Name: Simple Hungarian Beef Stew
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Ingredients: 4 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast , pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces; Kosher salt and pepper; 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers , rinsed; ⅓ cup paprika; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar; 3 pounds onions , chopped fine; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 4 carrots , peeled and sliced 1 inch thick; 1 bay leaf; 1 cup beef broth , plus extra as needed

Why This Recipe Works

Tasters preferred traditional sweet paprika to hot or smoked because of its floral, fruity qualities, but when we used enough to pack the flavor punch we wanted, the spice contributed a gritty, dusty texture. Consulting a few Hungarian restaurants, we discovered they used “paprika cream,” a hard-to-find smooth product made from a blend of paprika and red bell peppers. So we created our own by pureeing a drained jar of roasted red peppers with a little tomato paste, vinegar, and the paprika; this gave the stew the bold flavor and smooth texture we were after. Searing the meat competed with the paprika's flavor, so we simply softened the onions first and then stirred in the paprika mixture and the meat and left everything to cook.

Before You Begin

Paprika is vital to this recipe, so it's best to use a fresh container. Don't substitute hot or smoked paprika for the sweet paprika. Serve with sour cream and buttered egg noodles.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Season beef with 2 teaspoons salt. Process red peppers, paprika, tomato paste, and 2 teaspoons vinegar in food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Combine onions, oil, and 2 teaspoons salt in Dutch oven, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions soften but have not yet begun to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. (If onions begin to brown, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in 1 tablespoon water.)

Stir in pepper mixture and cook, uncovered, until onions begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Stir in beef, carrots, and bay leaf and use rubber spatula to scrape down sides of pot. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until beef is almost tender and surface of liquid is ½ inch below top of meat, 2 to 2½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Stir in broth until surface of liquid measures ¼ inch from top of meat (beef should not be fully submerged). Cover and continue to cook until beef is tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove pot from oven and discard bay leaf. Using wide, shallow spoon, skim excess fat from surface of stew. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.