(Goulash, Trieste-style - Authentic Italian recipes from Trieste, Italy)

goulash- the photo shows the recipe as it is made in Trieste, Italy-pieces of meat, red for the presence of paprika and tomato paste

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800 g (1 3/4 lb) gravy or chuck beef, cut into 4cm cubes
700 g (1 2/3 lb) onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
1 teaspoon hot paprika powder
1 dried bay leaf
A spring rosemary
A spring marjoram
A spring thyme
3 tablespoons tomato paste
60 g (2 oz) lard
Salt

Time:
preparation: 20 minutes
cooking: about 2 hour
Difficulty:
easy recipe
Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: XX (kCal) - XX (kJ)
Protein: XX (g)
Total fat: XX (g)
Total carbohydrate: XX (g)
Sugars: XX (g)

The goulash is a traditional Hungarian recipe but it is made in a lot of countries in Europe.
This is the goulash recipe prepared in Italy by the people who live in the north-east of our nation (Goulash, Trieste-style).
We describe you the version prepared in Austria too!

Prepare a bunch with the aromatic herbs (bouquet garni); tie the sprigs of rosemary, marjoram, thyme and the bay leaf with kitchen string.
Let the lard melt in a pot. At this point add the onions and fry lightly on a very low heat, stirring often. When the onions are going to disintegrate add the meat. Let the meat simmer on a very low heat in order to release its own juice.
Meanwhile bring to the boil at least 500 ml (16 fl oz - 2C) of water.
When the meat begins browning add the bouquet garni, paprika (melted in a little madle of hot water) and then tomato paste, melted in 200 ml (7 fl oz - 4/5C) of hot water. Season to taste with salt and keep on cooking on a very low heat, half-covered, for about 90 minutes, stirring now and then.
Add other hot water only if necessary. Look at the goulash photo for more details.
The meat must be tender. Serve goulash with its sauce, eventuallly strained.

Note

- Don't you like the hot paprika powder? Don't worry: the sweet paprika is enough!
- There are a lot of versions of goulash recipe. Some people don't use tomato paste: in this case the color isn't red but rust brown. Some people also add cubed potatoes to meat 30-40 minutes before the end of cooking; we prefer serve them as a side dish. Steam potatoes, peel and slice them, add chives and olive oil and season to taste with salt. Stir.
- You can also serve goulash with polenta. Remember: goulash is a main dish (second course) in Italy. We haven't the habit of serving it with macaroni or any other kind of pasta.
- Remember that according to the most rigorous Hungarian traditions the meat must be cooked only with lard and you must not add other ingredients. In other words: no flour, no single cream (light cream) ....

For a lighter recipe

- Substitute the lard with 4 tablespoons of olive oil. We are used to prepare goulash in this way and it tastes fantastic! We are sorry for the Hungarian traditions but the health is before every other thing!

Goulash history

- Goulash is a dish of Hungarian tradition, well known all over the world. You can also find it written as gulasch o gulyás. As all the best dishes in the world it was born from the poor kitchen. In fact it was the common dish of Hungarian nomads or, to be more precise, of cowherds called gulyás. They cooked meat with onions until the cooking juice was well retired. Then they spread the meat on planks in order to dry it in the sun. They kept the dried meat pieces in leather bags during their movements. When they had to prepare something eating they put some pieces of this dried meat in hot water to soften them and then meat was boiled in the same water with some vegetables such as turnips. It was a soup really! They didn't use paprika powder; paprika powder was added only at the end of the nineteenth century when this dish, already well known and eaten by the Hungarian middle class, spread in the near countries, Italy included. The authentic Hungarian goulash recipe is neither a soup nor a stew.
In Italy is stew meat.

Viennese goulasch and Trieste goulash: what is the difference?

- There aren't many differences.
Viennese goulash. Simmer the meat (800 g - 1 3/4 lb) and onions (400 g - 14 oz) for almost a quarter of an hour on a very low heat. At this point add the sweet paprika powder, one or two garlic cloves, a bouquet garni and 2 tablespoons of white flour; stir very well for 5 minutes and then cover the meat with hot meat stock. After 15 minutes add peeled tomatoes (300 g - 10 1/2 oz), after mashing them with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep on cooking, half-covered, for about 2 hours.
If you want you can add some cubed potatoes to the meat 30-40 minutes before the end of cooking.