My father’s side of the family is from Communist Hungary. I grew up on Hungarian foods, and learned several recipes that I have passed on to friends and family today. This recipe is straight from my Nagymama’s (that means “grandma” in Hungarian) kitchen, this recipe has the flavor of Hungary throughout it. The meat is tender, the broth tasty, and on a cold, winter day, nothing beats it! Remember that the delicate flavor of good, traditional goulash comes from a fine quality Hungarian paprika – look for the Szekezed label, which comes in a metal cannister in the spice sections of many grocery stores. There are usually two types available: hot and sweet. Both have a sweet flavor to them, but the hot one is QUITE hot. For this recipe you want the sweet one, although if you like your goulash to have a bit of bite, you can mix in some of the hot paprika, too!
Ingredients for goulash:
- 1 cup paprika (you may use more or less, but don’t be stingy)
- 4 large onions, rough diced
- 2 lbs (or more) pork, cubed into 2 inch pieces (does not have to be exact)
- 1 lb (approximately) of meaty pork bones, either from a roast or pork chops
- 3 to 5 tablespoons of minced garlic, depending on your taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- water to 2/3 fill pot
- 1 bag of baby carrots, whole, OR 1 bag of regular carrots, cleaned and coined
- 4 or 5 ribs of celery, diced
- one packet onion soup mix (low sodium is fine) OR use a bit of salt, pepper, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, and garlic to taste
- approximately 5 lbs russet potatoes, diced (skinned or not, does not matter)
- 2 cups frozen peas
- sour cream, for topping (optional)
Ingredients for noodles:
- 1 to 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 to 2 eggs
- water or milk, if necessary, to form stiff dough
Directions:
In a large roasting pan, pile the paprika at one end of it. Take the pieces of pork and roll them in the paprika, as if it were flour. Coat each piece well, and push to one side of the pan. When the meat is all coated, pour in your garlic and onions, and mix well with the remaining paprika in the pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, and put in a 350*F oven until the meat is browned on all sides (it need not be cooked through – you want the meat in long enough to hear it “singing” or “hissing” in the pan). Stir the mixture a couple of times, to make sure the meat is browned on all sides.
Meanwhile, take pork bones (or, if you’re in a rush, you can use beef broth, but the results will not be as tasty) and put them into a large stock pot. Fill the pot 2/3 of the way with hot tap water, and add the onion soup mix or spices to taste. Bring to a brisk boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Just before adding the meat mixture, you should skim your broth (if you’ve made it from scratch). You will probably find that a bit of scum comes to the top of the water, and that can just be spooned off and discarded. It’s not harmful, but it can make the broth taste a bit gamey if you aren’t used to it.
When the meat in the oven is ready (about 30 minutes, at 350*F), add the meat, onions, and garlic mixture to the soup broth. You may want to remove your bones, at this point, although some people leave them in until the very end. Add the carrots, potatoes, and celery, and simmer for at least an hour. Longer simmering will not hurt this soup, although it should not boil again. You can move on any time after the potatoes begin to crumble (they will lose their sharp edges and become rounded).
To make the noodles, mix together all purpose flour, an egg, and a tablespoon of oil. Mix, until a stiff but smooth dough is formed. You can add a bit of milk or another egg, if you feel it’s necessary. If you have a spetzel maker, you can use that to make the noodles, or you can use any wide-holed grater, or even pinch it into bits a little larger than two peas together (this is the traditional way!). Or, some people cut them into tiny squares. These are small, and cook extremely quickly, and last well in the soup. If you make extra soup for freezing, don’t add noodles until you re-heat, as they tend to get mushy.
Add the peas, and then cut or grate in your dough, to make the little noodles. Bring to a swift boil for 2 to 5 minutes, and then take off the heat. This should be served in large bowls, with a big dollop of sour cream in it (low or no fat works very well, for those worrying about diet). Dust the top with some Lowery’s Seasoning, if you want it the way my Nagymama served it to me. Crusty french bread or rolls also go well with this, especially if they’re warm. Hungarians often serve it with sour cabbage on the side, or pickles.
I happen to have a dairy allergy, and so I can’t use the sour cream. It makes me ridiculously sad. I found that using plain cashew yogurt (which is pretty good as a substitute for any sour cream or yogurt recipe) serves much the same purpose. The “dairy free sour cream” currently available does NOT work well, as it has an flavor of coconut to it which takes away from the end product. While the Lowery’s Seasoning is a modern addition (if you can call something added in the 70s as “modern”), but I believe it makes the flavors really pop.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2+ hours
Serves: 6+ hungry adults
