Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and then add the thinly sliced onion and the roughly diced meat.

Dissolve the flour and the paprika in half a glass of water. Pour over the meat as soon as it assumes some colour. Add red wine to the saucepan and let it evaporate.

Add the flavourings, the grated lemon zest and tomato paste: stir and dilute with some water, cover it with the lid and leave to cook for at least 2 hours, adding some water if the gulasch should thicken too much.

Serve still hot with polenta or boiled potatoes.

Food History

Gulash is a dish of medieval origins, which was prepared by hungherian herdsman during their lengthy pastures. They used to cook the meat with onions for a long time and then dry it under the sun in order to take it with them during their journeys. When needed, they revived the meat by adding it to vegetable soups thus creating the modern gulash.
Although being a dish of modest origins, through time became one of Hungary’s best known recipes also thanks to domination of the Austrian Empire. With time it became a typical dish of all the oriental alpine chain region and the north east of Italy.