The post Hungarian Goulash (beef stew-soup) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>Sweater weather is officially here – let’s get cosy with Goulash! This Hungarian recipe is a slow cooked beef soup or stew that’s boldly flavoured with stacks of paprika which makes the sauce a deep, vibrant red colour. Think traditional beef stew – with extra character!
If you think Hungary and think hearty food, then Goulash is probably exactly what comes to mind. Unsurprising given it is Hungary’s greatest food export!
Is it a stew? Is it a soup? It sort of lies between the two in terms of the amount of broth vs the stuff in it. Though one noticeable thing about traditional Goulash is that the broth is thinner than what you think of with stews, and it’s not thickened with flour or cream. Also, it’s not typically served over mash like stews, it’s served in bowls like soup.
As for flavour, I describe it as a beef stew with a sauce that reminds me of chorizo flavours thanks to a big hit of paprika and savouriness from a good amount of garlic, capsicum (bell peppers) and onion. It’s really, really good. Bolder than typical beef stew!
Note on authenticity: This is a recipe that is intended to respect traditional Hungarian Goulash. But as with all such recipes, every cook and every family has their own version. I am sure some Hungarians will disagree on something I’ve included! Please share your thoughts below but know that I did do my research!
Two things you’ll observe when you make this:
A LOT of paprika. Flavour and sauce colour!
A LOT of vegetables. 2 each onions, capsicum/bell peppers, carrots, tomato, potatoes. Flavour and heartiness!
Beef – The classic beef cut to use is beef chuck which is a tough cut of meat that becomes meltingly tender when slow cooked. If you can, get a single piece so you can cut it into cubes of the size we want, else get a thick steak. Always look for beef that is nicely marbled with fat. All too often, the grocery stores ones are disturbingly lean. We want the fat marbled throughout, it makes the beef so tender and juicy!
Substitute – Beef osso bucco (boneless) and beef cheeks. The meat cubes will twist and buckle more once cooked but these are actually juicier than chuck. Gravy beef and brisket will also work but meat is a little leaner.
Paprika – Use Hungarian or Hungarian-style if you can, the paprika is smoother and sweeter than ordinary paprika. Don’t use hot paprika – we’re using lots of paprika here, it will be way too spicy! Smoked paprika will make the sauce a little too smokey, though you could mix-and-match a little if you want.
Caraway seeds – A traditional spice used in Goulash used in central European cooking. Not the end of the world if you don’t have it but you’ll love the little unique pops of flavour if you do!
Beef stock/broth – The liquid used to make the sauce. Traditionally water was used, but no one can deny that using stock makes the sauce a whole lot tastier! I personally would not make this with water. If you use homemade beef stock, you could sell bowls of this for a pretty penny.
Butter and oil – The fat for sautéing. I like to use both so you get the best of both worlds – butter for flavour, oil for effective searing (butter is ~15% water and susceptible to burning at high heats).
Bay leaf – For flavour. Fresh if you can, or dried (pictured).
We don’t need flour to thicken the sauce – see next paragraph.
Some recipes use flour to thicken the sauce. I don’t find that necessary if you use fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes, as they break down to thicken the sauce. It also makes the stew sauce taste less tomatoey which lets the paprika and other flavours come through more.
Onion and garlic – flavour base.
Capsicum/bell peppers – One each red and yellow if you can, or 2 red. Don’t underestimate the flavour this brings to the sauce! You can substitute the potato and carrot but don’t skip capsicum!
Tomatoes – These break down to naturally thicken the sauce rather than using flour.
Carrot and potato – Vegetable adds ins that fills it out. Feel free to switch with other root vegetables such as celeriac, parsnip, or even non-root vegetables like green beans. Note: These get added at the end of the cook time so the potato doesn’t disintegrate.
Parsley – optional garnish
Usually, stews will call for beef cubes to be browned first, removed, then added back into the pot after sautéing the vegetables. Goulash goes all in. I doubted it at first but when I saw it go all stewy and the flavours mingling together before I even got to the slow cooking part, I understood.
And when I tasted the finished dish, it sealed the deal!
Cut beef into nice size chunks then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook onion first for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.
Cook beef – Next, add the beef all in one go and stir until the surfaces changes from red to brown. You won’t be browning on the beef because there’s too much in the pot and that’s just how it’s supposed to be. All the flavours meld and come together in the next steps!
Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes to coat the vegetables in all the flavour in the pot. The tomato will mostly breakdown – it will break down completing during the slow cooking phase and thicken the sauce.
Spices – Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds to coat everything in the tasty flavours.
Simmer – Add beef stock, stir, bring to simmer.
Slow cook – Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 1/2 hours. At this stage the beef should be pretty tender but not quite “fall-apart”, there’s still another 30 minutes to go. Stir in carrot and potatoes then cook for another 30 minutes. By this time, the potatoes (if you cut them the exact size I specify!!) should be soft and the beef should be “fall-apart”.
Serve – Sprinkle with parsley if you’re feeling fancy then ladle into bowls!
That’s Friday’s cheese bread pictured above, being dunked into the Goulash. Though you could do ordinary crusty Artisan bread. Both are no-knead, no stand-mixer, 3 minute dough making situations. Not mandatory…..but any kind of bread elevates soup-stew eating experiences, right??! – Nagi x
PS One final point – as with any stewy / slow-cooked recipes, Goulash tastes even better the next day. Completely and utterly company-worthy.
Office bathroom. Now doubles as Dozer’s playroom. Staff who walked into this had a good laugh!!
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]]>The post Mexican Chipotle Pork & Beans appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>Mexican Chipotle Pork and Beans is a big pot of saucy, shreddable meat in a rich, spicy, chipotle sauce. Pork shoulder is slow cooked into fall-apart submission with meaty lima beans that absorbs the bold flavoured sauce. Stuff in tacos, serve over red rice, or eat like stew!
This food is me on a plate.
Well, in a pot.
Hunks of juicy meat that’s so tender, it’s barely holding together when you scoop it out. A bold sauce that’s spicy, tangy and deeply savoury. Big creamy beans littered throughout that’s absorbed the flavour of the sauce, making beans tastier and dreamier than you ever imagined possible.
That it’s straightforward to make is a (big) bonus. It’s just like making a stew. In fact, that’s my favourite way to serve this – ladled into bowls like stew, except with tortillas on the side for dunking instead of serving it over the usual mash!
Here’s what you need to make big pot of Mexican deliciousness!
This dish is made with pork shoulder which is an economical tough cut of meat that needs to be slow cooked to fall-apart tenderness. I just use cumin to flavour it before searing because the pork absorbs so much flavour while it’s slow cooking, it really doesn’t need much on the surface!
And here’s what you need to make the rich chipotle sauce that the pork is braised in. Flavour to the max!!
Chipotle in adobo (photo below) – The hero ingredient, I adore this Mexican sauce! It’s made with chipotles which are rehydrated and canned in a tangy, spicy red sauce that packs a load of flavour. (Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapeños).
In this recipe, we’re using both the chipotles and sauce (some recipes only use one or the other) and pureeing the chipotles for maximum flavour release and to make a smooth sauce.
Where to find it – Those of you in the States are lucky enough to find chipotle in adobo virtually “everywhere”! In Australia – find it in the Mexican aisle of large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies), Harris Farms, as well as independent grocers. I use La Morena which I buy from Harris Farms – $3.29 for 200g/7 oz (we use the whole can).
Butter beans (aka lima beans) – The big, fat, meaty beans you always see at the store that you wonder what to do with. Well, now you know! 😂 Feel free to substitute with other beans, though I do think creamy beans work better than smaller, firm ones like black beans, chickpeas etc.
Why canned instead of dried beans? I find that the cook time for dried beans (especially large ones like butter beans) can vary quite drastically depending on the age, size and quality of the beans. Which means for dishes like this, sometimes the beans are done before the pork is, sometimes they are still hard when the pork is done. It’s not too bad pulling the pork out and leaving the beans to cook for longer. But it is a pain to take the beans out to continue cooking the pork! So, canned is my preference here.
Orange juice – Yes! A secret ingredient used in Mexican cooking to add sweetness and more flavour than just adding sugar into things (eg carnitas, fajitas). Doesn’t make it taste orangey because once it’s slow cooked, the flavour completely transforms.
Chicken stock – For the braising liquid. Low sodium please, otherwise your dish might end up too salty.
Tomato paste – For flavour and thickening. It’s sautéed to cook out the raw, sour flavour before mixing into the braising liquid.
Herbs and spices – Nothing unusual here! Oregano, coriander, allspice, bay leaves.
Onion and garlic – Flavour base.
This recipe starts off by searing the pork on the stove before transferring to the oven to braise until the pork is fall-apart tender, giving the sauce time to develop fabulous deep, savoury flavour.
Puree the chipotle in adobo using a stick blender. The chipotle is really soft so it literally takes seconds.
Season pork – Cut the pork into 6 equal pieces, for ease of handling to sear, more surface area for browning and so they cook faster than a whole pork shoulder. Then sprinkle with the cumin, salt and pepper.
Brown the pork in two batches, using a heavy based oven-proof pot. Rotate the pork to brown all over. Remember, colour = flavour! Once done, remove the pork onto a plate.
Sauté sauce flavour base – Using the same pot, sauté the garlic, onion, dried herbs and spices. Sautéing dried herbs and spices is a neat trick for getting extra flavour out of them – it makes them “bloom”.
Next, cook off the tomato paste followed by the pureed chipotle in adobo. Cooking off pastes is a great flavour trick as it intensifies flavour as well as taking off the raw, sour edge. It also depends the savoury flavour so you get more out of less!
Braising liquid – Add all the remaining ingredients except the beans into the sauce – the orange juice, stock, spices and bay leaves. The beans are added later else they will overcook and become too mushy.
Give it all a good mix then place the pork in, along with any juices pooled on the plate (never waste free flavour!). Arrange the pork as best you can so they are submerged under the liquid. But don’t worry if there’s some of the surface poking above because it will steam-cook and also the pork will shrink as it cooks so it will eventually sink below the surface.
Slow cook – Put the lid on and transfer to the oven to slow cook for 2 hours at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). This temperature might sound high for slow cooking but it equates to a gentle simmer on the stove, which is suitable for slow cooking meats.
Other cook methods – 6 hours in a slow cooker on low or 2 hours on the stove.
Beans – Remove the pot from the oven. The pork should be pretty much fork tender by this stage. Add the beans and push them in as best you can under the liquid.
Bake uncovered – Return the pot to the oven to bake uncovered for 30 minutes to caramelise the surface which adds extra flavour. Also by this stage, the pork should be tender enough so you can pry it apart using two forks without any effort at all.
If you used your slow cooker or the stove, I do recommend doing this final step in the oven because the caramelising of the surface does add extra flavour!
And that’s it! To serve, just scoop up pieces of pork and beans, and ladle into bowls or onto a plate for serving. See below for ways to eat this pot of fall-apart-spicy-meaty-beany deliciousness!
As I mentioned at the beginning, my favourite way. to serve Chipotle Pork and Beans is in a bowl like stew. Just use a spoon or fork to cut off bits of pork (which takes barely a touch!) then get a big scoop with beans and plenty of sauce.
I like to add a bit of avocado and sprinkle of coriander/cilantro for freshness, and tortillas for dunking / bowl mopping is essential in my world.
Having said that, here are some other options – all dish worthy!
Served over Mexican red rice – or put a big Mexican plate together with Mexican corn cobs (pictured above).
As a taco filling with your toppings of choice! It’s pictured above with avocado slices, finely chopped white onion, fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and lime wedges. There’s no need for a separate sauce – this is saucy enough as is!
Burritos to die for! Switch the chicken in this burrito recipe.
Shred up the pork and mix it up into the sauce with the beans. Then use it to make a giant nachos (switch out the chicken in this nachos recipe), as an enchilada filling, make tostada or simply scoop up with corn chips.
Turn it into a hearty soup – Add extra chicken stock/broth to thin the sauce and make it less intense, so it becomes suitable to be a soup broth. Then serve it as soup!
So many possibilities! What do you think? Which serving option appeals to you? – Nagi x
The Coronation of Prince Edward Dozer Maehashi the first.
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]]>The post Chorizo chickpea stew (quick!) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>This chickpea stew owes its speed and deliciousness to chorizo. It injects a stack of flavour into the thick sauce, and biting into glorious chunks of golden brown chorizo will probably be the best thing that happens to you today. Let’s put chorizo in everything!!
I know you ordinarily associate the word “stew” with hours of slow cooking. But in today’s dish, it’s a 15 minute simmer and the end result is something that resembles a stew to me. So although we’ve made it in a fraction of the time, I’m sticking with the name!
Despite the speed, you will not feel robbed of flavour by any stretch of the imagination thanks to chorizo, the powerful little flavour packed Spanish sausages that are the hero of today’s dish. (Sorry chickpeas, but it’s true).
We sauté chorizo slices until golden brown before braising in a tomato-based stew sauce for a mere 15 minutes to infuse the sauce with chorizo flavour. Chickpeas add bulk and texture to the dish, and I love how they too absorb the chorizo flavour!
Here’s what you need for this chorizo chickpea stew:
Chorizo – The well seasoned cured sausage from Spain is the hero of the dish today (sorry chickpeas!). You get great bang for your buck with chorizo – so much flavour packed into a little sausage. Find them at the deli or in the cured meats section of the fridge.
Alternatives – Any smoked sausage (like kranskey’s, German sausages etc).
Tip – Get extra and make everybody’s favourite smoked sausage and rice, or a big paella!
Chickpeas – We’re just going canned today, for convenience, for this quick ‘n easy meal. Just crack open that can!
Crushed tomato – This is already kind of smushed so it breaks down more easily into a thick sauce compared to, say, diced tomato which has larger chunks. Diced tomato will work too though, you just may want to simmer for a bit longer to let them break down a bit. If you only have whole canned tomato, crush them with your hands or use a potato masher before putting the pot.
Chicken stock/broth – I like to use low sodium so I can control the salt in this. We do get quite a bit of salt from the chorizo so it really is better to use low-salt stock.
Vegetable stock also works, but chicken stock does give the stew sauce deeper flavour.
Bay leaf, thyme and smoked paprika – Herb and spice flavours for the sauce. Sautéed with the chorizo to bring out toasty flavour before adding the liquids. Great trick to get more flavour into your dishes – toast those herbs and spices!
Garlic – This dish was never going to happen without garlic!
Stew-like results with stir-fry speed! OK, fine, that’s a wee bit of an exaggeration. It takes longer than a stir-fry. 😂 But it’s MUCH faster than traditional stews!!!
Sauté the chorizo until golden. Toast the spices for 1 minute. Tip in the chickpeas and tomato then simmer for 15 minutes. Stew. Done!
Sauté chorizo slices in a little oil until beautifully golden and caramelised. Don’t be tempted to shortcut this step! The chorizo tastes so much better when it’s browned, plus we want to coax the tasty highly flavourful oil out of the chorizo so it can flavour everything else in this dish!
Sauté herbs & spices – Once the chorizo is golden, add the bay leaf, thyme and paprika. Toast it for a minute, inhaling deeply to enjoy the smell! It really is so good. (Oh, and we toast the herbs and spices to bring extra flavour out of them. Not just so we can enjoy the smell! 😂).
Add everything else – Add the chickpeas, tomato, chicken stock, salt and pepper, then give it all a good stir.
Simmer for 15 minutes with the lid off until the sauce thickens. Then that’s it! Ready to serve.
Serve with crusty bread for dunking, for a quick ‘n easy meal (suggestion: everybody’s favourite no-knead Crusty Artisan Bread), or flatbreads for scooping.
Alternatively, serve it over a starchy vehicle of choice, such as mashed potato (mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option), couscous or small pasta (like orzo/risoni, orecchiette, small macaroni).
For a quick salad or vegetable side, use whatever greens you have in the fridge, raw or steamed, and toss with my Everyday Salad Dressing. Or browse all vegetable sides to find something that inspires!
Dinner. Done. How fast was that??? And just wait until you taste it! You are going to be amazed how much flavour is packed into that pot of stewy deliciousness for such an easy dish.
Such is the miracle of chorizo. So much power packed into one little sausage.
Enjoy! – Nagi x
When Dozer visited One Meal Northern Beaches early one morning before the volunteers started arriving (this was 6 am!). This is where the meals we make at RecipeTin Meals (my food bank) is donated during the week. I have a team of 3 full time cooks (chef + 2 kitchen hands) who make homemade meals from scratch, 5 days a week. Many recipes from this website!
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]]>The post Spanish Seafood Stew appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.
]]>I honestly can’t think of a better way to celebrate the excellent-quality seafood we have in Australia than this wonderful Spanish stew. I particularly love the garlicky picada, a finishing flourish that dials the deliciousness up to 11.
Find the recipe on page 288 of Dinner.
This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code!
I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀
I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise.
This page exists to display the how-to video for this recipe which I exclusively created for my debut cookbook, Dinner. Every recipe in the cookbook has a tutorial video. To watch it, you simply scan the QR code with your phone or tablet and it will take you straight to the recipe video like the one shown above!
Read the cookbook overview
Browse all cookbook exclusive recipes here
Read the Cookbook Tales. Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of dirty dishes!! And quite a lot of Dozer. 😂
Stay tuned for more on this page! Some cookbook exclusive recipes will have extra information added as well as extra tips. I am also looking at enabling comments for selected recipes so I can answer reader questions about cookbook recipes. I’m just a little snowed under during this launch period – book tours, getting 131 recipe videos out, launching the book overseas. Please bear with me! – Nagi x (10 October 2022)
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