Kesselgulasch - Hungarian Beef Stew with Paprika

Growing up in East Germany, Hungarian food was always popular. And there was a picture of Kesselgulasch. It must be like 40 years, that I had it last.
Ok, 20 recipes later (some of them claim orignal and are very different) here is my version.
Note it takes time to simmer.

Part 1:
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1 cup of a dark full body red wine (optional)
  • 8 cups of beef broth
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 2 cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp of diced pimento peppers
  • 2 lbs of beef stew meat (a piece of chuck roast will do as well, just cut it to bite size pieces)
  • 2 slices of bacon chopped
  • 3 tbsp ghee
Spices
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
  • 1 tbsp of sweet paprika powder
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp ground all spice
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
Part 2:
  • 6 medium potatoes
  • 3 bell peppers, color does not matter
I used my big Dutch Oven (DO) for this. The cooking process ended up in 2 parts, as life's plan were different from what I had in mind.
The cooking needed to go into a 2 day process.

In the DO add the ghee and the bacon slices and render them. 
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 Add the beef and let it get some color. Don't let anything burn.
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After after about 10 minutes add the tomato paste to it. It will bind the fat and make it nice thick sauce already. Let it cook for about 8-10 minutes, but pay attention and stir it. 
Add the cup of red wine and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
Then it is time to add everything else from part 1 and the spices and stir. Cover and bring it to a boil and then lower the temperature and simmer for a about 90 minutes. Every 15 minutes, check and stir. Make sure nothing is sticking to the ground. 

That is where I had to stop the cooking for the day.  
Next day, check the spice level and add salt/pepper/paprika as needed.
Peal the potatoes and cut them into bite size pieces. Chop the bell peppers into bite size pieces. Add them to the pot, stir  and bring it to a boil. Then lower the temperature and simmer until the potatoes are tender. 

Serve in a bowl.
-Mahlzeit-
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