Beef Goulash Soup

Beef Goulash Soup ½ pound salt pork or uncured bacon, diced small 2 pounds chuck, cut into ½ inch pieces 4 cups onion, large dice ¼ cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika (regular paprika if this is not available) ½ bottle dark beer such as Guinness (3/4 cup) 1 ½ cups pureed tomatoes (Cento canned kitchen ready is what we used) 6 cups beef stock 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 2 teaspoons marjoram 2 teaspoons dry thyme 8 parsley stems 4 medium peeled garlic cloves 2 bay leaves 2 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice Kosher salt and black pepper to taste Sour cream, for serving Chopped scallion greens, for garnish Russian rye or pumpernickel bread, for serving In a 5 ½ quart Dutch oven over medium high heat, cook salt pork until crisp then remove to a large bowl, leaving fat in the pot. Sear the beef in three batches for about 3-4 minutes per batch. Remove each batch to the same bowl as the salt pork. Add the onions, lower the heat to medium and stir to combine. Then add the beef and salt pork over the top of the onions. After about five minutes stir and cook for another three minutes. Add the vinegar and cook to evaporate, about two minutes. Add the flour and paprika and cook for three minutes, using a wooden spoon to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add the beer and mix to combine, scraping any brown bits from the pan bottom. Add the tomatoes and the stock and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. While the pot heats, place caraway, marjoram, thyme, parsley stems, garlic and bay leaves in a piece of cheese cloth and secure with twine and add to the pot. Once heated, reduce to a simmer and cook 45 minutes being careful not to let it stick to the bottom. For the last 15 minutes, we put a heat diffuser under the pot. (see here) After the beef cooks for 45 minutes, add the potatoes and cook 20-25 minutes longer or until the potatoes are cooked through. Make sure to use the heat diffuser and stir to keep it from sticking. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Remove and discard spice bag. Serve with sour cream and scallions on top, and Russian rye or pumpernickel bread on the side.