Italian Style Beef Goulash

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. beef (cut into 1-inch-ish cubes (650g))
• 1 lb. onions (yellow and/or red onion, peeled, halved and sliced (400g))
• 1-2 Tablespoons Olive oil (for cooking onions)
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or 1/4 tsp plus a couple of fresh thyme sprigs)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 cup tomato paste ((100ml))
• 1 Tablespoon paprika (sweet, preferably Hungarian)
• 3 cups hot water
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onions and 1 Tbsp water. Cook onions, stirring regularly until nicely softened and opaque, but not browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add the beef cubes and a sprinkling of salt and cook with the onion, stirring and rotating the beef cubes so they cook on each side, about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Add the paprika and flour and stir in, cooking for about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and rosemary to the pot and stir just to combine. Pour hot water over the meat and onion mixture, just until the water covers the meat. You may not need all of the 3 cups of water or you may need a bit more. Season the pot with a bit more salt and some freshly ground pepper and stir.

3. 3

   Reduce heat to just a bit above low (or what ever setting maintains a gentle simmer. DO NOT COVER POT with lid, but you can set a lid askew over the top, so moisture can escape, but spatters and heat is contained a bit. Simmer for about 3 hours, checking and stirring periodically and adding additional hot water as needed to keep the mixture moist. Generally adding 1/4-1/2 cups of water a couple of times, but only if needed and as needed. As the cooking time nears the end, add only enough water to keep the sauce loose, but not so much that it will thin the lovely, thicker sauce that is forming. The best strategy at the end part of cooking is to add less water, but add it more regularly (every 5-10 minutes). Watch closely during the last part of cooking to make sure the mixture doesn't dry too much and scorch.

4. 4

   Taste sauce and add additional salt and pepper, as needed. Serve warm with cooked potato gnocchi, over polenta or pasta. Garnish with some grated Parmesan, if you like.