A delicious beef stew, just add a bit of authentic Hungarian paprika and it will take it out of the ordinary. Make no mistake, this is not gulyás, it’s real stew. Cooked in three stages; simmered on the stove first then baked in the oven and then finally finished on the stove. Stew should not be watery or thick, it should have well… a stew-like consistency. Some recipes suggest dipping the meat into flour before browning. This can result in flour chunks floating throughout the stock. It is better to thicken the stock at the end with a slow simmer.
BEEF STEW
1 pound stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 cups meat stock
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp tomato puree
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
2 bay leaves
2 stalks of fresh parsley
1 fresh tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 carrots, peeled and quartered
1 parsnip, peeled and quartered
1 wedge of celery root, peeled and chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 green pepper
2 cups button mushrooms cut in half
1/8 cup flour
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
• Heat the oil and add the meat.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Brown the meat on medium heat.
• Add the chopped onion and sauté for a minute or two.
• Add the garlic and the stock.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, lemon juice, sugar, bay leaves, 2 stalks of fresh parsley, fresh tomato, and allspice.
• Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
• Remove bay leaves and parsley.
• Add carrots, parsnip, celery root and the celery.
• Place the pot in a preheated 350F oven and bake until carrots are almost tender.
• Remove pot from the oven and add the potatoes, green pepper and the mushrooms.
• Slowly simmer on the stove covered until potatoes are almost tender. Do not stir; just gently shake the pot a few times. When the potatoes are almost tender, turn off the heat and let the stew steep for an hour. Do not lift the lid.
• To thicken the gravy, remove some of the hot liquid and stir it into the flour.
• If you like thick gravy, increase the flour to 1/4 cup.
• Add the thickening mixture back to the pot and giggle the pot to combine.
• Add the Hungarian paprika. Honestly, no other paprika will give satisfactory results.
• Slowly bring the stew to a simmer and simmer ever so slowly for 2-3 minutes.
• After this, the stew is ready to serve and will be even better the following day.
