Where have I been?

The last few days I’ve been babysitting my granddaughter while her parents attended a wedding on the West Coast. I thought I was well organized by preparing a meal in a crock pot but despite best laid plans, I didn’t have the two onions I needed for Hungarian Goulash.
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This is a recipe that I believe I found out in a crock pot cookbook my sister has. I already have Hungarian paprika in my pantry from another recipe and I was looking for another recipe in which to use this spice. This hearty stew type dish needs a six ounce can of tomato paste, Hungarian paprika, red and green pepper, carrots, two onions, beef broth, lemon peel, caraway seeds and 1-1/2 pounds of beef stew meat.

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Before visiting some friends, my granddaughter and I made a quick trip to Whole Foods for the onions.  Another adjustment to this recipe was to utilize my Fagor pressure cooker. I sautéed the beef in the pressure cooker before adding the rest of the ingredients. Instead of cooking in the crock pot for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours at high, once the pressure cooker reached full pressure, I was able to cook the goulash in just 15 minutes.
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You can serve the goulash over cooked noodles, however, I served it alone. Had I made a short shopping list, I would have added a nice loaf of rye bread with caraway seeds to soak up the rich beef and tomato sauce.  The goulash was a delicious, hearty meal that is wonderful on those cool days. The beef with the vegetables makes it a complete meal.
This is a versatile dish that can be prepared in a slower cooker for those cooks who like to prepare meals early in the day and leave it, a pressure cooker for those short on time and InstaPots, which is a programmable multi-purpose cooker.

Hungarian Beef Goulash
Source Unknown
 
 
1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 medium carrots, bias-sliced into ½ inch pieces
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/4 cups beef broth
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon caraway seed
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
 
1 green sweet pepper, cut into strips
1 red or green sweet pepper, cut into strips (I used red)
3 cups hot cooked noodles
Dairy sour cream or yogurt
 

1. In a large skillet brown beef, half at a time in hot oil. Drain off fat.
2. Transfer meat to a 3-1/2 to 4-quart crockery cooker. Add carrots, onions and garlic. In a small bowl combine beef broth, tomato paste, paprika, lemon peel, salt, caraway seed, pepper and bay leaf. Stir into vegetable-meat mixture.
3. Cover, cook on low-heat setting for 9-1/2 to 11-1/2 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
4. If using low heat setting, turn to high-heat. Stir in sweet peppers strips. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer on high-heat setting. Discard bay leaf. Serve with hot cooked noodles and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

 
Makes 6 servings
 
Per serving: 391 calories, 34  g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 13 g total fat (5 g saturated), 115 mg cholesterol, 442 mg sodium, 745 mg potassium