Gulaschsuppe: May Family Favorites Recipe Hop

This month, we're joining with these wonderful bloggers to share one of our family favorite recipes!

My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies • Across the Blvd

My Pinterventures • Peppermints and Cherries

Stone Cottage Adventures • Coastal Bohemian

Our Unschooling Journey • Purple Hues and Me

Olives & Okra • The Blue Willow House

Reviews, Chews, & How Tos • Comfort Springs

Cookies, Coffee & Crafts • Two Chicks and a Mom • Simply Inspired Meals

I'm sharing a delicious rich soup (almost a stew) that I've been working on for decades - ever since I first tasted a bowl of the beefy paprika-filled stuff at a Gasthaus in Germany.  Over several years there, I tried it again whenever I could, noticing the variations from one cook to the next, and modified my own over time until it is (to my taste) just perfect.

Should you like bell peppers, adding some diced peppers to simmer with the meat would be perfectly traditional.  I can't eat them and fortunately for me, leaving them out is traditional, too.   Potatoes can also be left out - but don't.  They soak up all that savory goodness and should not be missed.

Serve this with some thick crusty bread rolls to sop up every last bit of gravy, and make plenty - the leftovers are even better than they were the first night.

While this isn't at all hard, do have patience and let it cook for a good long time - the meat will practically melt into the gravy and be lusciously rich and tender.

Gulaschsuppe

Serves 4-6

2 T. olive oil (or tallow, coconut oil, etc)

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 lb beef, cubed into bite sized pieces

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup red wine 

6 med thin skinned potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite sized pieces

32 oz beef broth

water

3 bay leaves

2 T. caraway seeds

1 T. hot Hungarian paprika

2 T. sweet Hungarian paprika

1 small can tomato paste 

Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion is caramelized.  Scrape pot and add beef, browning well .. the crusty bits add to the flavor. (Don't burn.)  Scrape the pot again and add the wine and balsamic vinegar, which will deglaze the pot - let it simmer on low until the wine has almost entirely evaporated.

Add broth, bay leaves, caraway seeds and paprikas, and let simmer for as long as you've got time for... I like to give it at least an hour, but less is fine, as long as you let it cook long enough to tenderize the beef.  

Add potato cubes and enough water to cover plus about 1 inch above, and bring to boil.  When potatoes are tender, add tomato paste, lower to a simmer and let cook for about another 15 minutes.

If you like, give it another splash of wine just before serving.

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