Serves 4 – 45 mins
This Beef Goulash is adapted from one of Delia Smith’s recipes, it is probably not the most authentic Goulash but is a great stew to make for your family if you are busy and need something to stick in the oven for a few hours minding its own business.
INGREDIENTS – SERVES 4/5
1 kg of beef chuck steak cut into 4 cm cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red peppers/capsicum sliced
3 large onions peeled and chopped
1 tbsp of sweet smoked paprika
1 tbsp hot smoked paprika (plus a little bit more to sprinkle at the end to be pretty)
2 cloves of garlic crushed (or 1 tbsp from the jar)
2 tbsp of plain flour
3 bay leaves
640gms of tinned tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream to serve
METHOD
Step One
Begin by heating the oil in the casserole over a medium-high heat until it is sizzling hot. Then brown the cubes of beef on all sides, cooking a few at a time. They need to be a good, deep nutty brown colour. As they brown, transfer them to a plate, using a draining spoon
Step Two
Turn the heat down to medium, stir in the onions and cook them for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to brown and caramelise at the edges. Then stir in the garlic.
Step Three
Return the meat to the casserole, sprinkle in the flour and pimentón and give everything a stir to soak up the juices. Now, add the bay leaves and the contents of both tins of tomatoes, and season well with salt and freshly milled black pepper.
Step Four
Let it all come slowly up to simmering point. Then cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid and transfer it to the middle shelf of the oven to cook very slowly for about 2 hours.
Step Five
Prepare the peppers/capsicum by halving them, removing the seeds and pith and cutting the flesh into strips roughly measuring 1 x 2 inches (2 x 5 cm). Then, when the 2 hours are up, stir the chopped peppers/capsicum into the goulash, replace the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes
Step Six
Just before serving, take the casserole out of the oven, let it stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the soured cream to give a lovely marbled, creamy effect.
Step Seven
Finally, sprinkle over a little more pimentón, and serve straight from the casserole.
Tips
I serve this with fluffy white rice, but you could also serve with mashed potatoes or thick noodles.