Basic goulash recipe

What types of recipes can you expect from the I’m Hangry blog that previously had featured restaurant reviews only?

• Simple recipes with not too many processes or steps because I don’t actually like reading a recipe while cooking so I often try to simplify or combine 2 or 3 recipes for the same dish to take the best hacks from each – sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t… I’ll share the successful ones of course!
• Unapologetically not concerned with authenticity because sometimes I cook dishes which are hopefully delish but may not be 100% authentic due to a shortcut to save time, ingredients or budget (because #aintnobodygottimeforthat) or sometimes I try to sneak extra vegetables into a dish as though I’m cooking for my 5 year old self
• Minimal utensils, minimal pots and pans because I don’t like washing and because I’ve tried to be minimalist with my kitchen equipment and also have limited kitchen benchtop space to use
• Minimal ingredients because if you’ve ever cooked for one or two people max, you’d appreciate that you don’t want to stock up your pantry with $200 worth of special ingredients you may never use again

So here we go… the first recipe: Goulash

I love goulash. With the recent dip in Sydney temperatures, I decided that it was time to try cooking some goulash. The great thing about this dish is you only use one pot for the cooking, so more time to kick back and relax after dinner instead of washing!

Ingredients: this is enough for about 4 – 6 serves, though feel free to adjust the ratio between the beef, potatoes and carrots per your liking 

• 600g – 800g of chuck beef , cubed (depending on how much beef you like to eat!)
• 2 medium sized potatoes, cubed
• 2 carrots, chopped into chunks about 3cm long
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped into eighths (I used red onions as that’s what I had in the house but I’m sure brown onions can be substituted)
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 300ml – 400ml beef stock (I just used the Coles 1L liquid beef stock)
• 60ml white wine
• 250g canned diced tomatoes
• 1.5 tablespoons of sweet paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt, sugar and pepper, to season
• Oil (I used rice bran oil as that’s what I had in the house)

Method:

1. Heat up your pot on a medium to high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom, seal off your beef until brown on the outside. It doesn’t need to be cooked through as it will have plenty of time to cook in the broth later.  Take the beef out of the pot. If you need to, do this in multiple batches so that you only have 1 layer of beef in the pot at a given time.
2. On medium to high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the same pot, add in the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant without browning the garlic. Turn off the heat. Stir the paprika through the onions and garlic. Add the potatoes in and stir to coat with the paprika.
3. Turn the heat onto a low heat. Add the beef, tomatoes, wine, and bay leaves then add enough beef stock to cover the ingredients before stirring through. Pop the lid on.
4. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft and the meat is tender – this should take between 1.5 hours and 2 hours depending on the strength of the heat or the stove you have. Season with sugar, salt and pepper before serving. Serve with bread if you don’t mind the carbs!