Fall

Hungarian-Irish goulash pot pie: double grams

by:
September 16, 2010
3
2 Ratings
Hungarian-Irish goulash pot pie: double grams
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

My Hungarian grandmother, Anna, made an amazing goulash she always served as a stew, which we especially loved in the early fall when she would visit and cook nonstop. Her goulash took the chill out of the nippy evenings. Sometimes we even cooked the goulash outside in a pot over coals in the ground. I have a Hungarian landscape architecture colleague who continues that same tradition with his outdoor "goulash terrace" which he designed just for that purpose. My Irish grandmother, Delia, made wonderful pot pies, which I can still remember from early childhood. She passed away when I was in grade school, so I did not get the chance to learn more from her. In this recipe I am trying to bridge my two family traditions. The resulting recipe offers an antidote to cold, fall evenings. I am using as many local harvest fresh vegetables from the farmer's market as possible and have also chosen to use a local grassfed sirloin. If you want to use a more affordable cut, like shoulder, just make sure it will be very tender. —Sagegreen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound grassfed sirloin, cut into 3/4" pieces
  • 2-3 ounces flour seasoned with white pepper and kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon delicate sweet Hungarian paprika, Paprika-örlemény Csemege
  • 1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika, optional
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme and marjoram leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh sage leaf, rolled and finely snipped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
  • kosher salt to taste
  • 1 small anchovy filet packed in oil, chopped, optional
  • 1 sweet onion, peeled and diced
  • 1/3 cup celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
  • 1 potato, peeled and diced (red bliss used here)
  • 1 large meaty heirloom tomato, cut in half
  • 1/2 cup cooked, pureed sweet red pepper (sauce)
  • 6-8 ounces homemade vegetable or beef stock
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine, consider Egri Bikavér ("Bull's Blood of Eger")
  • 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil for baking dish
  • 1 pound excellent puff pastry
  • 1 beaten egg yolk
  • dollop of sour cream as garnish, optional
Directions
  1. Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Quickly sear the beef with a sprinkle of sweet paprika. Remove from heat and dredge in the seasoned flour.
  2. Add the onions, herbs, zest, and salt to the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add all the vegetables(including pepper sauce), optional anchovy (for depth of flavor), and beef dredged with flour. Pour in the stock, stir, and simmer 40 minutes. Add dry red wine and simmer 10 more minutes. Make sure you have a thick sauce, adjust and balance this out. Let this rest overnight or at least 4 hours. Remove the bay leaf and tomato skins.
  3. Then lightly oil a large baking dish. Place puff pastry to line the bottom of the dish. Flip the pastry over so some of the oil from the baking dish, collected onto the bottom of the pastry, is now on the top of the pastry. Spoon the filling on top of this.
  4. Cut vent holes in the top pastry crust. Add to the top of the pie. Brush the top with egg yolk.
  5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm. Consider a dollop of sour cream on the side.
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  • Sagegreen
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7 Reviews

Annie007
Annie007 June 13, 2012
I love this recipe, i have been making Goulash for years but i love the herbs and pepper sauce in this recipe.
Made this last night sans pastry. . . but I didn't have time for the 'resting', so i cooked it in a slow oven for about 90minutes then we ate it straight out of the oven with some fluffy rice . . . Delicious!!!!!
Luckily we have plenty of left-overs so it now has had a nice rest: so, guess what is for dinner tonight??
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen June 13, 2012
Thanks so much for letting me know, Annie. I am really delighted you enjoyed!!
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef September 16, 2010
This looks well worth all the effort - thank you for using puff pastry, my kind of "crust". I love your goulash story! So delighted to find a Hungarian cook with skills far superior to mine...Saving this for winter here in San Diego. Thumbs up!
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen September 16, 2010
Thank you so much, but I did not take the three days to make my own puff pastry for this. I just used an excellent frozen kind. My Hungarian colleague (now retired) recently hosted a goulash party out on his terrace, which we enjoyed immensely.We have been all fired up here with the paprika from the summer Budapest trip!
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen September 16, 2010
It's easier than I make it sound, just needs a little lead time, but very uncomplicated!
 
SallyCan
SallyCan September 16, 2010
Beautiful!!!! It's on my "to do" list!
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen September 16, 2010
Thanks. The goulash really needs to rest first so that all the flavors come out later.