Hungarian Beef Goulash and Spätzle

Stolen on: December 13, 2006

Brrrr ... it's pretty cold out there. Talk about a need for comfort food. This week we "stole" a native Hungarian dish popular in central Europe – the goulash. Hungarian goulash is very different from American goulash, often the only resemblance is the usage of beef and tomatoes. For those who don't know what goulash is, it's a rich stew but low maintenance so you can focus on keeping your toes toasty. The recipe calls for Hungarian paprika which is stronger and spicier than the paprika that's common in most grocery stores, but it's worth the extra effort. Unlike American goulash which usually uses hamburger meat this recipe uses shin meat which has more flavor and results in a thicker soup. You can serve your goulash over rice, pasta or even buttered noodles but we love Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner's spätzle, literally translated from German to mean "little sparrow." It's homemade pasta or noodles, depending on how you shape it. If you have leftovers, spätzle's delicious pan-fried with some butter and onions.

About the chef: Having grown up around the garden-centered cooking of a small village on the Danube River, Kurt Gutenbrunner decided that he wanted to become a chef at age 14 and promptly enrolled in a professional hotel and restaurant school, where he obtained a degree in culinary arts. At the age of 16, Gutenbrunner began apprenticing at the Relais et Chateau Richard Löwenherz in the Wachau region, where he developed an appreciation for the wine of that region, which is featured heavily in his restaurants today.

Next, Gutenbrunner journeyed to Switzerland to work at Crans Montan in the Wallis Valley, before heading to Vienna to work at the Rotisserie Prinz Eugen. Gutenbrunner worked as a saucier, poissonnier and patissier at Tantris; Windows of the World's Cellar in the Sky; at Bouley in New York; chef de cuisine at Bistro Terrine; and Munich's Mangostin where he learned contemporary Asian-influenced cuisine. Gutenbrunner returned to New York in 1996 to become culinary director of David Bouley's expanding Bouley enterprise, and in 1997, became the executive chef at Monkey Bar.

Gutenbrunner's first restaurant Wallsé opened in 2000. Shortly after in 2001, Gutenbrunner was asked to open a café based on the fin de siecle Kaffeehaus to accompany the opening of the Neue Galerie, the showcase for Ronald Lauder's lifelong devotion to German and Austrian art. Gutenbrunner opened Blaue Gans, a casual Austrian restaurant and beer hall, in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood in winter 2005. As with all of his restaurant projects, Gutenbrunner aims to break stereotypes and explore the many paths available in a dynamic cuisine of a small nation that borders six countries.

Wallsé
344 West 11th Street
New York, New York 10014
212-352-2309
www.wallserestaurant.com

Hungarian Beef Goulash and Spätzle

Wallsé

Hungarian Beef Goulash and Spätzle is served at Wallsé for $19 with roasted peppers. The recipe is for a serving size of two.

This is a two-part recipe:
Hungarian Beef Goulash
Spätzle

Hungarian Beef Goulash
1 1/4 beef shin meat (trimmed of fat and cut into 1" pieces)
1 1/2 Spanish onions, finely diced
3/4 Tbsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 Tbsp marjoram
1/4 pinch ground caraway seeds
1/4 bay leaf
1/4 garlic clove, chopped
Water
Salt and pepper to taste

Steal This Recipe® step-by-step Instructions
1. Sauté onions until caramelized and add garlic
2. Add paprika, tomato paste, marjoram, caraway and cook for
two minutes longer stirring constantly so as to not scorch the paprika
3. Add beef and enough water to just barely cover the meat
4. Add bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil
5. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for at least one hour, stirring constantly
6. Goulash is done when the meat is tender, adjust seasoning to taste

Hungarian Beef Goulash
Calculated for a serving size of 1 (10.57 oz.)
Recipe yields 2 servings

Nutrient Name Amount per Serving % Daily Value

Calories 380 N/A

Calories from Fat 100 N/A

Total Fat 11 g 17%

Saturated Fat 3.5 g 18%

Trans Fat 0 g

Cholesterol 110 mg 37%

Sodium 180 mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 4 g 1%

Dietary Fiber 2 g 8%

Sugars <1 g

Protein 63 g

Vitamin A 40%

Vitamin C 10%

Calcium 8%

Iron 45%

This recipe is considered low saturated fat and low sodium.
Low Sodium = 140 mg or less per 100 g
Low Saturated Fat = 1 g or less per 100 g and less than 10% of Calories from Saturated Fat

Nutritional information for the recipe provided by CookedApple.com. The nutritional information supplied is to be used as a guideline only and will vary depending on the amount and variety of each ingredient used. This analysis assumes 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds used and 1 1/4 lb beef shank substituted.

For more recipes, go to www.archive.supermarketguru.com