Ingredients
- 500g braising beef
- 1 tbsp flour , seasoned really well
- olive oil
- 1 large onion , halved and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves , crushed
- 250g chestnut mushrooms , halved if large
- 1 red pepper , sliced
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300ml beef stock
- a small bunch parsley , chopped
- basmati rice , to serve
- soured cream , to serve
- Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Toss the beef with the seasoned flour then brown all over in 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Scoop out, then add the onions and cook really well until soft and browned at the edges. Add the garlic, mushrooms and pepper and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Return the beef to the pan and add the spices, tomatoes and beef stock. Put on a lid and transfer to the oven and cook for 2-2.5 hours until beef is really tender and sauce thickened.
- Stir in the parsley. Serve with rice and soured cream.
Looks absolutely delicious. For a slightly more Hungarian feel, double the amount of paprika, and add a teaspoon of smoked paprika and one of hot paprika (don't worry, it won't make it really spicey, but it will change the flavour, in the same way that adding chorizo to a Spanish stew does). Any Hungarian cook worth their salt would probably use about 15 different sorts of paprika! Also add a green pepper if you have one (the Hungarians love their peppers), and add dumplings for the last 20 minutes, instead of serving with the rice. And don't forget that massive dollop of soured cream!
ReplyDeletePS The Hungarians would probably also use beef dripping, instead of olive oil, but that's probably why they have so many heart attacks!
ReplyDeletePPS For a variation, try it with meatballs (minced beef, plain flour, seasoning, fresh parsley, egg to bind), then follow the recipe as for the beef.
ReplyDelete