Goulash Soup Revisited

Note the meat is lean and not copious, and the selection of healthy veggies and seasonings. This soup won't bust anyone's diet. Use low-fat sour cream if you like.

This is the goulash soup template I use.

¾ lb. boneless sirloin or shell steak
2 T. oil (lard is traditional for “real” goulash)
2 cups (or more) chopped onion (small cubes)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 green or red pepper, chopped small
1 t. sweet paprika, 1 t. hot paprika and 1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. caraway seeds
1-2 carrots, finely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes with their juice
Salt and pepper
Beef broth and water (2/3 to 1/3) go easy on the salt if the broth is salty
1 large boiling potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes. .

Trim any fat from the meat and cut into smallish ¼ to ½ inch cubes. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole. Brown the meat, stirring often until brown. Add the onions, garlic, carrot and pepper. Cook and stir for five minutes. Add the paprika (all sweet will do just fine) caraway seeds, and seasonings. Sprinkle in a bit of dried thyme if you like. Add the tomatoes in their juice and enough broth to make a soup. The potato will thicken it some, and it will cook down some, so be judicious.

Cook for an hour, add the potato, and cook until the potato is done.

Serve with sour cream if desired. The mixture of various paprikas will add resonance and complexity to the flavor.

4 to 6 generous servings. It gets better with age.