Hello November! I thought I would kick off the new month by sharing a delicious Sunday Supper we had a couple of weeks ago. I made a tasty stew from my new Milk Street cookbook that my brother gave me for my birthday. This is the first dish that I’ve made from Austria and now I’m on a mission to find more. This meal was full of flavor and the sour cream was a nice addition to cut through the richness, if that makes sense. This is definitely not a quick weeknight meal, it takes about four and a half hours start to finish but your home will smell amazing as it cooks.
Now you can just scroll right down to the recipe right now but I’m always curious where certain dishes come from. So here’s just a little info about this meal. Goulash originated in the Middle Ages in the Hungarian plains as shepherd food. Like most great meals that we love today it was made from inexpensive, yet hearty ingredients. Originally, it was a simple soup with roasted meat, onions and later, an addition of bell peppers. Austrian Goulash (Rindsgulasch) may have derived from Hungary, but it has since evolved into a completely different dish. The sauce is much thicker than the original Hungarian stew and the bell peppers have been replaced with paprika, both sweet and spicy. Giving the sauce that rich color. Ok that’s it, now the recipe!
Austrian Beef Stew
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs of boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons paprika ( if you have Hungarian sweet paprika use that)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 oz white mushrooms, halved and sliced.
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons caraway seeds, lightly crushed
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Hungarian hot paprika
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for serving
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- sour cream
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 325F with a rack in the lower-middle position.
- Season the beef with 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat.
- Whisk together the broth and tomato paste in a large measuring cup or small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium, melt the butter. Add the onion, mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the caraway and flour, you’ll want to stir frequently, until the flour begins to brown. Add in the remaining 3 tablespoons sweet paprika and the hot paprika and cook until fragrant.
- Slowly whisk in the broth mixture and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add in the beef, bay and marjoram, then bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cover, place in the oven and cook for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven. Uncover and stir, then return to the oven uncovered and continue to cook until a skewer inserted into the meat meets no resistance, another 1 to 1½ hours.
- Remove from the oven, stir and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Add in the dill and vinegar. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with dill sprigs. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or Spätzle. Top with a dollop of sour cream.
This is a super hearty meal that will warm you up as the temperatures start to dip. I LOVE recipes from Milk Street, I have’t made a bad dish yet. I can’t wait to explore more of this massive new cookbook. If you have another Austrian recipe suggestion let me know in the comments.
