STEAL THIS RECIPE^®: Hungarian Beef Goulash and Spätzle

Published on: December 14, 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.