Simple Viennese Beef Goulash Food

AUTHENTIC VIENNESE GOULASH (WIENER FIAKERGULASCH)

Steps:

• Heat oil or lard in a heavy pot. Add onions and garlic and under constant stirring saute until very dark. Add salt.
• Add meat in batches, brown on all sides before adding next batch.Do not let the meat steam, raise the heat and add oil if necessary.
• Saute meat until browned on all sides, add paprika, stir until fragrant but watch out so it doesn't burn.
• Add broth, caraway seeds, majoram and tomato paste and simmer until meat is tender. Depending on the cut, this can take up to 2 hours.If it gets too dry, add some broth.
• When the meat is tender, make a slurry with the flour and a few ts of water and add little by little, checking on the thickness of the sauce.
• Simmer until the floury taste is gone and the sauce has the perfect consistency.
• Enjoy with spaetzle, dumplings or noodles.

AUSTRIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• You will need a large Dutch oven with a lid for best results. Add just enough olive oil to coat the pan and turn the heat high enough to make the oil shimmer, but not smoke.
• Pat the meat dry and dredge in flour, seasoned with kosher salt & cracked pepper.
• Add one piece of meat to the hot oil to make sure that it sizzles. Add the remaining meat, without crowding the pan and sear for about 3-4 minutes per side. You want a golden crust that will give the gravy great flavor.
• Cook the meat in batches, if necessary and set aside in a bowl-- to collect the juice.
• When all the meat is seared, turn the heat to medium and add a little more olive oil to the pan and cook the onion until tender-- 3-4 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook till fragrant-- 30 seconds or so.
• Add the tomato paste and paprika, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce, caraway seeds, lemon zest and chicken stock and stir well.
• Bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little more chicken stock or water until it is the consistency of a gravy.
• Simmer for 2 hours, or you can use a slow cooker for 4-6 hours.
• This stew tastes even better if made one day in advance. Serve or buttered egg noodles or spaetzle or Bavarian Bread Dumplings "Semmel Knoedel", which is posted on my blog:.
• http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/bavarian-dumplings-on-halloween-no.html.

VIENNESE GOULASH (WIENER RINDSGULASCH)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the beef cubes.
• Add the onions and cook them with the meat until they are transparent or have a shiny appearance, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, paprika and the rest of the seasonings and stir well.
• Add the stock and stir well again.
• Add a little salt and pepper - it is best to use less salt during the cooking process and correct the seasoning when the meat is cooked to avoid over-seasoning.
• Bring the whole pot to a boil then turn to low or medium-low and let the goulash cook slowly until the meat is tender, 2-4 hours, depending on cut of meat used. The onions are the thickening agent, so if the liquid evaporates, just add extra water a little at a time to avoid a thin goulash (I added about 1 cup additional water in two additions over the entire cooking time).

SIMPLE VIENNESE BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• Cut beef into 1-inch cubes. Brown meat in oil in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove cooked beef to a bowl and set aside.
• Saute onions and garlic until limp. Add vinegar, stirring to deglaze the pan.
• Add remaining ingredients and cooked beef to pan; stir to blend. Heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover.
• Cook 3-4 hours, until beef is very tender, adding more beef stock if needed.
• Remove bay leaf and serve over spaetzle or egg noodles. (A baby gherkin sliced into a fan is the traditional garnish.).