Hungarian Goulash

4 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed

1/3 cup paprika

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

3 pounds onions, chopped fine

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick

1 bay leaf

1 cup beef broth, warm, plus extra as needed

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Season beef with salt and pepper. Process red peppers, paprika, tomato paste, and 2 teaspoons vinegar in food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Combine onions, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt in Dutch oven, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions soften but have not yet begun to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. (If onions begin to brown, reduce heat to medium-low and stir in 1 tablespoon water.)

Stir in pepper mixture and cook, uncovered, until onions begin to stick to bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Stir in beef, carrots, and bay leaf and use rubber spatula to scrape down sides of pot. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until meat is almost tender, and surface of liquid is 1/2 inch below top of meat, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Stir in warm broth until surface of liquid measures 1/4 inch from top of meat (beef should not be fully submerged). Cover and continue to cook in oven until meat is tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove pot from oven. Discard bay leaf. Skim excess fat from surface of stew using wide, shallow spoon. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sour cream and buttered egg noodles.