Austrian Goulash

This weekend, my husband's father celebrated his 60th birthday. As a birthday present, my husband wanted to cook his dad an Austrian dinner. My husbands paternal grandmother is from the Tyrol region of Austria and introduced a few of her favorite dishes to her children and grandchildren.

I think this meal was a real treat for everyone, especially for me because my husband (who is not too big on cooking) was the head chef in our kitchen over the weekend and I got to assist for a change. I got him the necessary recipes and he did great! I'm SO proud.

The first thing he made was his grandmothers Austrian Goulash. We were able to make this on Friday even though my father-in-laws birthday dinner wasn't until Sunday. It's one of those dishes that tastes even better a day or two after it is cooked.

The first thing you need to do is to chop up 4 large onions (we used 6 because this is what makes the gravy. More onions=more gravy). In a large pot, combine the onions with 2 Tbsp. of oil. Brown the onions in the oil. When they are nice and tender, add 2-3 Tbsp. of paprika, 1/2 or 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper (depending on desired hotness), 1/2 tsp. marjoram, 1/2 tsp. garlic, and 1 Tbsp. of salt. Mix well and this is what you should see:


Next, trim the fat from a 2-5 lb. rump roast and cut into 1-inch chunks. This is about 3 lbs.:

Add 1/2 tsp. vinegar (we used apple cider vinegar) and the meat to the pot with the onions. After a few minutes, this is what you should see:

A lot of liquid will show up in the pot while the meat is cooking. Fry the meat until is is cooked and the liquid in the pot is almost gone. (I recommend you grab a chair... you're going to be here for awhile). After all the liquid is gone, add 2 Tbsp. of flour and mix well. Then add 1 3/4 c. water and cover all meat with the water. If desired, this is also the time to add some potatoes to the pot. We chopped up 2 large russet potatoes into 1-inch chunks and added them. However, this is totally optional. Simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally (every 10-15 minutes). We actually let ours simmer for 4 hours. The longer it simmers, the more tender the meat. When you see this, you're done!:


Serve over mashed potatoes. As I stated above, we didn't eat ours for 2 days. We put the lid on, let the pot cool, and put it in the fridge. On Sunday, we took the whole pot to my in-laws house and put it on the stove to heat up and simmer for another 2 hours.

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