Hungarian goulash

A rich, thick beef soup from Hungary, ideal for warming up a dark wintery evening. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it is very easy to assemble.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1 garlic clove, diced

100g baby carrots or carrots cut into batons

400g stewing steak, diced

1 green and 1 red capsicum, deseeded and chopped

2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp nutmeg

3 tsp mixed herbs

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp cornflour

3 tbsp tomato paste

200ml beef stock

400g tin chopped tomatoes

200ml red wine

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp cider vinegar

150ml sour cream

Generous handful of parsley, chopped

 CALORIES 350

 PROTEIN 28G

 FAT 15G

 FIBRE 3G

 CARBS 27G

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole and gently fry the onion, garlic and carrots till softened (about 7-8 minutes). Tip in the meat and stir to brown it all over.

Add the capsicum, spices and herbs, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Scatter over the cornflour and mix it in well before adding the tomato paste, stock, tomatoes, wine, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Bring it to a simmer, then transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 3-4 hours, checking that it has not dried out and stirring occasionally.

Serve the goulash in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh parsley. You could also serve it with roasted cauliflower.