Goulash came to Vienna from Hungary, where the word gulyás means a cattle herder and the original was a herdsman's stew. In the capital of the old Austro Hungarian Empire it turned into something of its own: Wiener Saftgulasch, a dark, rich braise of beef in a sauce built almost entirely from onions and paprika, with no potatoes, no peppers and no chunks of vegetable in sight. Saft means juice, and the juice is the point. It is a Viennese tavern classic, served with crusty rolls or bread dumplings, and in its grandest form, the Fiakergulasch named after the city's horse drawn cabs, it arrives with a fried egg, a sausage and a pickle on top.

The method breaks a few rules. Onions go in by the pound, cooked slowly until they collapse into a sweet, golden mass; the paprika is stirred in off the heat so it never scorches; and in the classic Viennese style the beef is not browned first but simply stirred in raw and left to braise. The onions dissolve completely into a sauce with no flour at all, thickened only by their own body and the gelatin from the shin. It is cheap, patient cooking that rewards a slow afternoon, and like every good stew it is better the next day.

The goulash

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) yellow onions
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) lard or neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons (about 30 g) sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 4 cups (950 ml) water
• 2 1/4 lb (1 kg) boneless beef shin or shank
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne pepper

Method

1. Heat the lard or oil in the large pot over medium heat. Add all the onions and a pinch of the salt and stir to coat. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, lowering the heat if they start to catch. Add a splash of water if they stick.
2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Take the pot off the heat completely and wait 30 seconds, then stir in the sweet paprika. Immediately pour in the vinegar and a cup (240 ml) of the hot water and stir well.
3. Return the pot to medium heat. Add the beef cubes, the remaining salt and the bay leaves and stir so every piece is coated in the red onion mixture. Pour in the rest of the water, just enough to come almost level with the top of the meat.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring every 20 to 30 minutes. Add a little hot water whenever the sauce gets too thick or starts to stick. After 1 1/2 hours, stir in the crushed caraway and the marjoram.
5. When the beef is very tender, stir in the garlic, lemon zest and hot paprika if using, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, taste and add salt if needed. If the sauce is thin, simmer it uncovered a little longer; if it is too thick, add a splash of water.
6. Turn off the heat, cover and leave the goulash to rest for 15 minutes before serving so the flavors settle and the sauce thickens slightly.

To serve

Ingredients

• 6 crusty white rolls
• 1 small handful flat leaf parsley

Method

1. Warm the rolls in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 minutes so the crusts crisp. Ladle the goulash into warm deep plates, making sure everyone gets plenty of sauce, and scatter with a little parsley.

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