Quarantine Beef Goulash

 

Quarantine Beef Goulash is perfect comforting food made during our quarantine days. It is perfect example how frugal homemade dish using meat leftovers is the best!

 

My quarantine days started as soon as my corona positive contact informed epidemiological agency about all the contacts he had. Luckily, my son was away so we were spared of much more stress.
As we all are used to have some stocks these days, I found a frozen package of flank steak and some vegetables to make goulash. I named it quarantine beef goulash since it really was made of leftovers only and definitely proved that homemade food, using leftovers and a bit of imagination turns into great tasty meal.

 

What is traditional goulash made of?

A traditional goulash is a soup or stew that is usually filled with tender beef and onions spiced with paprika. Many versions add other vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, peppers, and tomatoes.

 

Who created goulash?

The invention of goulash began with one of the humblest groups in Hungarian society, the cowherds, in 9th century, according to the distinguished Hungarian ethnologist Eszter Kisbán.

 

What is the difference between goulash and beef stew?

Hungarian goulash is very similar to beef stew, but there are some differences. While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as juniper, bay leaves, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

 

Can I use chili powder as a substitute to paprika?

Yes, red chili powder is a great substitute for paprika in recipes as it has similar flavoring and also produces that same red coloring.

 

To be back to my quarantine food, here you can see the vegetables you need to add to meat. There is Mr. Onion missing but you’ll see it chopped later, as I demonstrate how to make layers in the pot before boiling this easy and comforting lunch or dinner:

After I cut flank steak into one-inch-wide strips, I made three layers of vegetables and meat:

and left it to slowly boil for one hour and ten minutes. All the vegetables soften during that long boiling, so you don’t need corn starch of any kind of flour to thicken it. This makes this goulash gluten free, healthy and tasty so much!
Also, I did not have beef stock, so I combined ½ of bouillon cube with 1 1/3 cup of warm water to dissolve the cube and used it instead.

If you serve flour made pasta or Alpine bread dumplings it is not gluten free lunch or dinner any more. As about bread dumplings, I did some Internet research and found that turkey stuffing is made of the very same ingredients as these dumplings I used. It’s just the shape that is different.

What are simple bread dumplings made of?

Bread dumplings are a traditional Bavarian side dish, made from bread, milk, onion, eggs, and herbs. When cooked, the dumplings are airy, have a tender texture, and go with anything saucy, like a roast, goulash, Jagerschnitzel, but they also taste delicious served with mushroom sauce for a vegetarian option.

 

For another comforting stew look at Pumpkin Beef Stew with Bulgur .