Hungarian gulyàs - pörkölt

ingredients - info red onions shallots beef stew all-purpose flour paprika powder (mild) passata red peppers canned tomatoes garlic carrots

sour cream olive oil bay leaf beef stock pepper and salt flat parsley bacon rosemary thyme cumin salt and pepper

Gulyàs stands for the soup version of this dish. The correct name for this version is 'pörkölt' because it contains roasted meat. Now, this meat is only seared, but in the Hungarian shepherds' way, we actually speak of roasted meat that is further finished with sauce. You can prepare this dish in an ordinary saucepan. If you have a cast-iron babecue kettle on a tripod, then it becomes really special. Also with a Dutch oven on the classic barbecue you can give your guests the Hungarian pousta feeling. If you also have these handy individual hanging kettles to put on the table, as shown in the photo, then you score extra on atmosphere and cosiness! With this dish you must offer your guests Egri Bikaver or bull's blood. It is a dark red wine from the region of Eger in Hungary. You do not have to travel to get it. Bull's blood is relatively easy to find on shop shelves, especially in the specialised wine trade.

Sauté coarsely chopped red onion and shallot, together with crushed garlic cloves, coarsely chopped peppers and diced carrots in a little olive oil. Cut the bacon into thick pieces and fry them in a separate frying pan. Roll the stew meat in flour, pat it and sear it in olive oil. Season with pepper and salt. Make a bouquet of herbs from fresh sprigs of thyme, rosemary, parsley stalks and bay leaves. Add everything together and season with mild paprika and cumin. Add peeled and canned tomatoes and a can of passata. Pour in the beef stock and a glass of red wine until everything is submerged. Mix well and leave to simmer on a low heat for at least an hour or more until the stew is done. Set the preparation aside overnight in a cool place. Reheat before serving and finish with chopped parsley. Serve, if available, in individual bowls with toasted baguette and a jar of sour cream.