As the weather turns cooler, goulash makes a hearty, easy to prepare one dish supper. Some of us won’t eat goulash without the caraway seed (or kimmel, as we say in Yiddish), while others find this distinctive spice off-putting. Take a survey and prepare accordingly, with or without the kimmel (or just slip it in to see if you can get away with it—they’ll likely never know the difference).

Gidi’s Goulash

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 ¾ lbs. beef stewing meat, cut in cubes
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• (1 teaspoon ground caraway seed, optional)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 400 gm can of cubed tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 potatoes, cut into large chunks

Method:

1. On medium heat, sauté onions, then turn heat to high, and brown beef on all sides in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan.
2. Lower heat to medium low and add garlic, peppers, and all spices except for the bay leaf, turning with spatula every so often until peppers begin to soften. Do not allow garlic to burn.
3. Add tomato paste, cubed tomatoes, and bay leaf, then add water to just cover the meat.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat, then simmer on low for an hour, uncovered.
5. Add potatoes, bring back to the boil on high heat, then lower the heat and cook, covered, for an hour and a half or until meat and potatoes are tender.