A Simple Goulash

A hearty stew is a great cold weather meal, and there's little better than a tasty goulash right in the middle of winter, served with some crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 1kg of rump steak
• 2 large, or 4 medium-sized brown onions
• 1-2 tablespoons of paprika, preferably spicy
• 4 tomatoes, peeled
• 2 red or green capsicums
• 5 cloves of garlic
• A crusty loaf of bread; a nice sourdough, or Pane di Casa
• A dash of Shiraz
• A splash of olive oil
• A teaspoon of butter
• Sour cream, to garnish

Method

1. Prepare the ingredients. Skin and finely dice the onions. Also peel the garlic, use the side of a large knife and the heel of your palm to crush the garlic cloves, then finely dice. Place onions and garlic into a bowl.
2. Remove the core and seeds from the capsicums, then chop into roughly 15 x 8mm sized pieces, and place in a second bowl. Peel the tomatoes, then roughly chop into small slices, about 8mm wide by 20mm. Add the tomatoes to the capsicum.
3. Trim the fat from the steak, and cut into roughly 2cm cubes. Don't make the pieces too small, or they will dry out and become overly chewy. Some suggest lightly tossing the beef through some plain flour to seal in the juices and assist in thickening the gravy formed, but this isn't essential; I certainly don't find it necessary if the stew isn't overcooked.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 170°C.
5. Get a heavy-based casserole pot, and heat on a medium heat on your stovetop. Once the base of the pot has warmed, first add the olive oil and the butter, and let them start to spit before adding the and garlic mixture, stirring thoroughly. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring often until the onion ends up translucent and soft, but not too dry.
6. Once the onions start to go soft, it's time to add the cubed beef to the casserole pot. Mix well with the onions, ensuring the beef is evenly spread over the base of the pot, stirring occasionally until the cubes are lightly browned.
7. Once browned, it's time to add the paprika. Sprinkle the paprika over the onion and beef mixture, stirring in to coat all the cubes relatively evenly. Cook with the lid off for a few minutes, stir, then cover the pot with a lid, cooking for a further 5 minutes.
8. Now it's time to add the tomato and paprika. Add these two to the pot, and stir in well, cooking on the stovetop for a few minutes. Once the tomato has softened a little, add a generous splash of Shiraz to the pot, stirring in well. Replace the lid of the pot, and turn off the stovetop. Place your casserole pot in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on impatience.
9. Just before removing the casserole dish from your oven, fire up the stovetop again with a cast-iron skillet or the like. Grab your loaf of bread, and cut a couple of 1cm thick slices, and lightly drizzle both sides of the bread with olive oil. Once the skillet is up to temperature, quickly grill the bread on both sides.
10. Serve the goulash in a bowl, with a teaspoon or two of sour cream on top. Enjoy with a glass of shiraz.