In Christmas 2024, Stacy and I spent 2 weeks in Hungary, most of it in Budapest proper. One day was taken up with a cooking class where we learned to cook Chicken Paprikas (Paprikáscsirke), Crepes (Palacsinta), and Goulash Soup (Gulyàsleves) with a professional, Chef Marti. There were 6 people in our class and we all were able to be hands on with every part of each dish. I learned a couple tricks to improve my own Chicken Paprikas. Even better, we learned how to make an authentic Hungarian Goulash Soup. And then we learned to make Hortobágyi palacsinta, which is a savory filling wrapped in the Palacsinta. In this case, the Chicken Paprikash. It was an awesome experience and I thought I would share the Gulyàsleves recipe here ..... Enjoy
Notes
Gulyàsleves (Goulash Soup) is not a stew, it is a soup. Beef stew in Hungary is Pörkölt and it is fairly similar to German Rindergulasch (ie Goulash).
I note this on the ingredients list, but I will call it out strongly here, too. WASH the celery root well to get the dirt and sand out of it. If not, your soup will be gritty and you won't enjoy it.
Serve this with crusty bread and some hot paprika paste on the side for your dinner guests to doctor the soup as they desire.
A classic dinner in Budapest would likely start with this soup and then be followed with an entree like Chicken Paprikash and Nokedli (Spaetzle). The first night we were in Budapest, Stacy ordered exactly that and the waiter told her she had made a classic choice.
Serve a nice Hungarian red wine with this, if you can find one. If not, a good Bordeaux will be good also. One time in Budapest, I had a South African Pilotage that went well with the food.
Ingredients
450 grams (1 pound) beef chuck or shank, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes
2 tablespoons lard (if you don’t have any, you can render fatback or pork belly fat or use vegetable oil)
2 ½ tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1 onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
salt to taste, but at least 1 tsp kosher salt for the 1 lb of beef
fresh ground pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes (600 grams; 1 ⅓ pounds), cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 ripe medium tomato, peeled and cut into very small pieces (or puréed into smooth paste using an immersion blender)
1 Hungarian wax pepper or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into very small pieces (or puréed into smooth paste using an immersion blender)
½ celery root, peeled and halved - make sure you wash this very well or you will get grit/sand in your soup
2 parsnips, peeled and quartered
2 liters (2 quarts) water or stock
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Method
Heat lard (or oil) in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high, then add minced onion and sauté until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
Add meat and sear until it’s lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes.
Remove from heat and add paprika and ground caraway, stir well to coat the meat. Add salt, black pepper, celery root, parsnip, carrots, minced garlic, and the small bits of tomato and yellow pepper. Add 2 liters (2 quarts) water or stock , return to medium-low heat. Place lid on pot and let it cook at a low simmer until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
When beef is ready, add potato chunks and cook on a brisk simmer until potatoes are soft but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
Adjust liquid as needed. This is a soup, not a stew. If it is too watery, reduce it by bringing to light boil for a few minutes. If too thick, add a bit of water.
Mix in chopped parsley (retain a bit for garnish). Discard the celery root and parsnip pieces from the soup as they've released their flavor. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Serve the goulash in soup bowls with a few dabs of sour cream, and a drizzle of parsley on top and slices of crusty bread and hot paprika paste on the side.
Pictures
All the ingredients
The finished product
And this is a hot paprika paste .... you can find it on Amazon if your local stores don't carry this kind of thing
Bonus pics .... Stacy and I in Budapest
Notes
Gulyàsleves (Goulash Soup) is not a stew, it is a soup. Beef stew in Hungary is Pörkölt and it is fairly similar to German Rindergulasch (ie Goulash).
I note this on the ingredients list, but I will call it out strongly here, too. WASH the celery root well to get the dirt and sand out of it. If not, your soup will be gritty and you won't enjoy it.
Serve this with crusty bread and some hot paprika paste on the side for your dinner guests to doctor the soup as they desire.
A classic dinner in Budapest would likely start with this soup and then be followed with an entree like Chicken Paprikash and Nokedli (Spaetzle). The first night we were in Budapest, Stacy ordered exactly that and the waiter told her she had made a classic choice.
Serve a nice Hungarian red wine with this, if you can find one. If not, a good Bordeaux will be good also. One time in Budapest, I had a South African Pilotage that went well with the food.
Ingredients
450 grams (1 pound) beef chuck or shank, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes
2 tablespoons lard (if you don’t have any, you can render fatback or pork belly fat or use vegetable oil)
2 ½ tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground caraway seeds
1 onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
salt to taste, but at least 1 tsp kosher salt for the 1 lb of beef
fresh ground pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes (600 grams; 1 ⅓ pounds), cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 ripe medium tomato, peeled and cut into very small pieces (or puréed into smooth paste using an immersion blender)
1 Hungarian wax pepper or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into very small pieces (or puréed into smooth paste using an immersion blender)
½ celery root, peeled and halved - make sure you wash this very well or you will get grit/sand in your soup
2 parsnips, peeled and quartered
2 liters (2 quarts) water or stock
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Method
Heat lard (or oil) in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high, then add minced onion and sauté until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
Add meat and sear until it’s lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes.
Remove from heat and add paprika and ground caraway, stir well to coat the meat. Add salt, black pepper, celery root, parsnip, carrots, minced garlic, and the small bits of tomato and yellow pepper. Add 2 liters (2 quarts) water or stock , return to medium-low heat. Place lid on pot and let it cook at a low simmer until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
When beef is ready, add potato chunks and cook on a brisk simmer until potatoes are soft but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
Adjust liquid as needed. This is a soup, not a stew. If it is too watery, reduce it by bringing to light boil for a few minutes. If too thick, add a bit of water.
Mix in chopped parsley (retain a bit for garnish). Discard the celery root and parsnip pieces from the soup as they've released their flavor. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Serve the goulash in soup bowls with a few dabs of sour cream, and a drizzle of parsley on top and slices of crusty bread and hot paprika paste on the side.
Pictures
All the ingredients
The finished product
And this is a hot paprika paste .... you can find it on Amazon if your local stores don't carry this kind of thing
Bonus pics .... Stacy and I in Budapest
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