Viennese Goulash (Wiener Rindsgulasch) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 -4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lbs lean beef, cubed (shoulder or shank)
2 lbs onions or 2 lbs shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 -3 tablespoons paprika (Hungarian)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon hot paprika (optional)
1/4 lemon, zest of
1 teaspoon caraway seed (ground or whole)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the beef cubes.
Add the onions and cook them with the meat until they are transparent or have a shiny appearance, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, paprika and the rest of the seasonings and stir well.
Add the stock and stir well again.
Add a little salt and pepper - it is best to use less salt during the cooking process and correct the seasoning when the meat is cooked to avoid over-seasoning.
Bring the whole pot to a boil then turn to low or medium-low and let the goulash cook slowly until the meat is tender, 2-4 hours, depending on cut of meat used. The onions are the thickening agent, so if the liquid evaporates, just add extra water a little at a time to avoid a thin goulash (I added about 1 cup additional water in two additions over the entire cooking time).