Beef Goulash

Beef goulash is a great way to introduce your family to the wonders of Hungarian cuisine, and is also exceptionally easy to make. Keep in mind that while beef goulash may look an awful lot like beef stew, there are some differences. All you need to do is follow this simple (and tasty) beef goulash recipe, and in less than two hours you will have a fantastic meal that your family will be begging to have again.

Ingredients:

• 4-1/2 pounds stewing meat (beef)
• 5 tablespoons oil
• 8 medium onions, diced (your choice, though Vidalia will provide a sweeter flavor)
• 8 medium tomatoes, diced (save as much juice as possible)
• 2-1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika (Hungarian is best)
• 1-1/2 red capsicum, diced
• 1-1/2 cups red wine
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Saute and season onions. In a large skillet, or pot pour the oil, and turn the heat to medium. Once the oil has heated up, add the onions. Slowly stir the onions until they become soft and slightly translucent. Stir in the paprika until all the onions are coated, and reduce the heat to low.
2. Add stewing beef. After seasoning the onions, add the stewing meat. Gently stir the mixture until all of the meat is coated with the oil and the paprika. Do not worry about browning the meat, since you will want to allow the juices to mix during the cooking process and help create a fantastic tasting sauce.
3. Add tomato and capsicum. Slowly stir the diced tomatoes and capsicum into the meat mixture. Once you have mixed all the tomatoes and capsicum into the meat mixture, set the heat to medium high, and allow it all to cook for no more than ten minutes. After the time has passed, reduce the heat to a medium low, and then cover.
4. Simmer, and add wine and salt. After allowing the beef mixture to simmer for no more than 15 minutes, add your wine and salt and mix everything together completely.
5. Cover and simmer. Bring the mixture back up to a simmer, and then cover with a lid. Once the mixture has begun to simmer, allow it to cook for one hour. Be sure that you stir it occasionally to ensure that there no scorching, or other problems, occur.
6. Remove and serve. Once you have allowed the goulash to cook for an hour, you can remove it from the heat of the stove and serve it. Often this is done by simply spooning some of the dish into a bowl. Enjoy your meal!

The recipe as it has been presented here is designed for ten servings. If necessary, you will need to adjust the amounts of ingredients to make more, or less, of the goulash as needed. Anything that you don't eat right away can be stored in an air tight container in a refrigerator for up to a week after you have made it. This dish is best served warm, with a side of mashed potatoes or rice.