The Goulash Thread

[Goodweed of the North]

Having been inspired by the existing goulash thread, Im starting this thread to give everyone a chance to share their own favorite recipe.

Real Hungarian Goulash is far different from what most of us think of when we hear the term - Goulash. But this isn't about that. This thread is about what we, in North America, call goulash, or slumgullian, or a host of other names, depending on where we live.

I invite everyone to share their favorite goulash recipe.
To my mother, goulash was as follows:
1 lb. ground beef, browned and seasoned with salt
1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 pkg. elbow macaroni
Brown the ground beef. Add everything else but the macaroni and cook until the onion is tender. Cook the macaroni until tender, drain, and combine with the meat sauce. Serve with powdered Parmesan cheese.

My Dad's recipe:
1 lb. ground beef
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
Salt
Pepper
1 box rotini pasta
Brown the ground beef. Add the onion and green pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until the veggies are tender. add the remaining ingredients, except the pasta. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Cook the pasta until al dente. Combine with the sauce. Serve.

Goodweed's Goulash
Take my Dad's sauce recipe, add 4 cloves minced garlic, 1/8 tsp. each of crushed rosemary, and thyme. Add 1 tbs. sugar. Optionally, add 1 tbs. mild chili powder (sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't). Cook whole-grain rotini pasta until al dente. Combine the pasta and sauce. Serve with garlic bread, or naked bruschetta (no toppings please), and freshly grated Parmesano Regiano, or Asiago cheese.

Your turn.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

[Scotch]

Excuse me -- Goulash without paprika?

To me, that's like chili without chili! Kung Pao without peanuts! Sukiyaki without soy sauce! Boeuf bourguignonne without wine!

Am I wrong, again?

Goulash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Andy M.]

American Chop Suey

1 Lb Ground Beef
1 Ea Onion
1 Ea Green Pepper
2 Cl Garlic
3 Tb Tomato Paste
28 Oz Canned Tomato
1/2 Lb Elbow Macaroni

Brown the beef in a sauté pan over medium high heat with the onion, pepper and garlic until the meat is cooked and the veggies are softened.

Add the paste and sauté for an additional 3 minutes.

Add the tomato to the sautéed vegetables. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.

When the pasta is cooked, drain off the water and mix the pasta with the vegetable and meat mixture. Cook together for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavor of the sauce to cook into the pasta.

Serve with grated cheese.

[Andy M.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scotch Excuse me -- Goulash without paprika? To me, that's like chili without chili! Kung Pao without peanuts! Sukiyaki without soy sauce! Boeuf bourguignonne without wine! Am I wrong, again? Goulash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As stated in the OP. This thread is not about the Hungarian dish. Rather, it's about an American dish that uses goulash as one of its regional names.

[kadesma]

You can bet that goulash at our house was left over pot roast, onions potatoes, garlic,salt and pepper and any gravy mom had saved...Mix all of this together and eat if you had to or pb&j was your fate...
kadesma

[Scotch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy M. As stated in the OP. This thread is not about the Hungarian dish. Rather, it's about an American dish that uses goulash as one of its regional names.

Must be a regional thing, because I've never heard anyone on the West Coast use the term "goulash" for anything but the real Hungarian dish. I'm sure it's all very tasty, but IMHO it would make as much sense to call these sorts of random mixtures Caviar!

[GrillingFool]

My rural Kansas, Bohemian culture grandmother made a wonderful American version, with tomatoes, ground beef, onions and elbow macaroni. It had this special sublime flavor that became one of those cherished food memories from childhood... a true Comfort Food memory for me.
My mother knew the secret, because hers was just as good. But my Dad didn't much care for "one skillet" dinners when I was growing up... I think he thought they were too "poor", and he didn't have to eat "poor" food anymore. (Both of them came from rural farms... poor farms, so to speak.)

So I never got the secret recipe. My mom passed away in 1999; her mother was already dancing with the angels, so I was out of luck when I got the craving.
I made many an experiment, trying different spice mixtures... all to no avail.

A while back, a recipe for "Carpathian cabbage" was posted here. MY GOD!! It had that Secret Flavor I was missing in my goulash! Finally, I had a good solid lead to discover what that secret ingredient was. And I did.

TOMATO SOUP.

Use a can or two of plain tomato soup along with the ground beef, onions, paprika, garlic, oregano etcetcetc.. and VOILA!

I have my comfort food. The first time I made it, I am proud to say that there were no leftovers. I slept at the kitchen table, because I could not move!
(OK, maybe I wasn't QUITE that stuffed, but **** close.)

It is funny... so far I have recreated 3 Lost Comfort Food recipes, and every time,
the secret to the taste was very simple; a single ingredient that I would never have thought to try!

[LPBeier]

Okay, how about Canadian Goulash (or at least in our house growing up)?

Ground beef, onion, mushrooms, garlic, cooked together. Add flour, beef stock, frozen peas, sometimes noodles, whatever was around with various herbs and spices. No tomatoes in this one as I was allergic to them as a kid. This was alternately called, goulash, hash and "that ground beef stuff".

[CasperImproved]

I'm with Scotch on this one...

Bob

[LPBeier]

Dear Scotch and Casper,
Goodweed is NOT disputing real Hungarian Goulash here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodweed of the North Real Hungarian Goulash is far different from what most of us think of when we hear the term - Goulash. But this isn't about that. This thread is about what we, in North America, call goulash, or slumgullian, or a host of other names, depending on where we live. Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North