Hungarian Beef Stew

A long time ago I tried using a spice I'd never used in my entire life, smoked paprika. I was making a side dish of green beans and thought I'd try the smoked paprika....big mistake! It was HORRIBLE! I mean, spit it out into your napkin horrible. Ever since then I've been hesitant to use that particular spice in any of my cooking, that is, until tonight. Tonight's menu, Hungarian Beef Stew with a side of kale. I told you, I'm hooked on kale after the other night. Anyway, the Hungarian beef stew called for smoked sweet paprika, which I didn't have, so I had to add sugar to the dish.

The stew was so easy to make...here is what you do:
*Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven over high heat
*Chop up 2 large yellow onions (or less if you aren't a huge onion fan
*Once your olive oil is hot, add 2lbs of cubed beef and your onions
*Let beef brown and onions begin to caramelize
*Then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 table spoons of smoked sweet paprika
*Add 4 cups of chicken stock (next time I will try beef stock)
*Turn heat to low, cover and let meat braise for 1 hour
*After an hour, add 3lbs of boiling potatoes and 2 carrots chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
*Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are soft

While eating I thought it would have been perfect to have some warm french bread with butter. On a funny note, when I was trying to tell Jared about my idea I kept saying, "mmm...it'd be so good with some breaded butter...don't you think breaded butter would be great with this?" Needless to say, he just laughed at me until I figured out what I was saying.

All in all it was a successful meal. How do I know it was successful? Chandler (our dog) sat right next to the table staring and growling at us until Jared finally gave him a piece of meat. Most people might think, big deal....all dogs beg, no, not Chandler. If something doesn't smell good to him or he's not interested he will sit in the living room by himself and not even approach the kitchen table. The second way I know it was successful, Jared took seconds and didn't add salt or pepper to his dish. If Jared doesn't like something he always tries to cover it with salt and pepper and he wouldn't dream of getting seconds. Half the time he won't even finish what's on his plate.

So if you're in the mood for something different try making Hungarian beef stew and let me know how it turns out!

Enjoy!!
-AKL