beef back to the sauce and serve.

VIENNESE GOULASH (WIENER RINDSGULASCH)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the beef cubes.
• Add the onions and cook them with the meat until they are transparent or have a shiny appearance, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, paprika and the rest of the seasonings and stir well.
• Add the stock and stir well again.
• Add a little salt and pepper - it is best to use less salt during the cooking process and correct the seasoning when the meat is cooked to avoid over-seasoning.
• Bring the whole pot to a boil then turn to low or medium-low and let the goulash cook slowly until the meat is tender, 2-4 hours, depending on cut of meat used. The onions are the thickening agent, so if the liquid evaporates, just add extra water a little at a time to avoid a thin goulash (I added about 1 cup additional water in two additions over the entire cooking time).

SIMPLE VIENNESE BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• Cut beef into 1-inch cubes. Brown meat in oil in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove cooked beef to a bowl and set aside.
• Saute onions and garlic until limp. Add vinegar, stirring to deglaze the pan.
• Add remaining ingredients and cooked beef to pan; stir to blend. Heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
• Cook 3-4 hours, until beef is very tender, adding more beef stock if needed.
• Remove bay leaf and serve over spaetzle or egg noodles. (A baby gherkin sliced into a fan is the traditional garnish.).