Anne Morgan Unlike her beef goulash, Delia Smith’s vegetarian goulash is made with summer vegetables instead of meat. You bake cauliflower, carrots, courgettes and new potatoes in a paprika and tomato sauce, then stir in soured cream. It takes about 70 minutes, and it serves 4.
Delia printed this recipe in both the 1983 and the 1992 editions of her Complete Cookery Course, among her vegetarian dishes. She says it is nicest made with summer vegetables.
The amounts did not change between the two books, but the 1992 edition suggests Greek yoghurt as well as soured cream. Later, her Vegetarian Collection of 2002 made it with smoked paprika from Spain.
The paprika turns the sauce a warm red, and the vegetables stay soft but whole. For the meat version, try her beef goulash, which uses chuck steak.
Delia Smith’s Vegetarian Goulash
Course: DinnerCuisine: HungarianDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes50
minutes280
kcalA paprika stew of summer vegetables, baked in the oven in one casserole. A spoonful of cream is stirred through just before serving.
Ingredients
- For the goulash:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 rounded dessertspoon wholemeal flour
1 heaped tablespoon Hungarian paprika
a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper
400g (14oz) tin Italian tomatoes
275ml (10fl oz) hot water, mixed with 1 teaspoon tomato purée
225g (8oz) cauliflower sprigs (half a medium cauliflower)
225g (8oz) new carrots, cut in chunks
225g (8oz) courgettes, cut in chunks
225g (8oz) new potatoes, halved
½ green pepper, deseeded and chopped
150ml (5fl oz) soured cream or Greek yoghurt
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Directions
- Oven: Heat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas mark 4. You need a flameproof casserole with a lid.
- Onions: Heat the oil in the casserole and fry the onions until they are soft.
- Spices: Stir in the flour, most of the paprika and the cayenne pepper. Cook it for 1 minute.
- Sauce: Stir in the tin of tomatoes and the hot water. Bring the sauce up to the boil, stirring all the time.
- Vegetables: Add all the vegetables and season them with salt and pepper. Put the lid on.
- Bake: Bake it in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Finish: Stir in the soured cream or yoghurt and scatter the rest of the paprika on top.
- Serve: Serve it straight away with brown rice, or with green spinach noodles tossed in a little butter.
Notes
- Cut the carrots, courgettes and cauliflower to about the same size, so they are all ready at the same time. That's my own tip.
- Greek yoghurt gives a lighter, sharper finish than soured cream, my own view.
FAQs
How do I make her goulash with smoked paprika?
Use the version in her Vegetarian Collection, which swaps the Hungarian paprika for 1 heaped tablespoon of sweet smoked pimentón. She says the pimentón comes from southern Spain and gives a spicy, deep flavour.
The vegetables are the same, with the carrots and courgettes cut into 2.5cm chunks. It uses plain flour instead of wholemeal, no cayenne and only soured cream, in a 2.25 litre casserole.
It bakes for the same 30 to 40 minutes at gas mark 4. She serves it with whole-grain brown rice cooked with onion, or with some buttered noodles.
Is this goulash vegan?
No, because it is finished with soured cream or yoghurt. Everything else in her recipe is vegan, so it is simple to change.
For a vegan goulash, leave out the cream, or stir in a plain plant yoghurt instead, my own swap. Read the labels on the tomatoes and the purée too, though they are usually just tomatoes.
Can I make it with winter vegetables?
Yes, though Delia says summer vegetables are nicest. In winter, I’d use ordinary carrots, cauliflower and small salad potatoes, my own swap.
Chunks of parsnip or butternut squash also work, in place of the courgettes, my own idea. Keep the total weight of vegetables about the same, at around 900g.
What should I serve with vegetarian goulash?
Brown rice, as all three of her versions suggest. The 1983 book uses buttered brown rice, and the 1992 book also likes buttered spinach noodles.
Her Vegetarian Collection also mentions buttered noodles. A plain green salad on the side goes well too, my own idea.
How do I keep and reheat leftovers?
Cool any leftovers quickly and keep them covered in the fridge, then eat them within 2 days, my own rule. Ideally, keep the soured cream out of the part you save.
Reheat it gently in a pan until it bubbles, and add a little hot water if the sauce is thick. Stir in fresh soured cream or yoghurt just before you serve it.
