I want to share with you a unique recipe for authentic Balaton Goulash that transformed me from a girl… into a woman. (And don’t chuckle at that! For me, a Woman is a nourisher, a nurturer, not just a gender status or a “married” social position.)

So, imagine Lake Balaton, our student camp, and me, hopelessly in love, weeping and full of jealousy…

– “So, girl, he doesn’t love you?” asked our cook, Aunt Marika, as she came out to smoke behind the dining hall after dinner, in my favorite hidden spot.

– “No.”

– “Then let him be. Come with me. I’ll make goulash for my son and teach you too. Later, when you’re back in Moscow, make this for him, the wandering fool. You’ll see what happens. It’s a love spell from the grandmothers!”

At that moment, I’d have believed in a cult of tomatoes or ladybugs if it promised magic.

What can I say? Spell or not, it worked. Though by the time I was in Moscow, I was no longer interested. I had fallen in love again. But I remembered Marika’s recipe for life, and now I’ll share it with you because I’ve never come across anything quite like it anywhere else.

So, here we go:

Start with a piece of beef, about a kilogram and a half (or a bit less). Cut it strictly in half. In a deep, wide skillet, heat up three types of oil (vegetable, butter, and lard or clarified butter). Place both pieces of beef in the skillet and “seal” them. In other words, brown them well on all sides, creating a crust that will keep the juices in. This takes about 15 minutes on high heat.

While the beef browns, peel about eight potatoes, cut about 100 grams of smoked bacon, and chop two large onions. In a saucepan, sauté the bacon and onions until golden. Now, add the potatoes (cut large or leave whole) and pour in just enough water to barely cover the tops of the potatoes. Reduce the heat, season with salt, pepper, and bay leaf, and cook until the potatoes are tender.

Cut the browned meat into large pieces (careful, don’t burn yourself!) and put it back in the skillet, pouring in about a liter jar of canned tomatoes or crushed, blanched fresh tomatoes. Lower the heat, cover, and… forget about the meat for about two hours. Occasionally check on it, and if the tomato liquid starts to run low, ladle some water from the potato saucepan.

In the end, ideally, all the water from the saucepan should end up in the skillet. The final touch will be adding the soft, stewed potatoes and translucent amber bacon.

Now, add a spoonful of sweet paprika powder, a little hot paprika (or chili), a generous handful of chopped greens, and mix everything. It should turn into a rich, aromatic, and magical stew-like porridge. And don’t add garlic—remember, you’ll be kissing after this goulash!

When you try it (and more importantly, when HE tries it) this Balaton goulash… Well, you’ll need to push him away because he won’t leave you alone after that, I guarantee it!