Austrian Goulash & Semel Knoedel (Bread dumplings)

I have several recipes to share with you, but today, I'm starting with the star of the show-- Austrian Goulash and Semel Knoedel.  This is a dish that I have never seen in a German restaurant in the United States. It's a dish that is very common in Southern Germany and Austria. Think of this as a beef stew, with a rich tomato sauce that is seasoned with paprika and some caraway seeds.  My favorite way of enjoying this dish is with semel knoedel (KA-NEW-DEL). The dumpling is cut in half, and into bite-size pieces to soak up the gravy. Heaven!  My second favorite way is to serve this with spaetzle.




Hungarian Hot Paprika is a key ingredient for this sauce. I found it, easily, at my local grocery store.


The aromatics are hot paprika, sweet paprika, sliced garlic lemon zest, caraway seeds, kosher salt & pepper, tomato paste and tomato sauce.  The key to this dish is to sear the meat to leave lots of brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Later, I'll deglaze all of that with chicken stock.

If you haven't had success with searing meat, here's  a quick review on how to do it:


You will need a large Dutch oven with a lid for best results. Add just enough olive oil to coat the pan and turn the heat high enough to make the oil shimmer, but not smoke.



Pat the meat dry and dredge in flour, seasoned with kosher salt & cracked pepper.


Add one piece of meat to the hot oil to make sure that it sizzles. Add the remaining meat, without crowding the pan and sear for about 3?4 minutes per side.


You want a golden crust that will give the gravy great flavor.
Cook the meat in batches, if necessary and set aside in a bowl?to collect the juice.


When all the meat is seared, turn the heat to medium and add a little more olive oil to the pan and cook the onion until tender?3?4 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook till fragrant?30 seconds or so.
Add the tomato paste and paprika, and cook for 1?2 minutes.


Add the tomato sauce, caraway seeds, lemon zest and chicken stock and stir well.Return the beef and the juice to the pot.
Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little more chicken stock or water until it is the consistency of a gravy.Simmer for 2 hours, or you can use a slow cooker for 4?6 hours.




This stew tastes even better if made one day in advance. Serve or buttered egg noodles or homemade spaetzle or Bavarian Bread Dumplings?recipes coming soon to my blog!





Happy Oktoberfest! I hope you try to make your own.

 Please visit her Souper Sunday blog! She always posts great recipes.

From my mother's heritage to your kitchen,