Trader’s Comfort Food – Hungarian Goulash
Courtesy of my Hungarian Wife
Have you ever asked yourself what are those successful forex traders having for a lunch or a dinner.
I bet that first thing that comes to your mind are those fancy photos that are posted all over the net, representing some young dude , driving a Lamborghini , going for a fancy restaurant and ordering lobster or some huge steak, coupled with some fancy wine.
Well, you couldn’t be more wrong…Depending on the previous week results in trading we go for a Comfort Food- when things go wrong , or some light versions of everyday meals ( who needs to eat when he/she pocketed 250 pips )
These recipes are for the weeks when we got it all wrong…or better blame it on President Biden, FOMC, crisis in Ukraine and Middle East , some rogue Hedge Fund….
So here it comes :
Hungarian Goulash
Note on authenticity: This is a recipe that is intended to respect traditional Hungarian Goulash. But as with all such recipes, every cook and every family has their own version. I am sure some Hungarians will disagree on something I’ve included!
Ingredients:
- 1 kg/2 lb beef chuck , cut in 3.5cm / 1.5″ cubes
- 1 3/4tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1tsp black pepper
- 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp/ 30g unsalted butter
- 2brown onions , cut into 1cm / 1/2″ squares
- 5garlic cloves , finely minced
- 2capsicum/bell peppers (1 red + 1 yellow), cut into 2 cm / 0.8″ squares
- 2tomatoes , cut into 8 wedges then in half
- 1/4cup Hungarian-style paprika
- 1tsp caraway seeds ,
Instructions
You can use your slow cooker or stove instead
- Season beef – Toss the beef with half the salt and pepper.
- Cook onion – Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large oven-proof dutch oven over high heat. Cook onion for 6 minutes until the edges are light golden.
- Cook beef – Add the beef and stir until the outside changes from red to brown, about 2 minutes. It won’t go golden brown, it’s not supposed to.
- Add vegetables – Add garlic, capsicum and tomato. Stir for 3 minutes – the tomato will mostly breakdown.
- Add paprika, caraway and bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Slow cook – Add beef stock, stir, and bring to simmer. Cover with a lid and let it cook on a slow fire.
- Add potato – The beef should be pretty tender but not quite “fall-apart”. Stir in carrot and potatoes, and cook it another 30 minutes. Beef should now be “fall-apart” – if not, continue cooking for 10 minutes at a time. ( Best results are actually gotten if cooked for like 3-4h )
- Serve – Ladle goulash into bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Eat as is, with optional bread for dunking!
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I would recommend to you to try this recipe, and once you master it, there is one more level to reach: Instead of using the potato, you might get adventurous and try to prepare some dumplings – either potato ones, semolina or plain. What I enjoy often are potato based dumplings….
Warning: use only Hungarian style grounded paprika – sweet.
Even if you are a fan of spicy and hot food (as I am truly) , do not use hot paprika in the recipe – it will turn the taste towards bitter….it has to stay sweet.
When you are serving it in the ball, throw over it some cut bell pepper , and if you are a Spicy Fan , use any kind of hot peppers that you like…like Jalapeño, Chilli , Scotch Bonnet and up on the heat scale 😀
The best drink to accompany Goulash is some nice red wine…of your choice, but even a plain mineral water will do. Just avoid sodas like Cola and similar – that will ruin the taste in your mouth.
I hope you will enjoy this dish, as I am.
Courtesy of one wife (Maria) and one Forex Trader (Moi)
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