Best Emperors Goulash Recipes

WOLFGANG'S BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and sugar until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seed. Cook for 1 minute. Add the sweet and sharp paprika, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf. Saute another minute, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and the stock and add the pieces of beef shank, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with Spaetzle on the side.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks, egg and milk. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with hand until well blended. Do not overmix at this stage. Cover the bowl and refrigerate. Allow the batter to rest for at least 1 hour.
• Bring salted water to a boil. Place a perforated hotel pan on top of the pot. Place the batter on the pan and force through the holes to form spaetzle. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until al dente. Transfer cooked spaetzle to a bowl of ice water to shock. When cool to the touch, drain well. Stir in half the oil. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate up to 2 days).
• Over high heat, place a large saute pan until it gets very hot. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and the boiled spaetzle. Saute until golden. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Finish with butter and sprinkle with parsley.

HUNGARIAN BEEF GOULASH - AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut the beef chuck into small cubes, about 2 cm/ 0.7 inches. Place them onto paper towels and pat them dry with more paper towels. Chop the onions very finely. Chop the pepper and the tomatoes as well.
• Melt some of the lard (or oil) in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stewing pot. Fry the beef cubes in 2 or 3 batches, depending on the size of your Dutch oven. Fry for about 5 minutes per batch or until nicely browned on all sides. Add more of the lard before each batch. Transfer the fried beef cubes to a plate and set them aside.
• Add about 1 teaspoon more lard to the pot and fry the chopped onions until very lightly colored, about 5 minutes, stirring often and keeping an eye on them. If they threaten to catch, add a splash of water and continue cooking.
• Add the garlic, chopped peppers, tomatoes, and bay leaves and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times in between.
• Add the paprika and caraway. Stir well for about 1 minute, add the tomato paste and stir well again. Add the meat cubes and the beef broth, stir well.
• Cover the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the Hungarian beef goulash until the meat is very tender about 1 ½ - 2 hours. Check to make sure that the meat is really tender.
• Uncover the pot and continue cooking the goulash for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH (GULYáS)

Steps:

• Melt the pork lard or butter/oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the beef is just starting to brown, 7-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt, pepper and caraway (if using) (note: paprika becomes bitter if at all scorched). Add the beef broth, bay leaf, return to the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until the beef is nice and tender. Add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaf.

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.

EMPEROR'S GOULASH

Steps:

• Sauce, part 1: Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, peel and dice the onion. Add vegetable oil and onion to the pot; cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, 10-15 minutes. (Add more oil as necessary to keep the onions glossy.)
• Candied Lemon Zest (optional): While the onions are cooking, prepare the lemon garnish. Set a small saucepan of water over high heat to boil. Use a peeler to remove the yellow zest from half the lemon, avoiding the white pith; finely slice the zest. Add the zest to the boiling water and blanch for about 10 seconds. Drain and reserve the zest. In another small skillet, bring the tablespoons of water and sugar to a boil to dissolve sugar. Add the blanched zest, then turn off heat and set aside. (Store Candied Lemon Zest in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several months.)
• Sauce, part 2: When the onions are soft and golden brown, lightly smash the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife; remove the skins, and add the garlic to the pot and stir. After 1-2 minutes, remove pot from heat; add the paprika and stir well to combine. Add tomato paste and put the pot back on the heat; stir again to combine and caramelize the tomato paste, 30-45 seconds. Add red wine vinegar and stir, scraping to deglaze the pot. Finally, add all but ½ cup beef stock (reserving the rest for later); caraway seeds; and marjoram. Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Beef: Meanwhile, season the beef with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides. When the sauce is just beginning to boil, add the meat; there should be just enough liquid to cover the meat. Cover the pot and cook over low heat at a very gentle simmer, 1½-2 hours, checking after 1½ hours.Sauce, part 3: After 1½ hours, check the meat; it should be very tender. (If not, continue cooking, 30 more minutes.) Use a spider or slotted spoon to move the meat to a separate bowl; set aside. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning; turn off the heat.
• Pour sauce into blender. Use a Microplane to add zest from remaining half of lemon; then add crème fraîche and capers. Use a spoon to peel the ginger; then slice thinly and add to blender. Blend on high speed until sauce is smooth, about 30 seconds; taste for flavor and adjust seasoning. Optional: Add fresh lemon juice for more acidity. Strain contents through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois into a bowl, pressing with a ladle to extract all the liquid.
• Thicken sauce (optional): If desired, thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. Transfer sauce back to the pot and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch with water until thoroughly combined. When sauce is boiling, add cornstarch slurry a little at a time, whisking and testing the consistency between additions. (Note: You may have a lot of slurry left over, depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.) When the sauce is thickened, turn heat to low and return meat to the sauce to warm through. Taste one last time for seasoning.
• Assembly: Transfer meat to serving bowl, then generously top with sauce. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche, a few strands of Candied Lemon Zest, and parsley leaves before serving.