I just recently found out that my best friend, Georgette, asked my dad for his Hungarian Goulash recipe, and he wrote it out for her. The picture above is that very special recipe, which I am grateful she kept and shared with me. His recipe calls for a crock pot; however, I made it on the stovetop and just kept an eye on the water level.
The key ingredient is the seasoning pack, which you can get at Cost Plus World Markets if they are in your area.
My mom and dad made this meal throughout my childhood. When she made it, my dad would talk about growing up eating this dish and how his family had Hungarian roots. In fact, he would speak of memories of his mom making Hungarian Goulash for him when he was young. Unfortunately, his mom died when he was nine years old, so I never had the chance to meet her.
I updated this recipe below to reflect a few different ingredients than what my dad wrote down and to show how to make it without the spice pack. The recipe below doesn’t give measurements because it depends on how much meat you use. You must taste as you go.
The picture below is from the left: my dad, his mom, and his brother in 1936.
Ingredients:
Lean stew meat (chuck preferred)
Olive oil
Beef broth
Red wine
Yellow onion, diced
Tomato, diced
Red bell pepper, diced
Garlic, minced
Paprika
Marjoram
Caraway seeds, ground up a bit with a pestle (you can substitute fennel seeds)
Chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Carrots, sliced
Russet potatoes (peeled and diced)
Pappardelle or a similar type of pasta or crusty bread
Directions:
Get a pan large enough to hold the entire goulash. Add olive oil to the pan and cook the diced onions until softened. Add the tomato, bell pepper, spices, and garlic; cook until softened.
Cut the stew meat into 1-inch pieces, season with salt and pepper, and brown in olive oil in a separate pan (sauté pan or cast iron). Once the meat is slightly browned, remove it and deglaze the pan with red wine, leaving all the fat in the pan.
Add the meat, reduced wine, and broth to the vegetables, cover, and simmer on the stovetop for several hours. Check periodically to make sure the broth is covering everything. If not, add more broth.
After two hours, slice the carrots and add them to the simmering pan.
During the last hour of simmering, add the potatoes and continue simmering until they are cooked through.
Taste the broth, adjust the spices to your liking, and enjoy!
Serve with pasta or crusty bread.
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