Gram’s Goulash Soup

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Our favorite soup from childhood. These days, we can afford to put a lot more meat in, but it’s awesome as potato soup too. Gramps (Joe Burns) said the more potatoes the better...

2 lbs. beef stew meat (chuck, Swiss, round)
3 medium yellow onions
3 TB vegetable oil, divided
2-3 TB Hungarian sweet paprika
1⁄8-1⁄4 tsp. cayenne pepper (1/4 tsp. will give the soup a bit of a bite, so use less to start if you’re not sure)
8-10 Cups water
2 bay leaves
7 average sized white potatoes
2 TB flake salt (start with 1 TB if using regular salt)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cube beef in small pieces. Peel and slice onions into thin rounds. Heat a large pan over high heat, add 1 TB vegetable oil, swirl to coat. When the oil is good and hot, add onions, cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove onions to a soup pot. Add another TB of oil. When hot, add one-third of the beef. It is important not to crowd the pieces, so the browning is best done in two-three batches. Brown beef for about 5 minutes (brown on both sides), add to the soup pot, then add more beef and continue to brown. Add a little more oil if necessary to keep things from sticking. When the final batch of beef is mostly brown, add the Hungarian paprika and the cayenne pepper, fry an extra minute, remove to soup pot. Add 8-10 cups of water. Make sure to pour 1⁄2 cup into the used fry pan, scrape up the browned bits, and pour into the pot. Feel free to use beef stock instead of water, but it really isn’t necessary. Add the bay leaves at this point, bring the soup to a simmer, and simmer for one hour. Peel and cut potatoes, add to soup along with salt, which this soup, frankly, needs a lot of. Start with 1 TB but taste before serving and adjust if necessary. Raise the heat to medium (soup should not quite boil) and cook for another 45 minutes. Serve with a simple salad, and, this is very important, fresh crusty white bread or rolls, which, eaten Gram and Gramps style, should be dunked or broken up into the soup in bite-sized pieces, though you could serve it on the side with butter. Make sure there is pepper on the table so each person can add their own.

Yield: 12 good-sized bowls
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1⁄2 hours