Hungarian Beef Stew

A few weeks ago there was a sale at the store for buy one get one free roasts. I used one up right away, but I still had one in the freezer. I decided to make beef stew with the one that I had leftover. I wanted beef stew, but I didn't want plain beef stew. I went looking through my recipes and came across this Hungarian Beef Stew. I love sweet paprika and try to use it when I can. I figured this would be a great recipe for all of that flavor. It was really good. The flavor was really bright and warm. The only downside was that it was really greasy from the meat. I think that I should have put potatoes in it so that they would soak up some of the grease. I paired it with whole what egg noodles to make it heartier.



Source: Cook's Illustrated Nov/Dec 2008



1 boneless beef chuck roast (3.5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1.5 inch cubes

salt

1/3 c sweet paprika ( it is really important to only use sweet paprika for this dish)

1 (12 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tsp white vinegar

2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used 1)

4 large onions, diced small ( I used 2)

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch rounds

1 bay leaf

1 c. beef broth, warmed

1/4 c sour cream, optional

Ground black pepper



1 Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position and heat to 325 degrees. Sprinkle meat evenly with 1 tsp salt and let stand for 15 minutes. Process paprika, red peppers, tomato paste and 2 tsp vinegar in a food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down that sides as needed.

2. Combine oil, onions and 1 tsp salt in a large Dutch oven; cover and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften but have not begun to brown, 8-10 minutes.
3. Stir in paprika mixture; cook stirring occasionally, until onions stick to the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Add beef, carrots and bay leaf; stir until beef is well coated. Scrape down the sides of the pot with a rubber spatula. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until meat is tender and the surface of the liquid is 1/2 inch below the top of the meat, 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and add enough beef broth so that the surface of liquid is 1/4 inch from the top of the meat (beef should not be fully submerged0. Return covered pot to the oven and continue to cook until a fork slips easily in and out of the beef, about 30 minutes longer.
4. Skim the fat off of the surface; stir in the remaining teaspoon of vinegar and sour cream, if using. Remove the bay leaf and serve.