4. Mock Goulash
Tender and succulent beef or oxtail, cooked in a rich tomato sauce and flavored lovingly with a blend of onions, green peppers and naturally, paprika, forms the basic foundations for the traditional Hungarian Goulash. Here’s a speedy version if you’re pushed for time.
The number one, top-secret tip to nailing a good Hungarian Goulash is to use the best Hungarian paprika. Paprika, slightly confusingly, is Hungarian for both sweet pepper and the spicing powder that you can make from it. Regular paprika comes in a variety of flavors, ranging from the overpowering and pungent, to the bland and tasteless. The very best Hungarian paprika tends to be hot, but can sometimes be on the milder side.
Fortunately, a lot of supermarkets stock a few varieties so you can play around with the one you choose. Ingredients include 6 ounces of thickly sliced lean beef, that can be cut into half-inch slices, a singular container of sour cream, one diced onion, one green pepper, a pinch of Hungarian paprika, egg noodles, your choice of mushrooms and seasoning to taste. Delicious.