Gulaschsuppe. (Goulash Soup). Delicious.

Keeping on with my comfort food trend, this one was made on request by the hubbie.  Apparently ski resorts in Austria serve gulaschsuppe, it's similar to the chunky beef stew that I've always know as goulash, but instead of chunks of meat and a thickish sauce, gulaschsuppe is more soup-like (unsurprisingly) and the meat is so well cooked that it has started to fall apart.  So with those directions I poured over the internet and have come up with my own version by taking bits and bobs from lots of recipes and adding a few ideas of my own.  Looking for Austrian inspiration in the cupboards I ended up adding some grated beetroot to the mix which works amazingly well, adding a earthy sweetness to the whole dish.  I've no idea whether beetroot it an Austrian thing, but it seemed right.

It takes 5 hours to cook but during that time your home will start to smell unbelievably delicious.  It's a great one to have sitting on the stove ready for a cosy Sunday dinner or for travellers arriving late at night.

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil

450 g free range beef stewing cubes, fat removed

2 brown onions

4 fat garlic cloves

2 medium raw beetroot

1 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tsp fennel seeds (or caraway seeds)

4 tbsp sweet smoked paprika

a pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp lemon rind

2 tsp runny honey

1 tsp dark soy sauce

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 dessertspoon barbecue sauce

Salt and pepper

Beef stock, enough to generously cover the ingredients in the pan (I actually used defrosted leftover gravy from a wild boar roast we had the weekend before)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish or saucepan and add the beef cubes.

Cook over a moderate heat, string occasionally, until all sides of the beef have turned grey/brown.

2. Finely chop the garlic cloves and peel and coarsely grate the beetroot.

3. Add the thyme, bay, fennel, paprika and cayenne to the pan and cook for a minute or two.

4. Add the remaining ingredients...

...and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest it will go, pop the lid on and cook for 5 hours, stirring occasionally, add more stock if necessary to keep a it at a soup-like consistency.  You'll know it's done when the meat falls apart when cut with a spoon.

I served this with a dash of paprika, a dollop of sour cream and some freshly baked ciabatta (see my ciabatta/pizza blog).  So very delicious.