Unusually for me, I here recommend a foodstuff! It’s a synthesis of a couple of different recipes I found, so probably not authentic Hungary-food, but quite tasty.

Things you will need:

  • Stewing beef
  • Onions
  • Potatoes
  • Bacon
  • Beef stock
  • Paprika
  • Caraway seeds
  • Garlic

Some of these ingredients seem a bit suspicious but they’re probably OK in moderation. Caraway seeds and paprika come in those little spice pots. Stewing beef is the cheaper, lower-quality sort of beef. You can substitute potatoes for dumplings if you like, and a wholesome vegetable like turnip or carrot could be added if you’re so inclined.

To make:

  1. Cut fat off bacon, fry in pan
  2. Chop up onions and garlic and fry in bacon fat – add lard if not enough fat
  3. Chop up bacon into little bits and fry
  4. Chop beef into bite-sized cubes and fry until brown
  5. Add paprika and stir in. You should add lots of this as it’s quite tasty. Apparently it’s important to remove pan from heat at this point to avoid burning
  6. Add beef stock
  7. Add salt, pepper, and some caraway seeds (not too many)
  8. Put lid on pan and bubble on low heat for about 50 minutes
  9. Chop potatoes up into cubes and add to pan
  10. Increase the heat a little bit and bubble for 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are good. Might need to add a bit more water

Here’s one I made earlier:

I’ve made this a couple of times and good results seem easily reproducible. It’s also quite amenable to making in large batches and storing in a tub for later use.