Beef Goulash

As I learned not that long ago, beef goulash is a traditional Hungarian meal that originated with the herdsmen tending to their livestock. Well, what do you know.. I always thought that goulash was a traditional Russian dish since I remember my grandma making it when I was very little. No, I didn’t confuse it with Beef Stroganoff because that was another thing that she made as well. The difference is that goulash was cooked for a long time with cheap tough cuts of meat to tenderize them, so more of a po’folk dinner; when Stroganoff recipe called for nice tender beef that not everybody could afford regularly.

As it turns out, there is a benefit to using cheaper meat containing ‘grizzle’; it is rich in collagen, which is converted to gelatin during cooking. Gelatin has been gaining popularity for its health benefits, but besides supplementing (kind of an ‘eww’ for me!), there are not a lot of ways to get in from food in a regular American diet. In my beef goulash I use beef bone broth that I normally keep on hand. You can use water instead, but I don’t recommend using store bought stock, even organic brands contain too much stuff you don’t need. This recipe is a good way to incorporate your homemade bone broth (if you already make it) into your food, instead of just drinking it like tea. It turns even the toughest meat into melt-in-your-mouth, most flavorful meal that would make your house smell like home. I don’t thicken the gravy because the liquid tastes so good that one of my toddlers eats it like soup, plus I personally like the more liquid consistency. But you can easily add a little arrowroot powder to make it thicker, or just regular flour if you are not avoiding grains.

We like to eat this goulash with mashed potatoes or rice. When I make mashed potatoes, I add a big glob of homemade sauerkraut and mix it right into the contents of my plate. I cannot think of a better flavor combination than beef goulash and sauerkraut. Despite longer cooking time, there is no need to tend to the pot on the stove, it just simmers until it’s done. I consider it one of the easier meals I make, and it requires very little cleanup.

HOW TO MAKE BEEF GOULASH

Ingredients
2 pounds of pasture raised stew meat (it would come pre-cut)
1 small yellow onion, very finely chopped
4-5 cups of homemade beef bone broth (how to make beef bone broth)
3 tablespoons tomato paste (I use this kind, it comes it glass jars, no BPA; you can find it at grocery stores)
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup pastured sour cream
Optional: 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder, to thicken the gravy

Equipment
Large frying pan
Metal strainer
Medium stock pot with lid
Mixing spoon

Instructions
Cut meat into smaller chunks, if you’d like, or leave them in large chunks, how they came from a butcher.
Saute the meat in a large frying pan until there is no more pink. It will release a lot of moisture.
Strain the meat to remove the liquid; place in a medium stock pot.
Add the remaining ingredients, except for sour cream.
Bring to boil. Turn down to simmer, and cover leaving a small crack.
Simmer for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
At the end of that time, taste a piece of meat, if it’s tender – go to the next step. Or simmer 30 more minutes.
Once the meat is tender, add sour cream, mix well, and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.
If using arrowroot powder, remove 1/4 of liquid from the pot, let it cool a bit, and mix arrowroot until dissolved. Add back to the pot, and wait a few minutes for the gravy to thicken before serving.

Beef Goulash