Goulash

So with autumn in full swing and winter hurtling it way towards us, its time to bring out the thermals, to wake up and go home in darkness, to hide under duvets away from the winter chill but most importantly to get on with some autumn/winter cooking with a wide variety of stews, soups and roast meat.

This stew recipe is a childhood favourite, It's based round the classic Hungarian goulash which is a tomato stew with beef and paprika. I have added a mix of beef and pork to this dish for contrasting textures and because it's good to have a bit of variety.

I also added a scotch bonnet to the mix to give an extra kick of heat, feel free to up the amount of bonnets if you are a chilli head. Recommended amounts: 1 = nice kick of heat, 2 = fiery, 3= toasty. 4+ = you need help my friend.

My shin/shoulder came with the bone attached, you can get this removed by your butcher but personally I recommend you don't. Simply take of as much meat as you can, don't try to hard to get every little bit off, then simply sear the bones on all sides when you fry the rest of the meat. Add this to the stew and over the course of the cooking time, all the remaining meat will fall off the bone which can simply be removed. Be careful that there are no tiny pieces of bone left in the stew.

There is no need to stick to this recipe closely; throw in some mushrooms, carrots parsnips etc..., vary the meat, use different cuts such as oxtail or ox cheek, omit the chilli altogether (you wuss), the world is your proverbial shellfish.

Ingredients
500g Beef shin, cubed
500g Pork shoulder, cubed
4-5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 red peppers
1 tin of good quality tomatoes
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly crushed
1 stock pot
1.5 tbsp paprika (smoked if you prefer)
1 scotch bonnet (habenero), left whole.
Seasoning
oil for frying

Method

Season and fry off the meat in a frying pan or a heavy based casserole pot in oil until golden. this is easier in batches and set aside on a plate.
Fry the onion and pepper until golden and then add these plus the meat into a large casserole pan with a lid.
Add both varieties of tomatoes, paprika, garlic cloves, stock pot and scotch bonnet.
fill up with water until just covered, season well and bring to a boil. Place the lid on and place in the oven at 130-140C for a minimum of 3 hours, max about 10.
Serve with fresh coriander, sour cream and the carbohydrate of your choice - pasta, jacket spud, rice or lots of crusty bread.

Enjoy