Pinback and FlyingCarp cook GOULASH!

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 7:21 am

I have Hungarian blood in my veins (I forget what percentage I am -- it's small, but enough), which is probably why this is still one of my favorite things ever, and why I try to use Hungarian paprika as often and as much as possible.

BUT -- I've never made real, authentic GOULASH, or whatever weird foreign way the 'Carp likes to spell it.

So in honor of the dearly departed Miguel Ferrer, both Bob Morton and I made a mistake. Now it's time to erase that mistake!

In this thread, I will hunt for the best recipe possible, and FlyingCarp will approve or decline them, and/or offer his own recipe, and then we will all decide which is the best one to make, and then I will make it, and we will all have fun and eat red food.

Ready? READY!??

First submission: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/19954/hungarian-goulash-i/

My main concern with this is that "2 tbsp" seems like way too little paprika. I would in fact look askance at any Hungarian recipe that calls for any less than a quarter cup.

WHAT SAY YOU?!

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 7:57 am

First off, that recipe you started with is not even close to "authentic" if that's what you're after. I'm sure it'd taste good, but no Hungarian, Czech or Slovak would recognize that as goulash, guláš, or gulyás.

If you're going for Hungarian, here's what looks like a pretty good recipe from an ex-pat living in Hungary. One thng is that Hungarian gulyás does not have noodles, dumplings or other shit like that in it. You eat it with bread. The Slovaks do it the same way.

http://www.paprikaproject.com/authentic ... -the-week/

Here's a video of a Hungarian woman making the real deal:
[youtube][/youtube]

Here's one more that looks best to me. This is the Czech "hospodský guláš". Hospodsky is the adjective form of "pub". Hopefully Translate can make this one intelligible for you and that you can cook using the metric system.

http://www.toprecepty.cz/recept/4007-kl ... -vidensky/

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:00 am

Translated, it looks pretty identical to the one I posted. TWO TABLESPOONS OF PAPRIKA, though. Man. Alright, well. I guess stick with the experts. That just seems wrong, though.

Also, the main ingredient of the beef goulash recipe you posted, when translated, is:

"500 g beef goulash"

Why don't I just get that, and call it a day.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:02 am

FlyingCarp wrote:...gulyás does not have noodles, dumplings or other shit like that in it. You eat it with bread. The Slovaks do it the same way.

That recipe you just posted wrote:Serve sprinkled with freshly chopped onion, preferably with dumplings, or with potato or pasta.

I'm beginning to doubt the veracity of your authenticity.

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:04 am

pinback wrote:Translated, it looks pretty identical to the one I posted. TWO TABLESPOONS OF PAPRIKA, though. Man. Alright, well. I guess stick with the experts. That just seems wrong, though.

Also, the main ingredient of the beef goulash recipe you posted, when translated, is:

"500 g beef goulash"

Why don't I just get that, and call it a day.

They mean 'stew beef'. I really think you should do the one from the Paprika Project website now that I'm looking a little closer. That one is Hungarian and has what I've come to consider an important part of a good goulash: both pork and beef.

The Czech goulash is a served on a plate and is basically a thick sauce with meat in it that is eaten with dumplings. The Hungarian and Slovak goulash is eaten from a bowl and is a thicker stew with pork, beef, potatoes, and peppers in it.

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:08 am

pinback wrote:
FlyingCarp wrote:...gulyás does not have noodles, dumplings or other shit like that in it. You eat it with bread. The Slovaks do it the same way.

That recipe you just posted wrote:Serve sprinkled with freshly chopped onion, preferably with dumplings, or with potato or pasta.
I'm beginning to doubt the veracity of your authenticity.

Those must not be real Hungarians....backs away.

Okay so maybe I was shooting my mouth off a little bit. I should have said that the goulash I'm used to doesn't have dumplings and certainly not pasta. There are lots of regional variations. Heck, the two different villages my parents-in-law come from make pirohy (pierogies) very differently and they're not even 100 miles apart.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 8:28 am

What I normally do when I cook something I've never cooked before is look for a few recipes, and then combine them in a way that makes sense to me.

Both of these look good to me, so perhaps we can mix them together and come up with perfection?

Here are the main differences, where "A" is the one I linked to, and "B" is the one Carpy (may I call you Carpy?) linked to:

1. A says 3 pounds of beef, B says 500g, or 1.1 pounds. I like 3 beefs more than 1, but we need to see how the rest of the ingredients play out.

2. A says 1 garlic clove, B says 4. I never use "1 garlic clove", so this is an obvious win for B.

3. B adds cumin and marjoram, which A doesn't. Cumin seems an odd choice. Marjoram, or perhaps oregano, rarely hurts anything, though.

4. Technique-wise, they're pretty similar. Interestingly, A says just dump a bunch of water in and let it burble, where B says put a little in, and then continue to add once it dries up. I'd probably go for A here, because B seems a little fussy. (Oddly, B never actually mentions when to put in the paprika, where A recommends seasoning the beef with it before even putting it in the pan. Not sure, here.)

When there are differences like this, sometimes I'll just go with what I think sounds best -- 4 garlics (or more!) instead of 1, no cumin, etc. However, when it's severe (1 pound vs. 3?!) I'll hit up other recipes and look for a general trend.

A quick review shows that other recipes range between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds. So yeah, I guess it's "anywhere between 1 and 3 pounds" of beef.

We're honing in on it!

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 9:09 am

Just talked to my wife about this. She's got a few suggestions:

-Include caraway seeds

-Marjoram is important

-Green pepper and tomatoes are good to add

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Fri Jan 20, 2017 9:39 am

I did notice quite a few mentions of caraway in other recipes. So we're GO on caraway and marjoram.

I'm willing to consider peppers and tomatoes, though it already has tomato paste, so... well. Why don't you get a recipe from her and we'll just do it that way?

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:23 am

Today is GOULASH DAY!

I will provide the recipe later today, and then we will all enjoy it together, except I will enjoy it more (or possibly less) because I get to (or possibly have to) eat it.

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:11 am

Hot dang! Maybe I should cook up a pot, too. Strangely enough, a buddy of mine started asking me for the recipe of the goulash I make annually at our trout-fishing trip. Sounds like goulash is hot right now!

You doing pork and beef?

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:14 am

BEEF ONLY

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:34 am

Well then...your goulash sucks before you even started cooking it.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:38 am

Alright, well then I'm not going to post pictures or results.

Also you are now banned.

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 10:48 am

It should be said that goulash can be made with any meat. I've had it with mutton before and even goat goulash from a goat my father-in-law and I put out of its pastoral misery earlier that day.

Still, the pork & beef combo cannot be beat. Unless you have some prejudice against pigs, hoof it to the store and pick up some cutlets.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 11:09 am

Can I just try the basic recipe first? Can I do that?

Can I try it my way once?

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:51 pm

Does your recipe call for thyme salt?

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 3:12 pm

It does NOT.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 5:32 pm

Well, there ya go. The picture is blurry for some reason, but you get the idea.

I give the recipe, and the overall meal, ten goulashes out of ten. The cut of beef I used was very lean, and did not tender up the way you'd want, even after 2 hours of simmering. Maybe use chuck next time? Or "pork", as FlyingCarp recommends.

This has been... the goulash thread or whatever.

FlyingCarp · Post by **FlyingCarp** » Thu Jan 26, 2017 5:48 pm

Looks pretty....decent.

I get more of a Czech Pub Goulash vibe than a Hungarian goulash vibe. I showed my wife and she said, "Not bad.....it's good." Contradicting what I think (which she does well), she thinks it looks more Hungarian than Slovak because the sauce is reddish and thick showing the seasoning. Slovak tends to be more like a stew. I think Czech b/c of the lack of potatoes and other discernible stuff in there besides the meat.

Still, we'd both stick a fork in it.