Carlo Sud
Pete Wells, Smuggler’s Cove
26 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
26
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In a large heavy pot over medium-low heat, melt the duck fat (or heat the oil) and add the onions. Reduce heat to very low and cook slowly cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are a very dark brown, 1½ to 2 hours. If necessary, toward the end of cooking, raise heat to medium and stir constantly until onions are browned.
Meanwhile, place the red peppers in a steamer over boiling water and steam until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer peppers to a food mill or blender and purée (straining afterward if using a blender). You should have ¾ cup purée; reserve any remainder for another use.
Add the tomato paste to the onions and cook until paste darkens, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet and hot paprikas and mix well. Add 7 cups water, the red pepper purée, the vinegar, dried marjoram, garlic, ground caraway seeds and lemon zest. Add half of each of the fresh marjoram, thyme and rosemary.
Season the beef cheeks generously with salt and pepper and add them to the pot. Bring liquid to a bare simmer and cook partly covered, stirring only 3 or 4 times, for at least 3 hours, then add the rest of the fresh herbs and begin to check the cheeks’ tenderness with a fork. They are done when they fall easily from the fork, after about 4 hours. They should be meltingly tender, but not fall apart. As some pieces will take longer than others, pull them from the liquid as they are done. Spread the cooked beef cheeks in a single layer on a baking sheet.
When all the cheeks are done, pass the cooking liquid through a colander. (Don’t use a sieve, as you want to push tiny bits of onion through to make a slightly chunky sauce.)
Pour the sauce over the cheeks and season to taste with salt, pepper, additional fresh marjoram and cornichon juice. Serve immediately, very hot, or reheat by covering baking sheet and returning cheeks to oven at 350 degrees.
Add the purée to the pot with the 7 cups water, the vinegar, dried marjoram, garlic, ground caraway seeds and lemon zest in step 3. We've updated the recipe.
Ummmm.....why did I steam and puree 5 red bell peppers?
Repeated the recipe with chicken. Chicken thighs - removed the skin and deboned then cut down to a size that matched the beef. The change I made was in step 4 where I added roasted thigh bones along with 2lbs of roasted chicken wings to give the sauce a deep chicken flavor. Cooked that for 3 hours. Removed the roasted chicken parts and discarded. Added the thigh meat and cooked for 60-90 minutes. Great results! Many preferred the chicken version over the beef.
I followed the recipe in detail with the beef cheeks. Trimming the membrane on the beef cheeks was difficult, but I found a helpful tutorial video on how to do it. Next time, I plan to ask the butcher to trim the cheeks for me and defrost them ahead of time. If you want to enjoy your culinary skills for a day, this is a great option. The results were spectacular, and the following day, like most braised stew-like dishes, it improved. I’m looking forward to making it for a crowd next time!
Made mostly as directed with a few changes. Extra pepper and onion. Used an entire 7 oz jar of tomato paste. Only had "Hungarian paprika" so used a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Seared the meat before adding it in. Added an extra teaspoon of paprika. Doubled the garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Had to use dried marjoram instead. Added two beef bullion cubes to the water and only used 6.5 cups.
Didn't use beef cheek but a mix of stew meats b/c that was what farmers market had on had. Cooked until it could fall apart on a fork so a little past what was written. Served with Bavarian-style spaetzle.
Hungarian paprika would be ideal! Goulash is, after all, Hungary's national dish.
Instead of steaming I grilled the bell peppers in the oven (more flavour). 3 bell peppers is more than enough for 3/4 cups of puree. Did not use marjoram and just a little bit of the caraway seeds (don’t like the smell of it at all). That was no problem. Easy recipe, the goulash was delicious!
Ummmm.....why did I steam and puree 5 red bell peppers?
Add the purée to the pot with the 7 cups water, the vinegar, dried marjoram, garlic, ground caraway seeds and lemon zest in step 3. We've updated the recipe.
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