This recipe for Hungarian goulash soup or gulyas leves (GOO-yahsh LEH-vesh) is from Zsolt Vegh of Northwest Indiana. It's hearty enough to be eaten as a main course with rye bread. This soup benefits from a long, slow cook and is actually a goulash, which is a stew, to which more liquid has been added. Traditional gulyas leves is made with beef or veal.
Here is a larger photo of goulash soup.
Makes 8 servings of Hungarian Goulash Soup or Gulyas Leves
Here is a larger photo of goulash soup.
Makes 8 servings of Hungarian Goulash Soup or Gulyas Leves
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 medium onions, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
- 3 pounds cubed beef chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2 parsley roots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 1 small bunch parsley, tied with butcher's twine
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Vegeta seasoning (see below)
- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- 2 Hungarian wax peppers or banana wax peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Pinch hot Hungarian paprika
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown onions in bacon fat or vegetable oil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let the onions brown. Salt the onions lightly to help tenderize them. Add a small amount of water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to the pan.
- Turn the heat to high and add the meat cubes and sweet Hungarian paprika and stir constantly for about 3 minutes or until the meat has been seared on all sides. Add water to cover by an inch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is almost tender, adding water, as necessary, to keep it above the level of the meat. This can take up to 2 hours.
- Add the carrots, parsley roots, bunch of parsley, potatoes (if using), Vegeta, caraway seeds (if using), banana wax peppers, and hot paprika. Bring back to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender but not falling apart. Add additional water, if necessary, to keep a soup consistency. Add salt to taste.
- Serve over Hungarian csipetke or nokedli dumplings.
