Beef Goulash & Champ Dumplings

So it has been a while since my last post, but however, I have been busy! Not just the usual frazzled Mothering busy, but studying busy and setting up my wee food business type of busy-ness. All of it equally exhausting but satisfying. Speaking of satisfying, this dish I experimented with yesterday for the Winter Warmer theme as part of the Irish Foodies Cookalong, in conjunction with the new fantastic Irish Food Bloggers Association website http://www.irishfoodbloggers.com/. I heartily recommend a visit for some of Ireland’s best and tastiest food bloggers, great reading, wit and recipes.

This winter warmer is a version of Hungarian Goulash, one of our family favourites, and I also decided to try a recipe for polish dumplings that was given to me a few years ago. As I was in experimental mode, I stuffed them with Champ instead of Sauerkraut, and the result was divine. I intend making these again and trying various other fillings! Champ is an old Irish dish of mashed or creamed potatoes with scallions, butter and milk.

For the Goulash

2 lb knuckle/shin of free range beef
2 large red peppers
1 green pepper cut into rings
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
400 ml of passata or
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin black eye beans
500ml beef stock
1 tsp djon mustard
½ tsp caraway seeds
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
sea-salt & white pepper
1 tbsp tomato puree
5 tbsp rapeseed oil

To serve:

Sour Cream

Long grain & wild rice

Finely chopped chillies

Season the flour with salt and pepper and toss the beef shaking off any excess.

Heat the rapeseed oil in a saucepan and brown the meat over a high heat in batches or the meat won`t brown but braise if you overcrowd the pan.

When all the beef is browned turn down the heat and add the onions and peppers. Cook gently over a medium heat for five minutes.

Return the meat to the pan and add all of the other ingredients. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer covered for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Champ filled Polish Dumplings

Dough:

2 free range small eggs
4 ounces sour cream
Pinch of salt
1 ½ cups self-raising flour

Or

1 ½ cups white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Champ:

Peel and boil 6-8 potatoes. Chop half a bunch of scallions/spring onions and add to a small saucepan with 1 ounce of butter and 1 tbsp of milk. Simmer over a low heat until just soft but still a good green colour. Mash and season the potatoes adding the scallion and butter mixing with a spoon. Season and cool.

To Make Dough

Beat together eggs and sour cream.

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together.

I divided the dough at this stage and added chopped chillies to one half.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth.

Roll out to a quarter of a centimetre and using a scone cutter or small cup, cut into 3 inch rounds.

Place a small spoonful of the mashed potato filling into the center of each round.

Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal.

Keep going, it?s a bit fiddly to start with but you`ll be an expert at the end!.

Cook in a large pot of salted water for 3 – 5 mins.

Melt some butter and a teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry them for a min or two till brown..

I did go back for seconds!!