Does Wolfgang Really Serve this to his Guests? With Sugar in it?

gingerbread51 - January 31, 2008 07:47:41 AM PST

I believe sugar is a definite non-no in this dish, or at the very least a very cheap shortcut that is not worthy of a star chef. The sweetness in this dish comes from onions, and to some degree from sweet bell peppers.

As another reviewer pointed out, the meat must be browned to seal in the juices, add flavor and color to the dish. This is basic cooking 101.

Here is how I learned to cook goulash 35 years ago from a Hungarian expatriate. I adapted it for pressure cooker use but can of course be prepared in a cast iron dutch oven with longer cooking times. Though not original to the recipe, to achieve a thickening of the liquids a chopped potato can be added with the peppers:

Olive oil for frying
1.5 lbs mixed meat (any 3 of beef, lamb, veal or pork), diced to ½ inch cubes
5 onions, chopped
3 bell peppers (red, green), chopped
1 peeled potato, chopped (optional)
4 peeled tomatoes (Roma or plum type, chopped (or 1 small can tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pinch caraway seeds (optional)
¼ teasp marjoram
½ teasp sea salt
½ teasp. ground black pepper
1 tablesp. sweet Hungarian paprika
¼ teasp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 quart broth
½ cup red wine (optional)

Brown the meat in olive oil, then add onions, brown some more, add peppers, potato, tomatoes, all the spices, garlic and seasonings, and keep stirring until all well coated, add broth, close lid and cook at full power for /- 20 minutes; check meat for doneness, add red wine. If red wine is not an option, add some more broth if necessary and add some drops of lemon into the dish; stir well and let simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve with fresh French bead over your choice of:

a) mashed potatoes;
b) wide noodles;
c) rice;
d) couscous;
e) German potato dumplings; or
f) spaetzle, which, though certainly popular in Austria, are actually from the German Black Forest – as a chef, Wolfgang Puck should really know that! This is like telling someone from the other side of the world that hamburgers are original to Canada.

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Sounds good, but no browning?

Beena - January 28, 2008 01:28:11 PM PST

This recipe sounds just as I learned to make Hungarian Gulash when I was young, except that we used to brown the meat very well first, oh, and no Caraway. I wonder if stewing the meat without browning is really original, it would probably make a better sauce if it was browned first.
And SPAETZLE from Austia? I don\'t think so lieber Wolfie, I am sure you know.... they originate in the Swabian region of Germany.

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Sugar in this recipe...

ItalJoe - February 17, 2009 12:41:18 PM PST

I agree with the commentor that using sugar is a cheap and easy subsitute for natural ingredients that create flavor. That is so typical of over-commercialized chefs like Wolfgang and Emeril.

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nice try, but...

inLoveinLA - December 29, 2008 04:39:39 PM PST

and yes, I\'m actually a Hungarian cook. Unlike what someone wrote about how we "never use bell peppers"-- um, yes, I do, and a little red wine. No bay leaves, and definitely some ground cumin.

And it would be spelled "gulyas," but we Hungarians call it "porkolt," and nokedli, or "spaetzl" or whatever, works fine as a side dish.

There are many ways to prepare dishes, and not one is "right or wrong," just different. At least I give kudos to WP for using a Hungarian specialty as one of his recipes.

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Love goulash

SUE ELLEN CLEMENT - January 31, 2008 05:57:38 PM PST

I always wanted to know how to make authentic Hungarian Goulash. this is great. As far as the sugar goes, it is a flavor enhancer much like salt and it is used in many tomato dishes to bring out the tomato flavor. it\'s part of the recipe and if you want it to taste the way it is supposed to which is sweet and savory than you use sugar.

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from an authentic austrian-hungarian cook

poeticdancer2003 - February 25, 2008 01:53:06 PM PST

no austrian uses spaetzle, this is a german thing! no sugar goes into gulyasz either, and never bell peppers! this is not authentic hungarian at all but a la WP. no you do not brown the meat, but you can toss it a bit with the glazed onions. add the paprika when the liquid is already on or at least right before so the spice does not turn bitter. many add some good beer which enhances the flavor and thickens the juice. this dish goes with added potato chunks, hearty sour dough bread which you can dunk in the juice at the end of the eating. tarhonya is also a nice side dish.

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Not even close to Hungarian Gulyas

jzk77 - March 18, 2009 04:22:37 PM PST

This is only an overspiced stew. Gulyas was made by the sheepherders. It was made with lamb not beef. The sheepherders took the lambs from the village in the spring to graze on the green Hungarian hills. The sheepherders did not come down from the hills until the end of summer. They took everything they needed for the summer in their batyu (backpack). Now seriously, do you think they could fit all this stuff in their backpack? In addition to the lamb it is made with carrots, potatoes and onions. And of course paprika and salt. I don\\\'t know how this mess came about, but it\\\'s not authentic at all. YUCK!

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To Leave Wolfie Alone

ahill121667 - February 17, 2009 04:29:07 PM PST

Just to clarify, the word gulyas does NOT mean stew. It means herdsman or prepared by herdsman. You are correct, however, about the paprika. I wouldn\\\'t want people classifying their cooking as Hungarian just because they put paprika in it.

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sounds good to me

bondprophil - February 17, 2009 03:14:27 PM PST

I went to Hungary in October and made Shrimp Creole for the family I stayed with. It was very difficult to chase down the veggies. Shrimp was available at $20 a pound. You can get bell peppers but I had to go to the main market in Budapest to get them. They were not available in the supermarkets.

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Leave Wolfie alone

miljenko M - February 17, 2009 01:40:25 PM PST

Chef Puck knows what he is doing. Before analyzing, try the recipe. Reading the previous six reviews, a number of thoughts come to mind:

Goulash is just a Hungarian word for stew. Just because it has paprika, it does not make it Hungarian.

The sugar over caramelized the onions. Yes, but it works if one does not use fresh red peppers.

I was skeptic of not browning the beef... but again, it works.

All in all, a good quick and easy recipe. Could it be better? Yes. Nevertheless, it is reasonable, in all sense of the word, same as the food he serves in his restaurants. Incidentally, don\\\'t get uptight about the starch, a pasta is a pasta, is a pasta ...

Regards

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