Last Night at Chez Bart: Goulash!

This recipe comes from an unusual source for my repertoire: Food Network's own Guy Fieri. It's a spicy take on the classic Hungarian dish, using hot paprika and chili peppers to give it a nice kick. While the recipe calls for serving it over grilled polenta, I decided to fix it with one of my favorite Polish noodles: kluskis!

Beautiful Pest at night, as seen from Buda

Store Notes: Not an expensive dish to make. To save some time, call ahead to your local butcher and ask them for the 4lbs of chuck trimmed and cubed into 2" cubes. That alone will save you from a lot of cutting, especially if you don't have a cleaver. If anything, the hardest part is finding some of the spices. I went to 3 different stores before I found one that carried hot Spanish paprika. Also, unless you like to bake rye bread, you will need to get some caraway seeds. Not expensive, just not your standard basil/oregano/thyme/etc.

From an equipment standpoint, a Dutch Oven - essentially any big pot that can be moved from stove to oven - is necessary not only to accommodate the 4 pounds of meat, but also the 4 cups of chicken stock, let alone all the vegetables. The recipe recommends porcelain coated cast iron, but any material will work. Just remember, if you do wish to use cast iron, to season the pot properly and never add in cold ingredients. Otherwise you could find yourself with a cracked pot, and a big mess to clean up!

Optionally, a "Pull chop" - those little gizmos where you pull the cord to spin the blades - can really save one time dicing the amount of onions, carrots, and shallots that this recipe requires. While I don't have one, my Mom swears by them. Just coarsely chop up ingredients like the onions, throw them into the pull chop, and give the cord a few yanks. Viola! Perfectly diced!

As you can see, I was busy chopping!

Prep Notes: There is a lot to prep, and I mean a lot. 6 cups of onion translates to, on average, 4 medium onions. Add in 2 cups of carrots and 1 cup of shallots, and your kitchen knife is going to get its money's worth of use today. Sadly we are not done; next slice the two peppers in half and de-seed them. Make sure you also cut out the inner flesh, leaving essentially a hollow pepper. Finally, mince the fresh thyme and marjoram.

For the caraway seeds, place two tablespoons on a small skillet over medium heat. Toast for a few minutes, until fragrant, then remove and pour into a mortar. Give the pestle a go, and you have toasted ground caraway!

For the meat, throw the 4 pounds of chuck into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, tossing the meat so the seasonings imbue all the meat. Make sure you bring the meat to room temperature before cooking

After having browned the meat (right), I am sautéing
the carrots and onion (left)

Cook Notes: Heat up the dutch oven over medium-high heat (if using cast iron, SLOWLY raise the heat). Once the oil has a bit of a shimmer to it, add just enough meat to loosely cover the bottom. Brown both sides, remove to a platter that can collect the juices, and repeat until all 4 pounds of chuck are browned.

Next, add the onions and carrots to the dutch oven. Stirring often, cook for about 5 minutes. Next, add the peppers and shallots, and cook unti you see a nice caramelization and no more liquid. Stir in the tomato paste, cook for a minute, then add all the herbs and spices (sweet and hot paprika, chili flakes, marjoram, thyme, and caraway). Pour in the balsamic vinegar and de-glaze (i.e. scrape the bottom of the dutch oven) to remove any of the fond. Let the balsamic reduce for about 2 minutes, then SLOWLY add the chicken stock. 

Place the meat into the dutch oven, making sure to drain any collected juices into the pot. Add two bay leafs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and gently stir to combine all the goodness. Cover and place into a pre-heated oven for 2 hours at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.   

Out of the oven, and ready for the plate!

Tasting Notes: This dish is simply amazing. While it may not top the goulash I had while traveling through Budapest, it seriously is the best I have had since. The heat and zest of the chili peppers and hot paprika really transforms this dish, from that of a heavy savory-stew that gets most of its profile from the meat and stock, to something more dynamic and complex. The caraway provides lighter savory notes that again increase the breadth of this dish's flavor profile. The addition of vinegar adds yet another, this time sweet and slightly acidic, dimension. Simply outstanding!

Libation Notes:  This dish is complex and zesty, and therefore should be enjoyed with an equally complex red wine. If you wanted to go Hungarian, an Egri Bikavér from the Eger region of Northern Hungary would do nicely.  Or a nice merlot, shiraz, or cabernet sauvignon would work well as well. As long as the wine has full enough of a body to stand against the zest of the goulash, you will be all set.

If you are a beer drinker, or prefer something cold when eating food with spice, a nice hoppy beer would work. Sierra Nevada's Estate IPA, New Holland Brewery's High Gravity Mad Hatter IPA, or even Samuel Adam's Nobil Pills are all good choices.

Served with kluski noodles

Overall: Another exceptional winter dish. Rich and hearty, with complex notes of savory and spice. This goulash, unlike others I have had, or most stews in general, is great because its varying flavors break up the usual meat/stock monotony that causes these dishes to become too rich and heavy. The paprika, peppers, caraway, and balsamic truly provide an extremely wide palette of flavors. I will definitely be making this again!