Biting is frowned upon in the hip-hop community, but there must be an exception for biting, when it comes to food?! So I hope Fools Gold will forgive me as I completely rip off their idea of forging a gastronomy section into a music blog. After all, music and food have such a tight affiliation, they are like two peas in an iPod.

One meal I’ve been trying to perfect recently is the Hungarian classic, Goulash. Dishes that balance all the major tastes will strike a chord with everyone, and Goulash has this down to a tee! To get the most out of the meal, start preparing it a day in advance so the base of the stew develops a deep flavour.

 Ingredients – Part 1:

Olive oil for frying
1 cooks onion, diced large
300g-500g braising steak, cut into chunks
1 tin of tomatoes
1 Star anise
Beef stock cube
A splash of balsamic vinegar
Bay Leaf

 Prep the onion and steak, season with salt, and get the oil really hot. Put the onion and beef in so that they brown all over, and put in the star anise and bay leaf at the same time so that they impart some flavour. When the meat and onion are browned splash in some balsamic vinegar and cook it off, then pour over the tomatoes and mix in the stock cube so that it’s dissolved. Turn it right down to the lowest heat, and let it cook for 2-4 hours, or until the liquid has pretty much evaporated. By getting this done in advance, and for such a long time, the fat in the meat will melt, it will become soft and tender, and the dish will build up a nice savoury flavour. Let it cool, fish out the bay leaf and star anise, and stick it in the fridge until you are ready to eat.

 Ingredients – Part 2:

A dollop of crème fraiche
3 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
Green and yellow pepper, diced large
Parsley
Garlic
Black pepper

To finish the dish off, soften some garlic in some oil, add the peppers, paprika and cumin for a minute, pour over the stew from the previous step and heat through. Add enough crème fraiche to cream it up, but don’t make it too pale. Add the parsley, season with pepper and check if the salt needs adjusting. Stock cubes are full of salt so you should be ok. Serve with rich, buttered rice and some green beans to complete the meal.

Recommended listening: Aquasky feat Acafool – Have a Good Time (Count of Monte Cristal & Sinden Remix) [Passenger]

Meaty, rich and funky. Just like this early thug step classic.

Recommended drink: Bolney Wine Estate Autumn Spice

White Wine and Beef? OK, it’s a faux pas! but the freshness and crisp acidity in the wine will bring out the full, balanced, savoury character of this dish. To be fair, I didn’t clock the “spice” element, but it is a great meal wine, and it’s English too!