Hungarian Goulash

One of my favorite comfort foods as a child was Hungarian Goulash. My mom made it at home, but one of my most vivid memories of it was at a little restaurant one night while we were traveling in Germany. I'm not sure how authentic my version is, but it certainly is tasty.

Hungarian Goulash 

1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (can omit)

1-1/2 pounds stew meat (I like to cut my beef into even smaller, bite-size pieces)
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
4 cups beef broth

Begin by heating 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Toss with the stew meat. Brown the meat in batches, adding a bit more oil as needed. Return all to pan and pour the vinegar and broth over. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. This will simmer for at least 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile prep your veggies:

1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced potato
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, chopped

When the beef has simmered for about 45 minutes, add in all your vegetables. Allow to cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the stew is thickened and the veggies are tender.

This is best served over German Späetzle - kind of a cross between a dumpling and an egg noodle. Making your own is not complicated, just a bit messy and takes some practice. But many grocery stores carry dried Späetzle which will work just fine - it's what I used last night. In a pinch you can use regular egg noodles or even rice.