Wallachian Lamb Goulash

Czech name: Valašský zoftový guláš

Written by Irena Prikazska

This Czech recipe comes from the Wallachian area located partly in the Zlin region and partly in the Moravian-Silesian region. Sheep have always been raised there, and the area is also known for growing potatoes and buckwheat. For Wallachia, different types of food with cabbage, cream, potatoes, and vegetables are typical. Czech people are known for loving different kinds of stew, so here’s a Wallachian-style recipe. It is up to you whether you decide to serve it as the main dish or as a soup. It should be cooked properly on an open-air fire in order to get a smoked flavor from smoldering wood. However, you will definitely enjoy the stew even if it’s cooked on a regular stove.

For more information about the Zlin Region and the Moravian-Silesian Region, from which this recipe comes, click here and here.

Ingredients

3 lb lamb meat with a bone (neck, ribs, etc.)
2 Tbs of oil for frying
1 bigger onion, chopped
1 or 2 hot chili peppers, chopped
salt to taste
8 crushed garlic cloves
1 Tbs marjoram
6 bay leafs
6 whole allspice berries
8 whole black peppercorns
1 Tbs ground paprika
1 Tbs tomato paste
8 cups water
1 large carrot
1 parsley root
1 small celery root or turnip
1/2 lb cauliflower
1 cup cabbage
1 lb potatoes
3 leeks, chopped

Instructions

Fry in a pot of oil a small, chopped onion. Sprinkle into the pot some paprika and pour into it a little water, so the onion does not become bitter. Then add a bay leaf, the allspice, black peppercorns, marjoram, crushed garlic, tomato puree, and chopped chili pepper. Next, add salt to taste and the rest of the water. Then, add the meat (cut into smaller pieces, and with bones). Cook for about an hour until the meat is almost tender and then add the washed and chopped vegetables and potatoes. Cook the root vegetables and carrot first for 10 minutes, and then add the potatoes and cauliflower. Heat until everything is tender. Before finishing, pour finely chopped leek into the stew.

Serve it with fresh rye bread.

Please Note: There are several regional variants of this recipe. This is one of them.

This post was created by volunteers. You may help and support by clicking here. Or contact us via Facebook.