A few years ago I was invited to the home of a Hungarian family for dinner. I was welcomed into their home on Palm Sunday. My mom's family is Hungarian. Going to the home of this family was like going home. It was an incredible comfort in a time of great turmoil. That Easter was the first without my mother and grandmother. Palm Sunday fell on my mother's birthday, and I had the great fortune to be embraced by this family. They treated me as one of their own. A fifth daughter.
Dinner was gulyas, prepared the same way my grandmother, Mom-moms prepared it. Dessert was palacsinta stuffed with cottage cheese and apricot jam. Thinking about that day makes me choke with emotion. Some people give so freely, and with so much love. I could never express the gratitude I feel toward that family.
Today's recipe is for gulyas (often written as goulash). Gulyas is considered by many to be Hungary's national dish. Every family has their own recipe, but this is my family's recipe, learned from my grandmother and my great aunt. If you wish to alter it, I do not wish to know. I know it by heart, and it is as precious to me as the women who made it.
You will need:
- a large, heavy bottomed pot
- lard
- 1 onion, chopped
- beef, cut into cubes (a pound or so)
- carrots, cut into pieces (two or three)
- potatoes, peeled and cubed (three or four)*
- sweet Hungarian paprika**
- water***
Add the beef and paprika and brown. Just barely cover the beef with water. Bring to a simmer, add the potatoes and carrots, cover with a tight fitting lid, and allow the dish to cook until the beef is tender.
Please do not try to cook this dish too quickly. Low and slow is the way to go. When browning the beef, one must be very careful to ensure that the paprika does not burn. My grandmother always used the toughest cuts of beef for gulyas. When simmered for a long time tough cuts of beef become incredibly tender and yield intense flavor.
* Use starchy potatoes. The starch from the potatoes thickens the gulyas.
** This is the only ingredient I'm ever insistent about. Don't skimp on paprika. Use spicy Hungarian paprika if you prefer, but make sure that you use a high quality brand imported from Hungary. Pride of Szeged and Kalocsa are available in many well-stocked grocery stores.
***Use a high quality (preferably homemade) beef stock if you prefer. If you don't have good beef stock, stick with the water. The gulyas will have plenty of flavor if you use water.
