I’ve had many versions of this dish all over the Czech Republic and in Budapest. Sometimes it’s more of a soup and sometimes it’s more of a stew. You can adjust it to more of a soup consistency by adding an additional cup of beef broth.
This is the simplest variation of this dish I know of, and I like it because is does not use lard, as many of the typical recipes. If you want to make it a bit more authentic, you can substitute lard for the vegetable oil.
I like to serve this with hearty dark bread and a great Czech beer like Pilsner Urquell.
Ingredients
2 lbs Beef Chuck, cut into medium size cubes
1 lbs of White Onion, sliced thinly on a mandoline
½ cup of Vegetable Oil
½ cup of dark Beer
1 Tbsp of Salt
2 Tbsp of Sweet Paprika, you can mix some Hot Paprika in if you want some heat.
2 tsp of Marjoram
4 cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 tsp of Caraway Seeds
1 can of Tomato Paste
2 cups of low sodium Beef Broth
2 slices of stale dark Bread, cubed
Brown off the meat in the hot oil, remove the meat and set aside and then add the onion and garlic and caramelize the entire mixture.
Add back the beef, then add the beer and cook until all of the beer is evaporated. Now add the spices and mix well. Add the tomato paste, beef broth and bring to a boil.
Lastly add the cubed bread and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours until the oil has separated.
Serve garnished with a few onion rings, sour pickles and mashed or boiled potatoes or dark bread.
The Louisville Chef 