Goulash Soup

For some time now, a long - remembered flavour has been teasing my tastebuds. Many years ago, when my first husband and I were dating, we would often go to a local restaurant, the Bavaria. They served a soup, Goulash Soup, that was so popular that people would call in and order it for takeout. It really was good.

With the weather finally turning cool, the memory of that soup has been front and center in my mind, so I went recipe hunting. I found a recipe for Goulash soup on Recipezaar and made it yesterday. I do have to say, right up front, that I didn't have all the ingredients so I did make substitutions, but, my oh my, this turned out really well!

Basically, I made it as written, but I'm not a huge fan of bell peppers, so instead of the three peppers called for, I used only one. I had chicken broth available, so I used that instead of beef broth. I also added extra paprika and more caraway seeds because other recipes I found used much more of those ingredients than this recipe. I cooked it long enough that the meat falls apart, melts in your mouth.

When I make this again, I intend to add some red wine; I think it would add another layer of flavour. As well, I'll make sure I have beef broth because it has a fuller flavour than chicken broth does. However, served with a nice sourdough bread (toasted) and a glass of milk, this was a really satisfying lunch and a nice break from knitting.