Salim's Goulash

One day, many years ago, a friend stopped in at my room in the Aaseehaus in Münster, Germany and told me that Salim was making his famous goulash. I was off to the kitchen and watched our mutual friend make goulash the way his mother made it in Afghanistan. Over the years I have made this dish at least 50 times. Occasionally, someone complains that it is too spicy for them. Let them eat Jello.

INGREDIENTS

3 to 4 lbs. beef
3 to 4 cups onions
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne
1 T paprika
Dry red wine
Tomato juice
1 tsp. salt
1 T flour

PROCEDURE

Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes, trimming and discarding excess fat. Put olive oil and butter in a large heavy pot and put over high heat. Brown meat in batches. Chop onions medium and braise until wilted. Return browned meat to pot. Turn down the heat and add equal amounts of a good dry red wine and tomato juice to cover the meat. Add salt, paprika and cayenne. Cover and simmer for at least 2 hours. Add wine or juice if necessary. About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the goulash, stir well and continue cooking. This will thicken the gravy. Serve over noodles with the remainder of the wine (and an extra bottle?) and thick slices of a crusty homemade bread on the side.

NOTE

This recipe makes enough for 8 or 10 hungry people, but it holds well for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator and is even better warmed up a couple of days later. You can also freeze it and reheat it weeks later.