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Hungarian beef goulash with spaetzle

Course Main Course
Cuisine Austria, North America
Keyword Beef, Spaetzle
Servings 6

Ingredients

For the Beef Goulash

  • 1 tbsp whole caraway seeds
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1-1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp spicy paprika
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh marjoram leaves
  • 1 tspminced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 cups organic chicken broth
  • 1.2 kg boneless beef shank cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the Spaetzle

  • 4 egg yolks Bio
  • 1 egg Bio
  • 414 ml milk
  • 453 gr all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 120 gr butter melted
  • 120 ml peanut oil
  • 60 gr butter cut into pieces
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley

Instructions

For the Beef Goulash

  1. Put the caraway seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a bowl to cool. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Set aside.
  2. Heat oven to 160°C.
  3. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat the butter and oil over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, brown the beef on two sides until dark and crusty, transferring it to a bowl when browned. Set aside.
  4. When all the meat is browned, add onions to the empty pot and raise heat to medium-high.
  5. Add the onions and sugar and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions turn a medium caramel-brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the caraway and garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute longer.
  6. Add both paprikas, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf. Saute, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.
  7. Stir in the tomato paste and vinegar. Add the broth, raise the heat, and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits.
  8. Return beef and any juices in the bowl to the pot and season with salt, and pepper.
  9. Reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer and cook, partially covered, until the beef is very tender, about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  10. Before serving, taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings, if necessary, with salt and pepper. Serve on heated plates or in large shallow serving bowls, with spaetzle on the side.

For the Spaetzle

  1. In a small bowl, beat together the yolks, egg, and milk.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the melted butter and the egg mixture and mix by hand until well blended. Do not overmix. Cover and refrigerate to rest for at least 1 hour.
  3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Place a large mixing bowl filled with ice and water on the counter near the sink.
  4. Place a large-holed metal colander on top of the pot. Put the batter in the colander and, with the back of a large spoon, force the batter through the holes into the water to form spaetzle. Cook until the spaetzle rise to the surface, 4 to 5 minutes.
  5. Drain and instantly transfer the spaetzle to the ice water. When cool to the touch, drain well. Transfer to a bowl and stir in half the oil. (At this point, you can cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.)
  6. Before serving, heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the remaining oil and the spaetzle. Cook for 2 minutes without moving the pan, to brown their undersides. Add the butter pieces and saute, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

Recipe Notes

Preparation based on a recipe and photography found on https://www.ihavenet.com/recipes/Beef-Goulash-With-Spaetzle-Wolfgang-Puck-Recipes.html

Recipe by Wolfgang Puck

Wolfgang Johannes Puck is an Austrian-American chef, restaurateur, and actor. Born in Austria, Puck moved to the United States at the age of 24. In 1973, Puck moved to Los Angeles, opening his first restaurant, Spago, in 1982, followed by others.
His success enabled him to launch the Wolfgang Puck Companies which includes the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. and Wolfgang Puck Catering.