Winter Warmer Peasant Dishes - Goulash, Home made Baked Beans & Sausages and a Sticky Date Pudding with Praline...

I know, it's not authentic. When I made my first goulash, it was - at least I thought so, recipe was passed on to me by my Hungarian girl friend... Hope she's not having a heart attack with me changing her recipes....

I love it in cold winter nights and nowadays I'd do it in a slow cooker. The meats just belt, and the soup is thick enough to go with some char grilled hard crust bread that has brushed on some olive oil....

This is my Goulash...

INGREDIENTS

1kg beef (chuck steak, top side, gravy beef...)
4 tbsp sweet paprika – Hungarian paprika
2 tbsp hot paprika
2 tbsp Callaway seeds
1 tbsp crashed black pepper
½ cup red wine
1 red capsicum, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick cut in 1” pieces
2 big tomatoes cut in 1” pieces
1 onion cut in 1” pieces
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tbsp cooking oil
A pinch of salt & sugar
1 cup stock (chicken, beef, veal)
Fresh herbs Sprigs Oregano, thyme, Bay leaves, flat leaves parsley, rosemary
3 tbsp plain flour

METHOD

1. Coat beef in a little bit of salt and cracked pepper and plain flour, set aside.
2. Heat up cooking oil in frying pan, caramelise onion and garlic, add the paprika’s, Callaway seeds and cracked black pepper corn.
3. Once it fragrance, add beef till half cooked.
4. Add the vegetables, and then add wine.
5. Add stock & salt(or water), if using shop stock, use less salt.
6. Use kitchen twine to tie up fresh herbs and make bouquet garni, add to the pot / pan
7. Reduce heat to low and simmer till beef is tender and liquid is reduced to half, usually 1 hour. If liquid dries up during cooking and beef is still not tender, can top up with some stock or water.

Serving Options:

Serve hot with rice, pasta, polenta or grilled crusty bread and a salad. The traditional version usually go with Hungarian dumplings freshly made with a dough similar to pasta dough but more like Gnocchi shape…..

2 nights ago, I made this one for dinner and catering for the children especially. My son loves baked beans and I don't feel like giving him Heinz... so...
I soaked 100g cannellini beans overnight.
drizzle some olive oil in pan and add some chopped fine onion and garlic... to brown...
Added a can of peeled roma tomatos and 2 tbsp of tomato paste as well as some dry herbs, oregano, thyme, rosemary....
added the soaked cannellini and simmer for about an hour.
added the beef sausages and cooked for a further 30 min...
added some ricotta cheese chunks 5 minutes before I was ready to call the children for dinner, and some fresh parsley leaves...
And this is one of our favourite winner dessert now - Sticky Date pudding with butter scotch sauce and praline the product from Masterchef Season 1 recipe.....