Gulyásleves originates from a dish cooked by the cattlemen (Hungarian: gulya = cattle herd, gulyás = cattle herder), who tended their herds in the puszta, the Great Hungarian Plain. These Hungarian cowboys camped out with their cattle days away from their homes, so they made their daily food from ingredients they carried with themselves, and this had to be cooked in the one available portable cauldron (called bogrács) over an open fire.
As some may know, the genuine article is not a stew but a soup. If you want to make it thicker, add a Tbsp corn starch dispersed in cold water, add it to the soup, and simmer for an additional ten minutes.
Recipe
Ingredients
3 Onions, diced
2 Tbsp Oil
1 lb Beef Chuck, diced small,
1 Tbsp Paprika
½ tsp Cayenne Pwd
2 Carrots, sliced
1 Parsnip, sliced
I stalk Celery, sliced, greens included
3 Potatoes, diced
Salt & Pepper
Caraway seeds, a sprinkle
Method
Fry the onions in oil until translucent, add the beef, fry until well browned. Add the paprika and cayenne peppers, blend well.
Add, just enough water to cover plus salt to taste. Simmer covered, until the beef is tender.
Add the vegetables, caraway seeds, salt and pepper to taste.
Add more water, just to cover, simmer until the potatoes are soft.
Serve, if desired, with French bread.
Enjoy!
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