Goulash

I've been meaning to try making some Goulash for some time, as it is an ideal dish for the cold weather. Goulash is a traditional Hungarian dish, although I'm sure my recipe here is quite different from what you would find in Hungary. I went through several recipes, and I discovered that there is great variation and disagreement in how people prepare it. I combined parts from these different recipes, based on taste and practical issues, to make the following recipe.

Ingredients
500 g of beef (or preferred meat) cut in cubes
2 red onions (or substitute with white onions)
2 potatoes, diced
1-2 red bell peppers
Bay leaves
2 crushed garlic clove or equivalent ground garlic
400 g chopped tomatoes
800 ml beef or chicken stock
2 generous tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon mild chilli powder (adjust according to sensitivity)
Ground cumin
Salt and pepper
Mixed herbs

Heat up some oil in a pan and fry the meat until it's brown on all sides. Add salt and cumin to taste, stir and take off the fire.

Dice the onions and fry them in a large pot (with a lid and large enough for all the ingredients). When they start becoming soft, add the garlic and fry until they are soft.

Add the meat in the pot and stir. Add salt and pepper, paprika, chilli powder and mix well.

Add the tomatoes, the diced potatoes, a couple of bay leaves and the stock (this should cover everything). Bring to boil and lower to simmer for two hours with the lid on.

When it's near ready, prepare the peppers. Cut them in quarters and put them skin-up under a medium grill. When the skin is blistered (about 10 minutes), take them out. Let them cool down a bit and peel the skin off. Alternatively, you can use ready roasted peppers.

Either way, slice the peppers in long strips and add to the Goulash. You can also add some herbs at this point. Give it another 20-30 minutes and take off the fire.

It is now ready to serve. Some people like to serve it with some sour cream and paprika.

Variations
Goulash is more commonly prepared in an oven. To do this, put the fried stuff with the potatoes, stock etc into a baking casserole with a lid and bake for about the same time at about 450 K (Gas 4). I used the pot mainly for practical reasons.

For a less thick, more soup-like Goulash, reduce the amount of chopped tomatoes and increase the stock.