We recently hosted a friend who has become vegetarian for health reasons. She offered to make exceptions for the evening, but I wanted to add some meatless options to my repertoire. Two of our three daughters don’t eat meat.
Ed suggested that I make potato pancakes, so I did a Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash) — my favorite topping for placki ziemniaczane.
with fried potato dumplings
Adding a host of veggies to the familiar paprika and tomato sauce makes a satisfying entrée. Try serving it over potato pancakes, buckwheat kasza, mashed potatoes, potato dumplings, or pasta.
The very best gulasz comes from sauteing the veggie over a very high heat until they begin to brown. I usually saute the ingredients separately. It will look like things are burning on the bottom of your pan, but the black stuff will come off with a little scraping when you add liquid.
It will dissolve and become part of your broth providing rich color and flavor. . . I say the burnt stuff comes off the bottom of the pan, most of it comes off might be more accurate. My dear husband, who is usually the one washing dishes, has complained about my propensity for high heat in cooking.
You could skip this and just toss the raw veggies into the liquid, just know your broth will suffer for it. It will be just a little less wonderful, but I don’t want to scare you off.
Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash) is a tasty way to get more produce into your diet.
Smacznego!
Lois
Gulasz Wegetariański (Polish Vegetarian/Vegan Goulash)
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 - 6 servings
- Cuisine: Polish
Description
A colorful and tasty vegetable based goulash!
Ingredients
vegetable oil, as needed
6 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally, no more than 1/4 inch thick
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges 3 inches x 1/4 inch
4 onions, sliced
2 bell peppers, any color, sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
2 – 4 cups vegetable broth, enough to cover the veggies
2 tablespoons paprika
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
5 juniper berries and/or 5 allspice berries
2 tablespoons Wondra flour
Instructions
In a Duth oven, saute carrots, sweet potato, onions, and bell pepper in a little oil until they begin to brown
Add tomato paste, red wine, vegetable broth, paprika, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, juniper and/or allspice berries
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 – 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender
Sprinkle in Wondra flour to thicken the broth
Notes
In stead of Wondra flour, you might use a little corn starch mixed into a small amount of water
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
David
While we aren’t vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, we are trying to eat vegetarian at least four times a week. This would be a wonderful addition to our repertoire!
polishhousewife
It’s full of flavor, even without garlic!
K
I made this tonight and it turned out great. Thank you for your recipe!