Hungarian goulash, the recipe of which is popular not only in European countries, but also found recognition among its eastern neighbors, captivates with its simplicity in execution and the variety of changes that enterprising chefs have made to it. It is worth trying at least once to cook this dish to understand that it is worthy to be in the collection of favorite recipes. How to do it? Present below.
Generational Traditions
This Hungarian dish was born for men and for men. There is a legend that goulash, the recipe of which will be disclosed later, was invented by ordinary shepherds. And soon he won the hearts of royal cooks and monarchs.
So, what is required to execute such a wonderful dish? Of course, beef weighing half a kilogram. Vegetables should be stocked with potatoes in the same volume as meat, two onions, one bell pepper, preferably red, two cloves of garlic. Of the spices you will need two tablespoons of paprika, as well as two bay leaves and salt. Add to the set is a glass of red dry wine and half a liter of water.
To cook goulash, the recipe of which is considered here, follows as follows. The meat and potatoes are peeled, washed and cut in the same small cubes. Next, put the beef in a pan and fry until golden brown. It is worth noting here that traditionally this process is performed not on vegetable oil, but on animal fat.
As soon as the meat has become as required, onions and sweet peppers, chopped in rings, are introduced into it. Wait until they are browned, and add paprika, mix everything thoroughly and leave to simmer for fifteen minutes, pre-fill with water.
Time is up, which means you should pour in the wine and add a bay leaf. Leave for a couple of minutes and cover the resulting mass with potatoes. All this is covered and languished until the products are ready. Do not forget that the ingredients should be mixed periodically. In the end, everyone is salted, after which the finished dish can be served.
Culinary experiments
Nevertheless, goulash with gravy is more popular among cooks. The recipe for its preparation is somewhat different from that described above. So, for half a kilogram of beef you should take: one onion, two carrots, tomato paste with a volume of 75 ml, 2 buds of cloves and two bay leaves, sugar to taste and a quarter liter of water.
Beef in the same way is fried until golden brown and transferred to a cauldron. In the same pan, the carrots and onions, shredded in half rings, are brought to translucency and sent to the meat. Cloves, bay leaves and spices are placed there. In a separate container, dilute the tomato paste with water, sweeten and pour the meat and vegetables and spices with the mixture. Then they are sent to stew until fully cooked over low heat.
The recipe for pork goulash differs even more from the classic Hungarian one. So, he will need pork weighing 1 kg, sour cream with a volume of 200 ml, two onions, 4 tablespoons of flour and two tablespoons of tomato paste, traditional spices and herbs.
It should be cooked as follows: pork is cut into small cubes and sent for roasting until golden brown. Then it is filled with water so that the latter only covers the meat, and stews.
At the same time, in a separate container, the onion, cut into rings, is brought to a golden color. Next, flour is introduced into it and mixed thoroughly, avoiding the formation of lumps. The mixture should be sent to the pork as soon as it emits a delicate nutty smell.
Tomato paste and sour cream are mixed in a separate container. If necessary, you can add half a glass of water. The resulting sauce is poured into the meat, brought to a boil, including black pepper, finely chopped greens and salt. That's all: pork goulash is ready.
The recipe for the classic “shepherd’s dish”, of course, differs from what modern chefs understand by it. But still it’s worth trying at least once to cook each of those options that have been described above.