Ingredients
Meat
- 500 gbeef shin or chuck, in cubes
- 500 gpork shoulder, in cubes
- 400 gvenison or game, in cubes
- or a third meat of your choice
Base
- 4large onions, chopped
- 100 glard or oil
- 6 clovesgarlic
- 3 tbspsweet Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsphot paprika, or to taste
- 1 tspcaraway seeds
- 2bay leaves
Also
- 3red peppers, chopped
- 3tomatoes, chopped
- 800 gpotatoes, in chunks
- 200 mlred wine
- 1.5 litreswater or stock
- salt and pepper
To serve
- bread
- a glass of Prekmurje wine
Equipment
- a bogrács, a cauldron on a tripod, or a heavy pot
Directions
- Use good Hungarian sweet paprika and use a great deal of it. Paprika is the main seasoning rather than an accent, and a mean quantity gives a pale, thin stew. Take the pot off the heat before the paprika goes in. Paprika burns within seconds in hot fat and turns irredeemably bitter, which is the classic way to ruin a goulash.
- Stir it into the onions off the heat, then add liquid almost immediately. Now the onions, which need real time. Use a great many onions, roughly equal in weight to any one of the meats. Cook them slowly in lard for twenty minutes or more, until completely soft and golden. Rushing the onions is the second commonest fault and it leaves the stew thin.
- Brown the meats separately and in batches, with space around each piece. Brown them properly rather than crowding the pot, since crowded meat releases water and stews grey. Crush the seeds lightly to release the oil before adding them. Return all the meat to the pot with the paprika-coated onions and the wine.
- Let the wine reduce by half, which cooks off its raw sharpness. Add the peppers, tomatoes, bay and enough water to cover. Simmer it gently for at least two hours, and longer if the game is tough.
- Keep it at a bare simmer rather than a boil, which makes the meat seize and go stringy. Over a fire, keep the pot high above the flames and let the embers do the work. Stir it occasionally and scrape the base, since a thick stew catches readily. Add the potatoes for the last forty minutes.
- Add them late rather than at the start, since they disintegrate entirely over two hours. Bograč should be thick, with the meat and potato held in a rich paprika-red sauce.
- Add hot water if it has reduced too far. Taste and season firmly with salt and black pepper. Add more hot paprika if you want it hotter, though bograč is warming rather than fiery. Let it stand off the heat for twenty minutes before serving. Serve it in deep bowls with plenty of bread and a glass of local wine.
Technique
- It is properly made with at least three different meats.
- The paprika goes in off the heat, since it burns within seconds.
- The onions dissolve and thicken it, since there is no flour.
Substitutions
- Beef and pork alone if game is unavailable.
- Oil in place of lard, though lard is better.
Variations
- Made with wild boar or venison, which is traditional.
- Made hotter, with more hot paprika.
- Cooked indoors in a heavy pot.
History
Prekmurje’s kettle goulash of several meats cooked outdoors in a bogrács; the town of Lendava holds an annual bograč competition.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bograč?
Bograč is a soup & stew from Slovenia: prekmurje goulash of three meats and paprika. Prekmurje’s kettle goulash of several meats cooked outdoors in a bogrács; the town of Lendava holds an annual bograč competition.
How long does Bograč take to make?
Bograč takes 30 min of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Bograč?
Yes, within limits. Beef and pork alone if game is unavailable. Oil in place of lard, though lard is better.
What is the most important thing to get right in Bograč?
Use good Hungarian sweet paprika and use a great deal of it. Paprika is the main seasoning rather than an accent, and a mean quantity gives a pale, thin stew. Take the pot off the heat before the paprika goes in. Paprika burns within seconds in hot fat and turns irredeemably bitter, which is the classic way to ruin a goulash.