Tim's "Hungarian" Goulash

I learned how to make goulash from a cookbook that purported to give recipes of 1950's favorites. The only thing Hungarian about the goulash I made from it was the paprika, which I couldn't find. So, in the end, nothing Hungarian about it, but I still like calling my recipe (which is a jazzed up version of that one) by the same name.

Any way, goulash is one of those things from childhood that we all have semi-fond memories of, but have no recollection what it was like. I'm pretty sure I ate this as a child, but I have no proof. All I know is that I made this for my dad once, and he really liked it.

Anyway, let's get started. We're going to need a whole bunch of ingredients.

The only ingredient that is slightly unfamiliar in this ensemble is the stew meat. You can pick it up in your grocery store as just stew meat, but you can also just cube a top round, or a chuck steak or something. It's basically the same thing, but the store did this for me. Things like this make me miss my butchers :(.

Anyway, down to business, we also need some flour, so grab flour and the various spices you see about (paprika, allspice, and cinnamon... the secret ingredient) and combine with the flour. Don't forget the salt and pepper too!

 Now, open up the meat, and gingerly take each piece of meat and pat it dry with a paper towel.

This is really important, just ask Julia Child. It will allow the flour to stick and flavor the meat, even during frying. It will also stop some of the sizzling that happens whens water meets hot oil.

Anyway, coat each piece of meat in flour, and place aside.

Now it's time to prep the veggies. I had a GIANT green bell pepper, so I only needed half of it, but you will need a full pepper, most likely. So, slice it in half and, using your finger, scoop out the seeds and stem.

I should make an animated gif out of that or something. It might be awesome. Anyway, slice each half into fairly wide strips, and then fit your strips in to each other and cut in the other direction to get little pepper squares.

Oh yeah, and I've already slice up some onions for us. When you're done it should all look like this:

At this point, you should also mince your garlic, but more importantly, it's time to cook the meat.
Grab your dutch oven, or another large heavy bottom pot, and heat up some olive oil, enough to cover the bottom. Then, sear your meat on all sides. You'll probably need to do it in two batches, so be sure to add some more olive oil in between.

When the meat is done, take it out and drain it in a paper towel lines bowl. We're using a lot of paper towels in this recipe. Sorry environmentalists.

Don't be surprised if your meat sticks to the pan. This is a good thing. The flour is what's being left behind, with all of its seasoning. We're going to use all of that to flavor our sauce now.

Add in your sliced onion (look at all of that brown stuff on the bottom), and start them sauteing. Add some salt to help them along. Then, add in your pepper (after only two or so minutes) and let those go over medium heat for a little while, at least 8 minutes.

You really want the onions to start to carmelize, then add in your garlic. After just two minutes of letting the garlic cook, deglaze the pan with your red wine. I used Merlot here, but any wine would work. I think more tannins are better.

I love deglazing pans. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of those flavored bits on the bottom. I probably could have let my onions caramelize more. Do as I say, not as I do.

This is looking really good. After you let the wine reduce by about half, add in all of the beef stock. Raise the heat to let this come to a boil. You should also flavor with a lot of black pepper at this point.

After this comes to a boil, add the beef back in and let simmer over low heat for at least and hour and a half. The house is going to smell so good! The cinnamon scent is really strong here, but the flavor comes out as just a bit of interest.
About a half hour before you serve, add in 1/3 cup of grape tomatoes. They'll burst in the sauce and add some tomato flavor, which every goulash should have.


Before you serve (over egg noodles, with sour cream) make sure you taste the sauce. If it's a little flat, add some salt, and if it's bland, add a little more paprika and cinnamon. You won't regret it.

Yum! And really nice looking too! I hope you enjoy!

Tim’s “Hungarian” Goulash

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs stew meat (or top round, cubed)

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 large onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large pepper, diced

1/2 cup red wine

1 qt beef broth

2 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup grape tomatoes

Salt & pepper

Sour cream

1. Combine flour and spices together in a bowl, then coat the meat in the flour mixture. Shaking in a plastic bag works well here.

2. In a dutch oven (or other larger heavy bottomed pot), sear the meat on all sides over medium high heat.. If the pot is not large enough, do the meat in two batches and add a little olive oil between.

3. Remove the meat to a paper towel-lined bowl to drain. Lower heat to medium or medium low. Add in onions and pepper, sauté for 8 minutes, until onions just start to carmelize.

4. Add in garlic at the last minute and let cook for about 2 more minutes. Then, deglaze the pan with the red wine.

5. All the red wine to reduce for about 5 minutes, then add in the beef broth, along with a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper. Allow to come to a boil over medium heat.

6. Return meat to broth mixture and let simmer for 1½ hours.

7. After an hour, add in the tomatoes, stir them in and let it continue to simmer.

8. Serve over egg noodles with a dollop of sour cream.

Summer Peach Soup

So, I bought some peaches at the store this week, it being almost summer and all, and I realized two things:
1. I couldn't possibly eat all of them
2. I didn't know what to do with them, because it's hard to make a crisp without an oven.

It dawned on me, A SOUP! I wanted to make watermelon soup recently, so why not peach soup. The results are light and tart, just what I wanted. WARNING: There is wine in this recipe that you don't cook off

These are your main ingredients. You may also want some salt, and a lemon.

Make sure your peaches are REALLY ripe. Under ripe peaches give NO flavor, they're just starchy. These were pretty ripe, but probably could have used another day or two. According to Ina Garten, there is only one way to tell if a peach is ripe: smell it. I live by that in my peach purchases.

The first thing we need to do is peel and slice the peaches. To do this, you will need a set up with a pot of boiling water and an ice bath.

Boil the peaches for TWO minutes, and then remove to the ice bath. Let them sit there for another two minutes. Reserve a cup of the hot water from the pot.

Now, run a paring knife along the loose skin of the peach until you can make a puncture. From there, you can just tear the skin off. See, by boiling the peaches, you loosened the bonds between the skin of the peach and the meat. You cooled them off so you could handle them.

Look, it's a naked peach. Now, cut the peach in half, remove the pit, and slice into wedges.

Now, we're ready to make soup. In the same pot pour back in the cup of water, and a cup and a quarter of white wine. Add in some cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and a bit of clove. Oh yeah, and the sugar. I would also add in some lemon juice and lemon zest here. It will smell like you're making tea.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the peaches.

Return to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. The peaches will be nice and tender and will have absorbed some of the liquid.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches to a food processor or blender.

See, the water is a really ugly color, and we want the soup to be pretty, so strain off (we don't want the ugly spices) the liquid from the pot in a fine mesh strainer, and reserve about a quarter cup. Now, add that quarter cup and a quarter cup of white wine along with (really) a pinch of cayenne (or paprika would probably have been better) and a little bit of salt.

Now, let the mixture cool BEFORE blending. I put it in the fridge for about ten minute.

Then blend until smooth and pour into a bowl.

Put back in the fridge for an hour to let chill and enjoy! I suggest garnishing with mint, and some whipped cream, if you have it. (Whipped cream would be really good, it would add some decadence that this is missing)

It makes a nice lunch soup for the summer, or a light dessert. I promise, you'll really like it, just go light on the spices and let the peaches shine through. Oh yeah, I added a bit of butter before I blended, just to round out the flavor a bit, it's not a bad idea.

You can use this same process with any summer fruit. Peaches, strawberries (peaches AND strawberries), avocado would be nice (no need to add butter at the end, or boil the avocado). Cherries and strawberries together, probably not pears though. Watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple. So many possibilities. Try one yourself.

Summer Peach Soup (Adapted from a recipe found here)
3 Peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups white wine (something fruity)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp clove (or 2 whole cloves)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or paprika)
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
a pat of butter (optional)

1. Combine water, 1 1/4 cups of wine, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, lemon and sugar in a pot. Put over high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Add peaches and return to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove peaches from the liquid and put in a blender or food processor along with the remaining white wine and a quarter cup of the strained cooking liquid. Add cayenne and salt.

4. Let cool for about ten minutes, then blend until smooth. Cool the results for an hour before eating. Garnish with mint and/or whipped cream for added yumminess.