Goulash Parpadelle

If you've ever visited Eastern Europe, the chances are you've had a bowl of goulash.

Done in

Serves 5

Dish by Hugh Woodward

Ingredients

1 tbspvegetable oil

900gdiced beef chuck

2finely diced carrots

2finely diced celery stalks

2 finely diced onions

4crushed garlic cloves

1 tbsptomato puree

2 tbspgood quality mild sweet paprika

200mlsharp white wine

2cooked peppers, finely diced

2bay leaves

3sprigs of thyme

1 ltrchicken stock

1 tbspflaked sea salt

1 tspfreshly ground black pepper

400gcooked pappardelle

to tastesour cream, parsley, chilli butter

It's not just a beef stew - it's a culinary icon! Citizens of Vienna and Budapest basically live off the stuff, as any trip to a coffee house would tell you. The smell of the beef stew, thick with paprika, fogging up the windows. Usually it's just served with a few kaiser rolls, but we're taking it a little West (geographically) and making a less soupy, more ragu-esque dish that goes perfectly with pasta.

Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a wide based pot suitable for braising and fry the beef, hard, until it's nicely browned. Remove it from the pan using a slotted spoon and add the carrots, celery and onions.

Stir until softened, adding a splash more oil if you need, then add the garlic, fry out, then add the tomato puree and cook that out for a further minute or so. Add the paprika, dry white wine and cooked peppers.

Return the beef to the pan along with the bay leaves, thyme and the chicken stock.

Add the salt and the pepper and stir through.

Cook on a low heat for around 2 hours until meltingly tender. Shred with forks.

Serve with the cooked parpadelle and sour cream to toss through the pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley and a drizzle of butter that you've fried a few chilli flakes in.

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Hugh Woodward

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Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.