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Friday, September 17, 2010

Oma's Goulash

This is my Mother's German goulash recipe. 
I always called it Mama's Goulash, but the
 grandchildren renamed it Oma's Goulash. 
So that's been it's name for a while. 
Everybody in the family makes it, but nobody 
can make it to taste as good as Oma's!  
My mother never measured, so I had to 
watch her make it. This is as close as it gets.
Start with  2-1/2 to 3 pounds of boneless
 chuck roast. Wash the meat under cold water
 and pat dry with a paper towel.
I realized my knife was dull, so Larry sharpened 
them. What a difference! Much easier to slice.
 You need a good, sharp knife. 
Cut the meat into cubes.
Cut up the onion and green pepper. 
Pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel. 
This is a very important step to ensure 
that the meat will brown nicely. 
I'm using Crisco because that's what my
 mother used. You could use vegetable oil, 
but not olive oil. I'm also using my feisty red 
Le Creuset Dutch oven. Very "Julie and Julia".
 A cast iron pot works well too.
Add the meat to the hot oil and let it brown for 
about 5 minutes without stirring. 
Then add the vegetables. Add salt, pepper
 and paprika and give it a good stir.
Let the meat brown.
This will take about 20 minutes. 
This is a very important step to ensure 
brown meat and great flavor.
Don't be impatient. Wait until all the 
accumulated liquid has evaporated.
Then the meat will begin to brown nicely. 
Brown another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the 4 C of water and crumble in the 
2 beef bullion cubes. Stirring up the browned
 bits on the bottom. Bring to a boil.
Mix the slurry in a jar. 
(Slurry: a mixture of flour and water 
used to thicken gravy and sauces.)
1/2 C flour and 1 C water shaken in a jar.
Stir the slurry into the simmering broth.
Bring to a boil, stir until thickened; 
about 2 minutes.
Add the red pepper flakes, 
because goulash needs a little kick.
Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and let 
cook for 2-1/2 hours. It will make your
 house smell wonderful! 
I know, cute red pot right?
Done!
Look at all that great gravy! 
Serve it up on a bed of noodles. 
Have a spoon handy to get lots of gravy
 with each bite. You can also serve 
it the authentic German way with 
potato dumplings and red cabbage 
as my mother often did.
or try my spaetzle recipe 
You can copy and paste the picture and 
condensed recipe below.
*********************

Oma's Goulash
2-1/2 to 3 pound beef chuck roast
1/4 C shortening
1-1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 t paprika
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, cut-up
4 C water along with
2 beef bouillon cubes
slurry: 1/2 C flour & 1 C water

Heat the shortening in a heavy 5 qt Dutch-oven 
style pot. Dry the beef well with a paper towel.
Add the beef and let brown for about five minutes. 
Add the onion, green pepper, salt and pepper.
 Brown well until all the moisture evaporates, 
about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika. 
Give it a good stir. Add the 4 cups of water and 
the 2 bouillon cubes, stirring to loosen up the 
browned bits on the bottom. Bring to a boil. 
Stir in the slurry and bring to a boil again, 
stirring until thickened. Add the red pepper flakes, 
stir. Cover and reduce the heat to low and let 
simmer for 2-1/2 hours until the beef is fork tender.
serves 4-6
Guten Appetit!
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Katie Jaeger at 91 
Every time I make this it's an
 "I Remember Mama" moment.
Mama and me in the kitchen.

Links: Between Naps On The PorchFoodie Frida,
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41 comments:

  1. Rita, this recipe sounds heavenly, having been lucky enough to have tasted you Mom's cooking I know all her recipes will be wonderful, Johnny says keep them coming. Oh by the way, I too love the red pot!!

    Regards,
    Sharon

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  2. Don't you love how food creates memories? Your opening and closing pics are absolutely mouthwatering. I would love to have some right now. I love the red pot too. So beautiful. Keep the memories alive.

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  3. I don't know which pictures I like better, the delicious goulash or the lovely pictures of Oma. Those pictures are precious and so important to the recipe. Jacqueline is right - your photos are mouthwatering!

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  4. I tried this Friday evening and it was very good. I was out of egg noodles so I used Rotini and that worked. We had some leftovers and my hubby wanted that to take to work for lunch! Thanks keep them coming.

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  6. This was so yummy! Thanks for sharing!

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  7. I've made this recipe several times now and it is the best! Lots of great comments and recipe requests. It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy.

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  8. I've made this recipe twice now. The first time I followed the recipe exact and found it to be a little flavorless. This last time I used 2 cups homemade beef broth and 2 cups water and it was perfect!

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    Replies
    1. I used all beef broth. This is a hit EVERY time I make it. Always a request.....Thank Oma!!

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  9. I'm glad you got it to your liking. I did add bouillon cubes, so the beef broth will be good also. The big key to boost the flavor is to make sure the beef cubed are very well browned and there is no meat moisture in the pot before you add any liquid.

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  10. Rita ...your recipes are great

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  11. Sooo good. Umm... sooo good. I have made this four times now for my husband. I followed the recipe except for the green bell pepper because he doesn't them. It's easy to make and simply wonderful.

    Thank you, Rita.

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  12. I dont have a dutch oven, would a pot work or a slow cooker?

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  13. I made it and it was great!thank you for sharing :)

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  14. Each recipe is unique, in view of these dishes I make hungry. Although I do not bake cakes, but certainly I will use one of these delicious recipes.

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  15. I made this last night & it turned out AMAZING. No more Knorr seasoning packets in this house! ;)

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  16. I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit (even for my finicky 3 and 8 year olds). My husband is from the Philippines, so we eat mostly Asian food, but I lived in Bavaria for 16 years and miss all the yummy German dishes! So glad I found your recipe! Thank you for sharing! ;)

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  17. I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit (even for my finicky 3 and 8 year olds). My husband is from the Philippines, so we eat mostly Asian food, but I lived in Bavaria for 16 years and miss all the yummy German dishes! So glad I found your recipe! Thank you for sharing! ;)

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  18. minor tweaks I do that makes a richer and deeper flavor.

    I put 1 tsp of the salt on the cubed beef and refrigerate for an hour to remove even more water from the meat before patting it down.

    I also use beef or chicken broth in place of the 4 cups of water.

    -Steven

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  19. WE frequent a local German eatery in our small town. Husband absolutely loves the goulash. In search of a recipe to replicate I found yours and it is perfect. The eatery we go to puts a scoop of mashed potato in the bottom of the bowl and then the goulash over that. Is that a regional thing?
    No matter my husband loves your Oma's goulash
    Thank you

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  20. How many people does this feed? I am making it for the first time, and don't know if I will need to double it. Thanks.
    I'm feeding 4 adults and 3 teenagers. Thanks, Kristel

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  21. The recipe looks so delish, can't wait to try, love the noodles and really loved the vintage picture, thanks for the memories...

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  22. Oh my gosh, this is good. Left out the green pepper and used canned beef broth, but followed the rest of the recipe as written.

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  23. I made this for dinner tonight and it was delish!! I made a few changes, I used just a splash of canola oil to brown. I used low sodium beef broth and a red pepper ( it's what I had). I also added some frozen peas and corn. I think I also cooked it for about 3 hours. It was really good and my husband loved it. Thanks for sharing your family recipe!

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  24. I made this at the weekend ready for a couple of work lunches this week and had it at lunch time today for the first time. It was delicious! I will definitely be making it again.

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  25. I have made this recipe many times and every time I thank your Oma!!
    Our temps just started to drop so this is a perfect Sunday meal. I might also add that it is a constant request by our group...............thanks again for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for letting me know that your tried it and love it. That makes me smile. :)

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  26. Thank you for the great recipe. It reminds me of the goulash my Omi made.

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  27. I've looked at hundreds of goulash recipes online and this is the one I have been looking for! It's absolutely delicious! And thank you so much for kindly sharing this family recipe with all of us. The food and your story warms my heart. :)

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  28. Has any one done this in a slow cooker?

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    1. Ive never used a slow cooker on this but it seems like u cud brown the meat like in a beef stew and throw everything else in on low for several hours

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  29. Love your mamma’s goulash recipe, making it right now and will add some mushrooms.

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