One-Pot Winter Warmers: Beef brisket goulash

This wet and windy January calls for substantial, rib-bolstering dishes like this beef brisket goulash. It's a slowly-simmered stew which requires very little effort for a lot of reward. A steaming bowl of this, served simply with a spoonful of sour cream and a hunk of crusty bread is top-notch comfort food.

Goulash is one of the national dishes of Hungary; tender meat in a rich, thick sauce spiked with tons of spicy paprika and fragrant caraway seeds. In order to get the unctuous consistency to the sauce, it's important to use the right cut of meat; a hard-working piece such as shin or shoulder is ideal. Personally, I like to use beef brisket, as it has plenty of the all-important connective tissue, which breaks down during slow-cooking and gives the sauce a lovely gelatinous quality, while adding depth of flavour.

The other important ingredient in a goulash is the paprika; it provides the main flavouring and so must be good quality. It's worth having a look around for Hungarian paprika but if you can't find it, use the regular kind. Don't be tempted to use the smoked variety though, as it will be way too strong and you'll end up ruining the stew.

Although this recipe takes a few hours to cook, the preparation is very simple, so you can more or less chuck everything in the pot and leave it be. At the end of cooking the beef will melt apart with the touch of a fork. Some good bread is all you really need to plunge into the spicy depths of that sauce but you could also serve it over plain white rice.

Beef Brisket Goulash (serves 4-6)

1 x 1kg beef brisket, in one piece

3 onions, sliced

1 red chilli, finely chopped

3 tablespoons un-smoked paprika

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

4 bell peppers (not green ones), sliced

1 tin chopped tomatoes

Beef stock (about 450-500ml)

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

A good splash of red wine

Sour cream

Chives

Zest of 1 lemon

Oil, for cooking

Bread, to serve

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan which is large enough to hold the brisket. When hot, sear the brisket until it is brown all over, then set aside on a plate. Add the onions to the pan along with the chopped fresh chilli and let cook over a low-medium heat until the onions are starting to colour - about 10 minutes.

Add the paprika and caraway seeds and cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes. Add the red wine and let it bubble up and cook down for a few minutes more, then add the peppers, tomatoes and sugar.

Add the brisket back to the pan, along with the vinegar and just enough of the beef stock to almost cover the meat. Season with salt and pepper, then bring to the boil, put a lid on and simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the brisket is falling apart. Shred the meat into the sauce.

Serve in bowls with finely chopped chives, grated lemon zest and sour cream on top.