Hungarian beef soup is a delicious three-course dinner but it takes a little skill to make. The first course is a clear broth with homemade soup noodles. The second course is cooked meat and vegetables with either one of the following warm sauces: horseradish, apple, tomato, or dill. Then small pieces of toasts follow with the salted marrow. With the exception of a few ingredients, nearly everything comes from the soup.
Strong beef soup requires meat and marrowbones. The meat does not have to be a good cut, by the time the soup is done; even the toughest cuts should be falling off the bones. Cooking begins in the oven at high temperatures; this sears the meat and gives the soup a wonderful flavour. What I like best about pre roasting the meat and bones is you don’t have to skim scum from the top as the soup begins to cook. The soup cooks ever so slowly, if you see actual simmering it is cooking too fast. The cooking style is very much like the Újházi.
HUNGARIAN BEEF SOUP
2 lbs. beef chuck, in one piece
1 lb marrowbones
3 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper corns
6 whole carrots, cleaned
3 parsnips, peeled
1/2 celery root, peeled
1 kohlrabi, peeled
parsley greens
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 bay leaves
4 cloves
1 tsp peppercorns
2 tsp salt
cold water to fill up stockpot 3/4 way
• Preheat the oven to 450F.
• Place the beef and the marrowbones in a roasting pan.
• Roast the meat and marrowbones in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile peel the vegetables and set them aside.
• Transfer the meat and the bones to a large stockpot.
• Add some water to the roasting pan to deglaze.
• Pour the contents of the roasting pan into the stockpot.
• Add the vegetables to the stockpot and then fill with water 3/4 of the way.
• Bring to a boil very slowly, reduce heat to barely a simmer and cover.
• Cook it in such fashion for 4 to 5 hours.
• Meanwhile make the noodles and the sauce.
• When the meat is very tender, remove soup from heat.
• With a large ladle scoop the fat from the top and discard.
• Place a fine sieve over a clean Dutch pot and ladle the stock into the pot.
• Place the cooked egg noodles in the soup bowls and ladle some clear broth over it.
• Arrange the vegetables and the meat on a serving platter and place the sauce alongside.
• Make a couple of toasts and spread the hot marrow [from the marrowbones] on the top. Sprinkle with salt.
• Serve the soup first and next serve the meat and vegetables with the sauce and the marrow toasts.
3 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper corns
6 whole carrots, cleaned
3 parsnips, peeled
1/2 celery root, peeled
1 kohlrabi, peeled
parsley greens
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 bay leaves
4 cloves
1 tsp peppercorns
2 tsp salt
cold water to fill up stockpot 3/4 way
• Preheat the oven to 450F.
• Place the beef and the marrowbones in a roasting pan.
• Roast the meat and marrowbones in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile peel the vegetables and set them aside.
• Transfer the meat and the bones to a large stockpot.
• Add some water to the roasting pan to deglaze.
• Pour the contents of the roasting pan into the stockpot.
• Add the vegetables to the stockpot and then fill with water 3/4 of the way.
• Bring to a boil very slowly, reduce heat to barely a simmer and cover.
• Cook it in such fashion for 4 to 5 hours.
• Meanwhile make the noodles and the sauce.
• When the meat is very tender, remove soup from heat.
• With a large ladle scoop the fat from the top and discard.
• Place a fine sieve over a clean Dutch pot and ladle the stock into the pot.
• Place the cooked egg noodles in the soup bowls and ladle some clear broth over it.
• Arrange the vegetables and the meat on a serving platter and place the sauce alongside.
• Make a couple of toasts and spread the hot marrow [from the marrowbones] on the top. Sprinkle with salt.
• Serve the soup first and next serve the meat and vegetables with the sauce and the marrow toasts.
