Goodness Gracious, That's Great Goulash

Well tonight it is the Hungarian comfort food Goulash. I have always been a fan of goulash, a simple dish that the poor of many countries can cheaply make because basically it is a mash of whatever is leftover from other meals. A couple of my dearest friends(karen and amara) and myself, volunteer at a soup kitchen during the week and often times, a Goulash like item is the main dish.

Anyway lets get on to the ingredients:

Salt and Pepper to taste(got lots of this)

1 pound elbow macaroni(had to by this and really you could use different pasta of you wanted, bow-tie, spiral, really any of the small pastas would work)

2 pounds lean ground beef(had to buy it, and I prefer when cooking to not go with the leanest beef, because I like the flavor the extra fat gives a dish, but you pick what is best for you)

1 medium white onion(got it, got lots now, bought white, red, even those spanish ones now)

2 cloves garlic, minced(had to buy it, but bought lots, cause really this stuff lasts just about forever, so if you catch it on sale, feel free to buy a little more then you need)

1 teaspoon ground cumin(got it)

1 tablespoon paprika(got a big ole thing of this, cannot remember why I bought such a big container, but it is here)

a pinch of ground nutmeg(have this too)

2 sprigs of fresh marjoram, chopped or a healthy sprinkle of dried( I bought fresh for todays dish and some of the dried to just have on hand. But really whenever you can use the fresh herbs, as they just give so much more flavor, but I know sometimes herbs get a bit costly, so dried will work too, it just sometimes takes a bit more to really kick in the flavor)

1 can, 14 ounces, crushed tomatoes(I actually had this left over from another recipe, as I wrote down more then I needed and ended up with a couple of extra cans)

3 rounded tablespoons of sour cream(I had to buy these, but here is something to ponder........how would you know if sour cream has gone bad???? dos it taste like extra sour or something???)

2 pats butter or a drizzle of evoo(had both, but used the evoo......not because it taste better, but because I have this cool evoo dispenser and just like using it)

Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley(I already had a massive container of the dried, so I am just going to use it, I will just have to put in a healthy extra amount. Now I know your saying, but brad, you just got done telling us to use fresh whenever you can, and you are right, it is just that when i went to the store, I forgot to buy the fresh parsley and I was too lazy to go back out for it)

1 teaspoon caraway seeds(I actually had bought a container of this, like 1000 years ago because it was on sale really really cheap and this is the first time I have ever used them.........I hope caraway has a good shelf life)

Ok, so put a large pot of water on to boil for the macaroni. When water boils add salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions. On a personal note, make sure you use a really big pot for cooking pasta, you want plenty of room for lots of water and the pasta needs to be able to move around. So as a rule of thumb, I always try to use a pot as big as the one Glenn Close used to boil that bunny in Fatal Attraction, so keep this advice in mind when you are cooking.

Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add round beef an brown. Grate the onion into the skillet with a hand grater. Add garlic, cumin,paprika, nutmeg, and marjoram. Mix in tomatoes. Heat through, then stir in sour cream. Drain macaroni and oss with butter or evoo, parsley and caraway seeds.

Serve scoops of goulash over bowls of macaroni, with a green salad on the side.

The verdict.........this is a really good dish and I can see why this is often referred to as a 'working mans' dish, as it is hearty and cheaply fills you up. This would be very tasty and satisfying to someone coming in after working in the fields or a factory all day.

So if you get a chance,try this one out it is pretty good and o'h yea, I made this one in 27 mins.

Until next time.....