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This recipe for Hungarian goulash soup or gulyas leves (GOO-yahsh LEH-vesh) is hearty enough to be eaten as a main course with rye bread.
This soup benefits from a long, slow cook and is actually a goulash, which is a stew, to which more liquid has been added. Traditional gulyas leves is made with beef or veal.
Ingredients
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2 medium onions, finely chopped
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2 tablespoons bacon fat, or vegetable oil
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3 pounds beef chuck roast, fat removed and cubed
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1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
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4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
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2 parsley roots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
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1 small bunch parsley, tied with butcher's twine
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4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, optional
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1 teaspoon Vegeta seasoning
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1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
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2 Hungarian wax peppers, or banana wax peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
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1 pinch hot Hungarian paprika
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Salt, to taste
Steps to Make It
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In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onions in the bacon fat or vegetable oil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until translucent. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let the onions brown. Salt the onions lightly to help tenderize them. Add a small amount of water, if necessary, to keep them from sticking to the pan.
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Turn the heat to high and add the meat cubes and stir constantly for about 3 minutes or until the meat has been seared on all sides.
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Add water to cover by an inch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the meat is almost tender, adding water as necessary to keep it above the level of the meat. This can take up to 2 hours.
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Add the sweet paprika, carrots, parsley roots, bunch of parsley, optional potatoes, Vegeta, optional caraway seeds, banana wax peppers, and hot paprika.
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Bring back to the boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender but not falling apart. Add additional water, if necessary, to keep a soup consistency. Add salt to taste.
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Serve over Hungarian csipetke or nokedli dumplings. You also might enjoy serving this filling soup with rye bread or potato bread.
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