Znojemský Guláš

Znojemský Guláš

There seems to be a bit of a question as to whether this is a Czech or Slovak dish; because of the paprika and the other Hungarian elements, I am going to call it Slovak - all the better to convince The Beautiful and Half-Slovak Mrs. Tas that we need to make this!

The truth is, however, that it would probably rest easy in either country, as they have shared so much in termns of foodways throughout history.

Here's the recipe, which looks like a good one:

Znojemský Guláš Beef Goulash With Gherkins From Time-Life's Foods of the World - The Cooking of Vienna's Empire - 1968 To serve 6 to 8: 3 tablespoons lard 2 cups finely chopped onions 1 tablespoon paprika 3 pounds lean boneless beef chuck, cut into 1.5 inch cubes 1 cup dry red wine 1 cup beef stock, fresh or canned 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup sweet gherkins cut into julienne strips Salt Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the lard in a 5-quart flameproof casserole until a light haze forms over it, then add the onions. Cook them over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly colored. Off the heat, stir in the paprika, continuing to stir until the onions are well coated. Add the beef and pour the wine and beef stock over it. Stir in the salt and a few grindings of pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. Remove the casserole from the oven and with a spoon skim off about 2 tablespoons of the surface fat. Combine this with the 2 tablespoons of flour, then stir the mixture into the casserole. Return the casserole to the oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until the beef shows no resistance when pierced with the tip of a small sharp knife. Arrange the beef on a platter. Skim the surface fat from the casserole, add the gherkins and heat for 2 or 3 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the beef and serve.

The recipe calls for sweet gherkins, and I'll certainly try it that way; but I'd love to use some of our family's kosher-style dills for this at some point.

I would like to serve it with some sort of Slovak/Hungrian style creamed vegetable, such as Fazolove Lusky na Paprice or Tök Főzelék. I am also tempted to serve it with nokedli or halušky dumplings, but we'll see how it goes...maybe I'll serve it with something else, entirely!

I did a little further research on this.

From what I can see, this Guláš is associated with the town of Znojmo, which is in Moravia. This would make it technically Czech, in modern terms.

Hwever, Znojmo is very, very far south in Czechia, almost right on the border with Austria and Slovakia, and it is obvious that many influences went into it,

In any case - Dobrú chuť!