INGREDIENTS

3 x Green peppers (Chopped into 1cm pieces)
3 x Garlic cloves (Crushed)
2 x Large onions (Diced)
2.5 x Tablespoons of Hungarian paprika
2 x Large potatoes (Chopped in to1cm cubes)
c.850g of shin beef (Chopped 1.5cm pieces)
1.5cm piece of SALTED butter (chopped off a regular block of butter)
2 x Knorr beef stock pots dissolved in c.800ml water. (Or an alternative rich stock)
2 x Vine ripe tomatoes (chopped small)
2 x Tablespoons of tomato Puree
2 x bay leaves
1 tablespoon of Dried marjoram
1.5 Tablespoons of caraway seeds
1 x tablespoon of coarse ground pepper
1.5 teaspoons of salt (also salt to taste during cooking also)

METHOD

Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the onions until soften and translucent.
Add the caraway seeds and garlic and fry for a minute or so.
On full heat add the shin beef and brown. Ideally you want to seal the meat but avoid cooking it through.
Add the paprika and continue to fry for a further minute or so. Don’t burn the paprika. Lower the heat if too hot.

Add the stock, salt, pepper, tomato puree, bay leaves, marjoram, chopped tomatoes

You can add the potato and pepper at this point. You can also leave these out until about an hr before server time and cook them just for an hour so they have more bite if you prefer. Personally I don’t mind the mushy potatoes and soft peppers.

Bring to simmer then drop the heat low and put on a lid.
If you have slow cooker, pre heat while the goulash is cooking then transfer the goulash over to the slow cooker. Leave on high for minimum 2hrs or until meat fibres have softened then on low for as long as you want. Stir every 1/2hr.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you need to get your lowest hob setting and leave for minimum 2hrs or until meat fibres have softened. Stir Often to prevent sticking at the bottom.

The real trick here is consistency. There is no exact method for this but it will thicken naturally over time. You don’t need a thickening agent. If you want it thicker, leave the lid off and let the water escape. If you want it more soup like, keep the lid on and the moisture in.

For ATWI80F I did the above but instead of transferring to a slow cooker from the pan I let it cool down and froze it. The night before it was needed I got it out of the freezer to defrost.
I then put it in the slow cooker around 10am on high (it was still a bit frozen) and dropped it down to low around 4pm. Had the lid off from about 3. Just to say, you can’t really overcook it and you can make it in advance of a goulash party.

Serve with a freshly baked bread roll dripping in butter! …nice.

Good luck and give me a shout if you want any tips or if you just wanna chat goulash.
Also, comment with your additions, twists and variations. Sharing is caring.