It would be little wonder if Hungarian goulash had complained of an identity crisis over the years. Recognised internationally as a stew (and frequently bastardised in various ways), the famous icon of Hungary is a thick and wholesome soup named after the nomadic Magyar herdsmen or gulyás of the Great Plain.
In The Cuisine of Hungary (Penguin), George Laing explains that goulash is [one of] 'the four pillars of Hungarian cooking' and the origins can be traced back to the ninth century, when 'the ancient Magyars dipped into the gulyás with their wooden spoons'. Yeah, those guys knew how to eat with gusto!
At its best, goulash is cooked outdoors in an iron kettle or bogrács suspended over an open fire (per my cousin György's method in the photograph above). Add a generous blob of pork lard during the cooking (if you dare) and make sure you have large chunks of home-baked bread sliced and ready. Then invite a loud and ravenous family over, and finish off with Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody belting out from the ipod dock. If you don't happen have a bogrács, which Hungarians transport to picnics much like other nationalities might do with a picnic basket or an esky, then cook your goulash in a soup pot indoors. Jó étvágyat kívánok! Enjoy. GOULASH THE WAY MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME (Gulyás) 1-2 tablespoons oil 2 brown onions, chopped 1kg beef shin (or stewing steak), cubed and trimmed of fat 1 tablespoon Noble Sweet Hungarian paprika 2 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks 1 green capsicum, sliced 1 tomato, chopped 1 teaspoon salt (to taste) up to 2 litres water 3 potatoes, peeled and quartered a few sprigs of parsley a few caraway seeds (entirely optional) Heat the oil in a large saucepan or stock pot and saute the onions until they are just golden. Add the beef and cook it until it is well browned. Stir in the paprika, carrot, capsicum, tomato, salt and one litre of water. Bring the soup to the boil, the lower the heat, cover the pot and cook the goulash gently for up to two hours. At this stage, add the potatoes and parsley, and up to an additional litre or so of water (less if you prefer a less liquid Goulash). Then simmer until the potatoes are tender. Serves 6. PINCHED NOODLES (Csipetke) 11/2 cups plain flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons water 1 free range egg Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Knead to a firm, dry consistency. Grate directly into simmering soup or pinch off 1 cm pieces and drop into the soup. The noodles are ready when they rise to the top. Serves 6. Note: Please respect my literary work and do not copy. Kindly ask permission before re-blogging. Please provide full acknowledgement to Bizzy Lizzy's Good Things with a visible link back to my original blog post. 'Falling in love with Rome came very naturally and easy to me. As an artist, photographer and a dreamer at heart, my imagination was captivated and inspired by the timeless grandeur, compelling beauty and irresistible ambience and spirit of this great city.' 'An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it makes a better soup.' Sponsored postTo celebrate the return of Luke Nguyen's France to SBS ONE on Thursday, 17 July at 7.30pm, SBS is giving Good Things readers the chance to WIN a fabulous Luke Nguyen DVD prize pack. Would you believe it if I told you that I'm doing a (one-legged) happy dance right now, dear readers?! Yes, indeed I am! I'm super-excited because Commendatore Antonio Carluccio, one of my culinary heroes, is visiting Canberra as the Patron of this year's Canberra & Capital Region Truffle Festival. Many years ago, in a former lifetime, I worked with a lady named Thelma who had a pet cockatoo. The bird spent much of it's time sitting on a perch which was stationed in a little alcove just outside the bathroom. It was an old but nonetheless lively fellow that talked and danced. One of its favourite sayings, much to the dismay and embarrassment of my friend, was 'Watchya doing now darling', which it would repeat over and over anytime anybody entered or exited the area. Clearly the man of the house had a sense of humour that didn't quite match with that of his wife! 'A fine tool is a treasure. It curves to the hand, is balanced, ready for action. With the right tool, egg whites are whisked... and stones pop from olives. Zest curls crisply from the rind of an orange, with a titillating puff of citrus to the nose. ... Robust, timeless tools simplify the cook's life... [and] perform tasks almost instinctively under their master's guidance.' -- Anne Willan in the foreword to Tools for Cooks by Christine McFadden Exquisite, exotic, enhancing — a splash of lime juice and sprinkle of lime zest adds a fresh dimension, lovely scent and piquant flavour to all kinds of food and drinks. Peter and I adore limes and always seem to have at least half a dozen on our fruit platter. One of my favourite treats is a double layered lime slice. Rather than being a flamboyant Carmen Miranda of cakes, it's more an exquisite little Audrey Hepburn. |
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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