Karen Wright: Hearty and warming goulash hits the spot

I have been concentrating on preparing food using basic meat, vegetables and fruit and avoiding ultra processed foods, so as is normal for me, I’m cooking from scratch. Of course, as it is a cold and dark month we all crave some comfort food to warm us up both body and soul. One of tastiest meals I made this January was a huge casserole of Hungarian Goulash. My husband John has happy memories of his many visits to Hungary and often tells me how much he loves Goulash.

Goulash is one of the many stews you can find in the world; they are all a variant on the same theme. We, here in the UK, enjoy our beef stew and dumplings, in Greece their version is a rich and fragrant Stifado, in France it is the ubiquitous Coq au Vin. All these dishes rely on similar ingredients and cooking methods.

To make my Goulash I bought some braising steak but stew meat or shin beef works just as well. I used a cast iron casserole dish that can be used on the hob and in the oven too. The first thing I did was to put a little oil in the dish and brown the meat for a couple of minutes and then I added a finely chopped onion and cooked that on a low heat for about five minutes. Then I simply added the other ingredients, which were two red peppers cut into strips, a few cloves of minced garlic, two tablespoons of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of chilli flakes, a teaspoon of caraway seeds, and a tablespoon of oregano. I added a carton of passata, a tablespoon of plain flour, and a good grind of salt and pepper. I brought everything to a boil on the hob, placed the lid on the dish and baked it in the oven at 150 degrees for about three hours.

This could be cooked in a slow cooker too if you have one. I served it with some lemon roast potatoes and vibrant green beans, and it really hit the spot, slightly spicy, hearty, warming and very delicious indeed, why not try making a potful of goulash this weekend! Next week, it is February. Hurrah, Rhubarb month!