A traditional dish of Hungarian cuisine that becomes irresistible with our Polpa and our Double Concentrated Tomato Paste.
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Serve beef goulash with a side of smashed potatoes.
1
To prepare this beef goulash recipe, peel and thinly slice the onions (using a mandolin if you can) and place in a large heavy bottomed pot with a lid. Sauté onions and olive oil on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring regularly until the onions are very soft and translucent (don't let them brown).
2
Chop the beef into 8-9 mm dice and place in the pot with the cooked onion. Increase the heat to medium and brown the beef on all sides, stirring regularly. Once it has browned, add the smoked and sweet paprika. Stir through and then add the tin of Mutti Polpa and Mutti Tomato Paste. Stir, add salt to taste and simmer on low heat, covered, until the beef is tender (about an hour and a half).
3
To make the potatoes, peel and chop into large chunks. Place in a medium sized saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. In the meantime, place the remaining thinly sliced onions in a small frypan with three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat. Cook the onions for about ten minutes, stirring regularly until translucent and starting to brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4
Allow the potatoes to cook until fork tender (the time taken depends on the size of your potatoes, start testing after ten minutes). Drain and return them to the same saucepan. Mash them roughly with an old-fashioned potato "masher" (or even the back of a fork), then stir through the previously prepared onions including the remaining oil in the pan. Add a splash of olive oil if they look a bit dry. Salt to taste.
5
Serve beef goulash with a side of smashed potatoes.
The recipe for Beef Goulash has ancient origins. Hungarian cattle herders, known as “gulyás,” used to prepare this warm and tasty dish during their long travels to sell the high-quality beef from the Puszta plains, where the animals were raised, to markets in major European cities such as Vienna, Nuremberg and Venice, even before the 18th century. It was traditionally cooked in large iron pots known as “bogrács,” suspended over an open fire, which not only provided a consistent and controlled heat source but also imparted a distinct smoky flavor that has become a hallmark of authentic Goulash. For the cattle herders, Goulash represented a unique source of warmth and sustenance, without sacrificing flavor.
It’s the perfect blend of simple ingredients that come together to create something extraordinary. At the heart of this dish is the high-quality beef, which, when slow-cooked, becomes incredibly tender and absorbs the rich flavors of the accompanying ingredients. Our Mutti Polpa and our Mutti Double Concentrated Tomato Paste, combined with the slow cooking of the meat and the skillful use of paprika, make Goulash a flavorful, tender, intense, and irresistible dish: try it to believe it!
Cuts suited to slow cooking are ideal for goulash. Chuck steak, blade steak, braising steak, beef shin, brisket or boneless short rib all work well because their connective tissue gradually breaks down during a long, gentle simmer, giving the meat a tender texture while enriching the sauce. Avoid very lean cuts, which can become dry during extended cooking.
Paprika is one of the defining flavours of goulash. Sweet paprika provides warmth and gentle sweetness, while smoked paprika introduces a deeper, subtly smoky character. This recipe uses both, creating a more layered flavour without making the dish overly spicy.
