This soup, warm, wholesome, and rich in flavour, can be used as a main meal, especially on those cold days when it will be much appreciated. It is made with only a few simple ingredients, and when cooked well and simmered slowly, it makes a perfect meal choice for body and soul, it is also quite filling, so there is no need to plan a main course.

This Hungarian soup, Gulyásleves, is generally made of beef, vegetables, ground paprika and other spices, but originates from a dish, a thicker stew (what is commonly known as beef goulash) that was cooked outside in the cauldron over an open fire, by the cattlemen, the Hungarian cowboys, who camped with their cattle in the Great Hungarian Plain.

This dish, although native to Hungary, became very popular in the countries around Hungary, which, like in most cases, gave a little twist to the original recipe, and is the origin of variety of new regional variations.

For example in Austria, where this dish is called Goulaschsuppe, it is common to cook this soup without its meat component, which makes a fantastic vegetarian and vegan friendly meal.

In Slovenia, where I come from however, this soup (called kromprjev golaž) which is a real crowd pleaser and became part of Slovenian food culture, testimony of the strong presence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the the territory, is almost always cooked with the meat component, where beef can be substituted by dry meats, i.e. some sort or sausages (smoked varieties are often used for a deeper, smokier, and more “imperial” flavour).

In Slovenia, like in Italy (mountainous parts of some regions like of Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia bordering with Austria), this soup is generally served in the informal mountainside restaurants to the delight of hikers and skiers, as well as cooked in the households.

This seriously delicious one pot meal is quite nostalgic for me and reminds me of my childhood. It was served in the school canteens for lunch, and what were called 'dinner ladies, cooked the soup from scratch with fresh ingredients, and the aroma would travel around the school, into the classrooms, destructing the minds of us children struggling with some impossible maths sexercises, especially when approaching lunch time, when you could hear growling in the little tummies.

The soup would be followed by the Austrian inspired pudding, Buchteln, sweet yeast buns filled with apricot jam. This is the type of lunch, among many others, we children really looked forward to...

When I moved to England, goulash soup is one of those dishes, which for some strange reason has been a bit forgotten, and it was not until our skiing trip to Austria, when I saw this soup on the menu that all my childhood memories suddenly came back to me, this is what food does...

As soon as we got back to England I cooked this wonderful tasting goulash soup, it was a hit. I have been making it on a regular basis since then, and I will most definitely make sure this time it stays on the menu.

It is just so hearty, comforting and cosy, the whole family loves this one pot soup and it is cooked very often for my husband and my son who simply adore it. When I serve it, we get transported to the skiing memories we created together as a family, and the table conversations would start ....

I am sharing here a family recipe how my maternal grandmother used to make it, and how my mother still makes it. If you never had this soup before, try it and it will become one of your favourites, and all you need to serve the soup with is a nice rustic bread to dunk it, yes .... this is 'home' for me...

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 medium size potatoes (about 500g) peeled and chopped into small cubes
1 onion (about 120g) peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
2 Tsp red or white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp tomato purée
1 Tsp fresh marjoram (a few springs) finely chopped, (can use dry marjoram)
3 Tsp caraway seeds, crashed with mortar and pestle (can use spice or coffee grinder)
whole caraway seeds can be used if you have none of the above ways to ground the seeds
400-500g braising steak or shin of beef, trim any hard fat off the beef and dice finely
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
2 fresh or dry bay leaves
2l water or vegetable stock
sour cream (optional)
fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish (optional)

Method

Put the oil in a fairly large pan, add chopped onions, crushed garlic, a pinch of salt and gently sauté until the onions are soft and translucent.

Pour wine vinegar and cook for a minute or so stirring the onion and garlic mixture. The vinegar will help to deglaze and release any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add diced beef and continue to cook, turning and stirring regularly, until the meat is nicely browned on all sides.

Add cubed potatoes and cook briefly for a few minutes together with meat and onions mixture.

Add paprika, tomato purée, fresh or dry marjoram, crushed caraway seeds and bay leaves, sea salt and black pepper.

Add water or vegetable stock, bring to a boil.

Cover with the lid and simmer on a gentle heat for about 2 hours. After this time, the soup will become slightly thicker and the meat will become so tender it will just melt in your mouth.

To make the goulash soup slightly “creamier” in consistency, you can press with a fork few cubes of potatoes on the side of the casserole pan and give it a good stir.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper and add more paprika to your liking, if you wish.

Serve hot with a spoonful of sour cream, if desired, sprinkle some roughly chopped fresh parsley for garnish and a bit more paprika. Place some crunchy rustic bread on the table to dunk in the goulash soup and life just cannot get any better.

Just a thought

Double the amount of the ingredients in the recipe, if serving for 6-8 people or, if you wish to make a bigger batch and freeze.

Like most stews and soups, this goulash soup is best made in advance, as it tastes better every time you reheat it.

Wine suggestion

Vigneti delle Dolomiti Rosso IGT "Fojaneghe" 2015 - Bossi Fedrigotti, Masi