GOULASH

When we first visited Vienna, we were wandering around one day around lunchtime, our heads full of Franz-Joseph and the Hollernzollern, and we ducked into a sort of pub for lunch. Inside was warm wood paneling and a limited but interesting menu. The thing that attracted me most was Goulash. I ordered it, and when it came I was transported. Imagine the best beef stew you’ve ever tasted: beef cooked till it’s falling apart, sauce rich and with just enough heat to warm you through without killing off tastebuds. No vegetables to interfere with the marriage of beef and sauce. Oh, man, was it delicious. After that I had to try all the sorts of goulash available in Vienna. There are a lot--there’s even a goulash museum! In the end, my favorite was the one I tried first, Fiacre Goulash. In Austria it’s served with a Viennese sausage and a fried egg on top. I skip that part and serve it over steamed new potatoes.

Fiacre Goulash

Recipe adapted from Austrian Specialties*

Roughly 1 Kilo / 2 pounds beef for roasting

4 medium onions

2 T olive or canola oil

2 T hot paprika

1 T vinegar

750 ml / 3 cups (approximately) beef stock

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp cumin

1 more cloves garlic, crushed

2 T tomato paste

salt, pepper

• Cut beef into large chunks. Peel the onions and chop them -- not too large.
• Heat oil in a large pot and saute onions slowly till they’re golden. Sprinkle with paprika, add vinegar and several tablespoons of beef stock.
• Add cubed meat and seasonings. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, adding stock as necessary to keep it moist and covered with stock.
• When the meat is tender, add the remaining stock, tomato paste and the last garlic clove. Simmer 10 more minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 if they like it and 10 if they don't.

Notes:

• If you’re going to be busy, you can add all the stock at once, but you still have to stir it and the problem is that when the beef is perfectly done you may have too much liquid in there so you have to continue to cook it...
• This is one of those dishes that improves with time. Be sure to make enough to have leftovers!

* This is a small recipe book published for tourists. It has no date of publication on it, but I bought it in 2002.