Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2.2 lbs beef chuck (1 kg)
  • 2.2 lbs onions (1 kg)
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 piece celeriac or 2-3 celery stalks ( 2 oz/ 60 g)
  • 2 tablespoons clarified butter (Note 1)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon hot paprika (smoked or unsmoked, to taste)
  • 3 cups dry red wine (750 ml, Note 2 )
  • 1 ¼ cups low sodium beef stock (300 ml)
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • ½-1 teaspoon caraway seeds (to taste)
  • fine sea salt or Kosher
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instruction

  • Cut the meat into cubes (about 1 inch/ 2 ½ cm). Set aside.
  • Chop the onions, carrots, and celeriac.
  • Brown vegetables: Heat the clarified butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the vegetables and a pinch of salt, and cook, often stirring, for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat, until deeply golden brown. Don’t let them catch too much at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and turn down the heat a bit if necessary.
  • Add tomato paste and stir it continuously for about 2 minutes to mix it with the vegetables and let it brown slightly.
  • Add both kinds of paprika powder and stir well to combine.
  • Pour in the wine and the stock, add bay leaves, marjoram, caraway seeds, and pepper. Don’t add salt now; it all depends on the stock you are using.
  • Simmer: Add the meat, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the meat is perfectly tender.
  • Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.
  • The gravy should be thick and glossy; if you want it to be thicker, you can cook the German goulash for 10-15 minutes more without the lid. This will allow the sauce to reduce more. However, I seldom find that necessary; it’s usually as thick as we like after the initial cooking time.