I love this Gulasch soup recipe as it reminds me of my father. It was generally my mother who was in charge of the pots and pans in our house but when it came to Gulasch my father was the man for the job. He always puts a lot of effort in his cooking: Shopping for the right ingredients, chopping everything to the exact perfect size, cooking slowly and enjoying having the kitchen to himself. Our dinners would usually be late when my dad was cooking, but we were rewarded with fantastic flavours.
Now where I live quiet far away from my parents, I love preparing this soup and cherish a few good old memories. This soup is absolutely perfect for the wintery season and tastes great with a glass of red or mulled wine.
Happy second advent!
Level: Medium | Time: 60 minutes | serves 2
Ingredients
1 knob of butter or vegetable oil
5 baby onions quartered
1 carrot, peeled and cut in pieces
1 red pepper, washed and cut in pieces
1 small (or half a normal) leek, washed and cut in rings
100 grams of smoky bacon
250 grams of beef (don’t use a too lean cut)
Salt and Pepper
Sweet paprika powder (2 TS)
A few fresh thyme stalks
2 bay leaves
Beef stock 600 ml
Sour cream
Tomato puree
1 glass of red wine
Mushrooms (I used brown mushrooms. If you can get wild mushrooms, that would be even better.)
Preparation
- Put the butter in a heavy base pot on a high heat and fry the bacon and meat for a few minutes until brown all around.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the red wine. Cook for about 5 minutes allowing the alcohol to evaporate.
- Add the spices (paprika powder, salt, pepper, Thyme and Bay leaves) and the tomato puree and give it a good mix.
- Now add the rest of the vegetables besides the mushrooms, and the beef stock and bring to a boil.
- Lower the temperature to a low heat and cook covered.
- After 30 minutes add the mushrooms, mix well and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Serve the soup in warm bowls with a drop of crème fraîche and a sprinkle of fresh Thyme.
Bon Appétit!
Simply Soup 