Emperors Goulash Recipes

CLASSIC GOULASH

Steps:

• Cook and stir the ground beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown, about 10 minutes. Skim off excess fat, and stir in the onions and garlic. Cook and stir the meat mixture until the onions are translucent, about 10 more minutes.
• Stir water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and seasoned salt into the meat mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir macaroni into the mixture, cover, and simmer over low heat until the pasta is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and serve.

EMPEROR'S GOULASH

Steps:

• Sauce, part 1: Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, peel and dice the onion. Add vegetable oil and onion to the pot; cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, 10-15 minutes. (Add more oil as necessary to keep the onions glossy.)
• Candied Lemon Zest (optional): While the onions are cooking, prepare the lemon garnish. Set a small saucepan of water over high heat to boil. Use a peeler to remove the yellow zest from half the lemon, avoiding the white pith; finely slice the zest. Add the zest to the boiling water and blanch for about 10 seconds. Drain and reserve the zest. In another small skillet, bring the tablespoons of water and sugar to a boil to dissolve sugar. Add the blanched zest, then turn off heat and set aside. (Store Candied Lemon Zest in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several months.)
• Sauce, part 2: When the onions are soft and golden brown, lightly smash the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife; remove the skins, and add the garlic to the pot and stir. After 1-2 minutes, remove pot from heat; add the paprika and stir well to combine. Add tomato paste and put the pot back on the heat; stir again to combine and caramelize the tomato paste, 30-45 seconds. Add red wine vinegar and stir, scraping to deglaze the pot. Finally, add all but ½ cup beef stock (reserving the rest for later); caraway seeds; and marjoram. Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Beef: Meanwhile, season the beef with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides. When the sauce is just beginning to boil, add the meat; there should be just enough liquid to cover the meat. Cover the pot and cook over low heat at a very gentle simmer, 1½-2 hours, checking after 1½ hours.Sauce, part 3: After 1½ hours, check the meat; it should be very tender. (If not, continue cooking, 30 more minutes.) Use a spider or slotted spoon to move the meat to a separate bowl; set aside. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning; turn off the heat.
• Pour sauce into blender. Use a Microplane to add zest from remaining half of lemon; then add crème fraîche and capers. Use a spoon to peel the ginger; then slice thinly and add to blender. Blend on high speed until sauce is smooth, about 30 seconds; taste for flavor and adjust seasoning. Optional: Add fresh lemon juice for more acidity. Strain contents through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois into a bowl, pressing with a ladle to extract all the liquid.
• Thicken sauce (optional): If desired, thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. Transfer sauce back to the pot and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch with water until thoroughly combined. When sauce is boiling, add cornstarch slurry a little at a time, whisking and testing the consistency between additions. (Note: You may have a lot of slurry left over, depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.) When the sauce is thickened, turn heat to low and return meat to the sauce to warm through. Taste one last time for seasoning.
• Assembly: Transfer meat to serving bowl, then generously top with sauce. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraîche, a few strands of Candied Lemon Zest, and parsley leaves before serving.

EASY CLASSIC GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot pot until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes; drain and discard grease. Stir onion and garlic into beef; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Stir tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, sofrito, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, and bay leaves into beef mixture. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend, about 20 minutes.
• Pour macaroni into beef mixture, cover the pot, and continue simmering until pasta is tender and flavors are completely blended, about 25 minutes. Discard bay leaves.

TRADITIONAL GERMAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute the stewing meat until nicely browned. Add the caramelized onions, garlic and caraway seeds. Cook for 1 minute, and then add the paprika, Montreal steak seasoning, onion powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper. Add the green and red peppers, stir and saute until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.
• Add the tomato puree and tomato paste and stir. Add the vegetable broth and 1/2 cup water, plus more if needed, and deglaze the Dutch oven, making sure to loosen anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
• Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 90 minutes. Serve over Spaetzle, egg noodles or dumplings.

WOLFGANG'S BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and sugar until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seed. Cook for 1 minute. Add the sweet and sharp paprika, marjoram, thyme, and bay leaf. Saute another minute, until fragrant. Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and the stock and add the pieces of beef shank, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with Spaetzle on the side.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks, egg and milk. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with hand until well blended. Do not overmix at this stage. Cover the bowl and refrigerate. Allow the batter to rest for at least 1 hour.
• Bring salted water to a boil. Place a perforated hotel pan on top of the pot. Place the batter on the pan and force through the holes to form spaetzle. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until al dente. Transfer cooked spaetzle to a bowl of ice water to shock. When cool to the touch, drain well. Stir in half the oil. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate up to 2 days).
• Over high heat, place a large saute pan until it gets very hot. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and the boiled spaetzle. Saute until golden. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Finish with butter and sprinkle with parsley.