Kossuth-rostélyos

Ingredients

• 4beef rib steakslices of about 180–200 g each, patted dry and lightly flattened
• 2onionfinely diced or sliced, as the base
• 3 tbspflourfor coating the meat, remainder to thicken the sauce
• 2 tbsplardfor searing; clarified butter or neutral oil also work
• 1¼ cupsbeef brothfor deglazing and braising
• 1 tbspPaprika powderstir in briefly off strong heat so it does not burn
• 3tomatodiced; canned peeled tomatoes also used
• 2 tsptomato pastefor colour and depth of the sauce
• 2bell peppercut into strips
• 1¾ lbpotatoespeeled, quartered or cut into eighths, braised alongside
• 7 ozsour creamwhisked with flour to thicken, or as a dollop when serving
• 2 clovesgarlicfinely chopped
• ½ cupwinedry white or red wine for deglazing; broth as substitute
• 1bay leafbraise along, remove before serving
• 1 bunchparsleyfinely chopped, for seasoning and garnish
• saltto taste
• black pepperfreshly ground
• 1 pinchcarawaywhole or ground, added with the marjoram (optional)
• 1 pinchmarjoramdried, added for braising (optional)
• 14⅛ ozMushroomscleaned, larger ones halved, braised along (optional)
• 12⅓ ozcarrotcut into fine sticks, as a vegetable bed (optional)
• 1 tspmustardhot mustard, to season the sauce (optional)

Method

1. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic, cut the bell peppers into strips, dice the tomatoes, and peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters or eighths. Finely chop the parsley and set it aside.
2. Pat the sirloin steaks dry, flatten them lightly, season with salt and pepper and turn them in flour; keep the remaining flour back for the sauce.
3. Heat the lard in a large pan or braising pot and sear the meat over high heat on both sides until well browned, then lift it out and set aside.
4. Fry the onions in the same fat until golden, add the garlic briefly, then stir in the paprika powder. Deglaze at once with the wine and some of the beef broth so the paprika doesn't catch and turn bitter.
5. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, bay leaf and, if you like, the caraway and marjoram, then pour in some more of the broth.
6. Return the meat to the pot and arrange the potatoes and pepper strips alongside or on top, then add the remaining broth until everything is about halfway covered.
7. Cover and braise over low heat until the meat and potatoes are tender — about 20–30 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are. Check now and then and top up with a little water or extra broth if needed.
8. Lift out the meat and keep it warm, and remove the bay leaf. Whisk the sour cream smooth with the reserved flour, stir it into the sauce and let it bubble briefly.
9. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and, if you like, a teaspoon of hot mustard. Serve the meat with the sauce, potatoes and peppers, and scatter chopped parsley over the top.

Tips and variations

Instead of peppers and tomatoes you can lay the meat on a fine bed of carrot, parsley root and celeriac, seasoned with vinegar, mustard and thyme and likewise bound with sour cream. For something heartier, braise slices of Debreziner sausage in the pot along with the potatoes and peppers; button mushrooms with tomato paste in place of fresh tomatoes work just as well, and beef roulades can stand in for the sirloin. Another version: cut the meat into cubes after searing, braise it for several hours in the red wine and paprika sauce, and serve it with egg noodles and sour cream. Deglaze with white or red wine as you prefer — white keeps the sauce lighter in colour. A spoonful of sour cream on top when serving is welcome, along with plenty of parsley.