Pep up your winter stew
Iam a self-confessed hoarder, squirrelling away food when it is fresh and abundant, preserving excess garden produce into jars over summer and autumn. also make use of the more modern form of storage – the chest freezer. Meat products are bought in bulk from the butcher at a discounted rate, and I am always on the lookout for specials to ‘‘fill the freezer’’.
It is more energy efficient to keep a freezer full, as the frozen goods keep a consistent temperature. The trick is to keep everything in rotation.
When buying meat, I don’t shy away from the cheaper cuts. Although generally not suitable for quick cooking stir-fry or barbecue, when slow-cooked they are melt-in-the-mouth.
In the case of this goulash, although not traditional, I use lamb shoulder. A whole shoulder is too big for my small family to consume in one go, so I instead cube the meat to freeze into 500g portions, or make a large batch of goulash and freeze the leftovers.
This is a family recipe, inspired by my Taiwanese aunty, Corina – learned from her German partner and famous in Taipei.
Although I have changed her original recipe, with Corina using the more traditional beef (chuck steak) and served with less traditional brown rice, the rich stew base comes from her tutelage. I add my own Kiwi spin on this Hungarian classic with the addition of peppery horopito in place of bay leaf.
We have a special native bush spot we visit regularly where horopito grows happily. I harvest the darker red leaves for a strong pepper flavour, and dry them for using in cooking. When camping in the bush I often cook over an open fire, which adds an extra smoky dimension to the goulash. Or at home it sits atop the fireplace slowly cooking away on a cold wintry day.
Hearty lamb & bay leaf (or horopito) goulash
As with many of my recipes, this goulash can be prepared with what is available. You can use beef in place of lamb, kumara in place of potato and, if you can get your hands on some fresh or dried horopito leaves they contribute a subtle peppery undertone to the stew.
Serves 4 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 2 hours or 6 hours in slow cooker
1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 large onion, chopped
500g lamb shoulder, cut into 2cm dice
2 tablespoons flour (for gluten-free, use brown rice flour)
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano teaspoon salt teaspoon cayenne
1 litre stock or water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves (or 4 horopito leaves)
2 carrots, chopped into 2cm cubes
2 potatoes, chopped into 2cm cubes
To serve:
Chopped parsley
Cooked pasta shells or spirals
Sour cream
Heat a large casserole dish over a low heat and add the butter or oil. Add the onions and saute gently until soft, about five minutes.
In a bowl place the meat, flour, paprika, oregano, salt and cayenne and toss to combine. Add the meat to the onions, turn up the heat and cook until lightly browned.
Pour in the stock or water, and add tomato paste and bay leaves (or horopito). Cover and bring to a gentle simmer, turn down the heat and cook for one hour.
Add the carrots and potatoes, and simmer for a further 40-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Check flavour and adjust seasoning with extra cayenne and salt.
Scatter with chopped parsley and serve with cooked pasta, sour cream and sauteed winter greens.
Slow cooker variation:
Once the meat and onions have browned, tip into a warmed slow cooker. Add the stock, tomato paste and bay leaves.
Cook on low for five to six hours, adding the vegetables in for the last hour.