Hungarian Goulash Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

5 slices bacon, chopped
3 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 medium onions, chopped fine (approx 1 1/2 lbs)
3 minced garlic cloves
3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika (Mom used Penzey's pretty exclusively. She swore by it!)
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup tomato paste
6 cups beef broth, low sodium if possible
4 cups water
2 large red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 large russet potatoes, cubed
salt and pepper
sour cream (to garnish)
Rustic Spaetzle
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
water
salt
pepper
onion powder

Preparation

In 8 quart dutch oven or heavy stockpot, cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring until crisp. Transfer bacon to large bowl, reserving fat in pan.
Brown chuck in bacon drippings in small batches over high heat and transfer to bowl as browned.
Reduce heat to medium, add vegetable oil, onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occassionally, until golden.
Add paprika, caraway seeds and flour stirring for 2 minutes.
Mix vinegar and tomato paste first, then whisk into spice mixture for one minute. (mixture will be very thick)
Stir in broth, water, seasonings, bell peppers, bacon and chuck and bring to a boil. Simmer soup covered, stirring occasionally. for about 3 hours or until beef is very tender. Add cubed potatoes and simmer covered for additional 20 minutes.
Make Spaetzle:
Mix 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cup flour and enough water to make a thickish paste. Add salt, pepper and onion powder to taste. Put mixture on a cutting board and slide dough off with a knife, slicing it into thin rough edged noodle shapes, into boiling soup. Cook noodles for approx 10 minutes in broth before serving.
Serve garnished with sour cream and crusty bread on the side! DELICIOUS!