Gulasch Soup

Many years ago, dear hubby and I spent a winter vacation in Austria. We skied (real mountains!), we sledded (dear Gods, 8 km down a steep mountain road together on a single little sled!), and we led the genteel life in Vienna (Coffee! Sacher Torte!) It's a vacation we still talk about many years later. Among the treasures we brought back from that vacation were a thick Viennese cookbook and a half kilo of paprika. Both of these were in support of our enthusiasm for gulasch, or goulash - beef and sometimes potatoes with a marvelous blend of onions and paprika, bound with a hint of tomato. As a soup, it's a grand pick-me-up or restorative. As a stew, it can be plain or very fancy. It lends itself to variations: 'student style' has more gravy and less meat. 'Carriage driver style' includes a little sausage (würstli) and a fried egg. At our house, we like it 'Plouff style': Something between a stew and a soup, thick with beef, potatoes, sausage (frankfurter) and pickles. I can't think of a better dish for cold, grey, or damp weather. You don't have to find a thick German-language cookbook to learn this dish; I'll share our family favorite. The most important component is the paprika. While there are eight types of paprika in its native Hungary, the kind you'll want is 'noble sweet'.