Goulasch with Kartoffel Knödel ,Potato Dumplings.

Now a Goulash is a stew or a soup made with either beef or pork , but it must have paprika as the main flavoring . Now as to what else you put in it is rather up you and what you like everything from potatoes, carrots, celery, any root vegetables really, wine, bay leaf, caraway and thyme.Now technically Goulash  is from Hungry and in some lose reasoning , not that I am entirely sold on , the Huns, the most famous Atilla Hungry . And Goulash comes from the Hungarian word Gulyás meaning herdsman. And this is the kind of stew that they would make as they drove cattle to market.  As the herdsman would go on cattle drives they would butcher the weaker cows that may not make the drive and make a stew or soup from them. Apparently the plains of Hungary is the perfect place to raise cattle, the herdsman would drive the cattle all over Europe, no their way they would butcher the weaker cows and stew or soup over an open fire.

For my Goulasch with Kartoffel Knödel you will need.

1kg/2lbs stewing steak

3tdsp olive oil

3 onions chopped

2 garlic clove

2 red peppers

2tbsp plain flour

2tbsp paprika

12 mushrooms

2 sticks of celery

1 can of chopped tomatoes

2tsp tomato puree

Salt and pepper to taste

A glass of red wine

Chopped fresh parsley

6 medium potatoes, baked

150g/5oz self-rising flour

2 eggs

A good pinch of salt

First take your beef and add the flour and the paprika to it in a bag and give it all a good shake around so all the meat is covered. Then add the oil to a pan and fry the onions off, just soften them do not brown them. Then add the meat and seal that in all the spices. Now  slice and dice the vegetables up and add them along with the garlic crushed. Finally add the tomato puree and tined tomatoes then about 500ml or a 1pt of water and bring to the boil. Then turn down and simmer for about an hour. Once it has been cooing for about an hour and the beef is almost fully cooked add the wine and season with salt and pepper.  Finally finish with some fresh chopped parsley.

Now for your potato dumplings you need really dry potatoes and the best way to do this is bake them in an oven, let them go cold, scrap out the potato inside the skin and add it to a blow. Now crack the eggs in to the bowl and work them in to the potato. Then sift the flour in to the mix add the salt and gently work that into the potato to make a dough. Roll the dough into 1 inch or 3cm sized balls, then chill for about 15 minutes.

Bring a pan of  water  to the boil and drop the ball in to the water and let them cook gently for about 10 minutes. Then remove them from the water and use them to garnish you Goulasch.