Genuine Hungarian Goulash

There are many recipes for Hungarian Goulash out there.
I am told that this one is an authentic Hungarian Goulash.

Ingredients:
1 lb. stewing beef
1 brown onion, finely sliced
2 Tbls. oil
1 Tbls. sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp. caraway seed
1/4 tsp. freshly-ground blk pepper
1/2 sweet pepper(capsicum),seeded
1 tomato, skinned and chopped
2 medium carrots
1 medium parsnip
1/2 kilo (1 lb.) potatoes
Salt to taste
Water

Optional:
clove garlic
pinch hot paprika
2 celery stalks, chopped


Directions:
You will need a heavy-based saucepan with a close-fitting lid.
Cut meat into ice-cube-sized pieces.
Heat the oil in the saucepan and cook the onion
very slowly with lid on for 10 minutes.
Take pan off heat and stir in paprika.
If you do this on the heat the
paprika will burn and taste bitter.
Add meat and mix to coat well.
Place pan back on heat and stir meat until lightly browned.
Add caraway seed and pepper and about 1/4 cup water only.
Cover and simmer very gently for a few minutes.
Add tomato and sweet pepper.
Cook very, very gently, adding a tiny amount
of hot water if necessary to prevent the goulash sticking.
When the meat is half-cooked
(and this depends on the cut you are using)
add the prepared sliced carrots,
parsnip, celery and 1/4 cup water.
The trick is to keep the water very low
so that the meat cooks virtually in its own juice.
When the meat is cooked,
add the potatoes and six cups of water.
Bring to the boil, stirring once
and boil gently till potatoes are ready.
Discard sweet pepper and celery.Salt to taste.

Dumplings:
To make dumplings, beat 1/4 cup flour into 1 egg,
with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of soft butter.
Use a wet dessert spoon, to cut small
pieces of dumpling dough
and slide them into the soup.
Cook for ten minutes.

Serve with crusty unbuttered bread.