Hungarian Gulyas: Paprika Beef and Potato Soup with Caraway, Peppers and Tomato

Heat the lard in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly for 10 to 12 minutes until soft and golden, not browned.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900g) beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons lard or neutral oil
• 3 large onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly crushed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 red or yellow bell peppers, diced
• 3 carrots, sliced into rounds
• 1 1/2 lb (680g) waxy potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 6 cups (1.4L) beef stock or water
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the lard in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly for 10 to 12 minutes until soft and golden, not browned.
2. Pull the pot off the heat and stir in the paprika and caraway. Keep it off the heat for 30 seconds so the paprika blooms without scorching, which would turn it bitter.
3. Add the beef and garlic, return to medium heat and stir to coat the meat in the paprika onions. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and bell peppers, cover, and let the beef stew in its own juices for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for 1 hour until the beef is starting to turn tender.
6. Add the carrots and potatoes and simmer uncovered for another 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the beef falls apart.
7. Fish out the bay leaves, taste and adjust the salt. Let the soup rest for 10 minutes before serving so the flavors settle.
8. Ladle into deep bowls and serve with crusty bread and a spoonful of hot cherry pepper paste for anyone who likes it spicy.
9. Gulyas takes its name from the gulyas, the cattle herders of the Great Hungarian Plain, who cooked beef and onions in iron kettles over open fires. What most of the world calls goulash is really a thick stew; in Hungary gulyas is a soup, deeply colored with sweet paprika and filled with potatoes. It is at its best in mid-October when the first cold snap arrives and the paprika harvest has just come in from the fields around Szeged and Kalocsa.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 430 kcal
• Protein: 36g
• Fat: 17g
• Carbohydrates: 32g
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 7g
• Sodium: 620mg