Thursday, November 5, 2015

It really Is So Much Better Than My Mom's

It is goulash.  I'm feeling nostalgic this week and wanted some hearty rib sticking comfort food. Thick and rich tomato sauce with ground beef, clinging to tender but firm pasta. Yeah, that wasn't exactly how mom made it. I've mentioned before the hot dish my mom called goulash was little more than hamburger, cooked tomato juice, and elbow macaroni.  DD#1 reminded me that sometimes she would use the macaroni from the boxed mac and cheese, and sometimes leftover Sloppy Joe meat-getting crazy on all of us! Her's was cheap, filling, but no spice, no flavor, and nothing I really wanted to add to my families dinner table.  I loved my mom, but spice was not her thing.  Mine is just as easy, if not quite as cost effective, but close if I buy bargain staples. Here's my sort of recipe.
Goulash-Sam Style
 12-16 ounces pasta-depending on how many your feeding and how saucy you want it
1 # ground beef
2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
course ground pepper
garlic (I use garlic powder because I always have on hand)
Italian seasoning
salt to taste and for pasta water

Cook pasta to directions,  
While water is getting ready, brown ground beef, breaking up in little pieces, salt and pepper to taste.
Drain fat, rinse if you really want the fat out-I don't
Stir in tomato's, tomato paste, and bring to a simmer.
Add spices-at least 1 1/2 tsp of each=more to taste.
Keep bubbling gently until pasta is done.

Once pasta is done, drain, then mix all together in the pasta pan. Put the cover on and let all the flavors meld about 10-15 minutes,  Serve.   My camera was not workung but I found this free picture that looks just like my version.

I'm now at five in my Blog Every Day November challenge.  Look for this on a Twitter feed near you. #BEDN
Picture from globe-view.com



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6 comments:

  1. CurtiseNovember 5, 2015 at 1:41 PM

    I think my kids would like your version, it's sort of a bolognaise sauce cooked with small pasta rather than spaghetti. The version of goulash I know is the Hungarian dish, made with cubed beef in a rich paprika-flavoured sauce served with sour cream on top. Also delicious, very hearty and warming on a cold winter's day! xxx

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    1. SAMNovember 5, 2015 at 5:10 PM

      I've only once had "real" goulash, and I did like it very much. I don't know why the Minnesota version of this type of hot dish became known as goulash, but every family has a slightly different, but similar version, and nothing like the Hungarian style. It is always hamburger. I suppose one of those things that morphed generation after generation.

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  2. Practical ParsimonyNovember 5, 2015 at 4:24 PM

    Sorry, I am laughing so hard I can barely type, but hers sounds delicious. My mother cooked it the same way. I am not a spice person either, but I do cook delicious food. Okay, maybe not this dish. But, I never serve it to anyone else, either.

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    1. SAMNovember 5, 2015 at 5:12 PM

      It wasn't bad, just bland and generic. She got a little more adventurous when we kids were grown and she wasn't trying to stretch so far. I suppose in hindsight it was economy-make sure everyone will moderately like what she makes, and add more pepper if we want to spice things up.

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    2. Practical ParsimonyNovember 6, 2015 at 2:38 AM

      I looked at your mother's recipe again. My mother used two home-canned tomatoes in hers. So, do I when I have home-canned tomatoes. Maybe that is what made hers so delicious to me. Your mother probably wanted to make sure there was no kids who did not like it, someone with picky tastes. Mama had to make sure meals fed us five kids and her and Daddy. I do understand. We did not like garlic, but now we do.
      i

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    3. SAMNovember 6, 2015 at 5:32 AM

      My mom was a wizard of stretching the food budget. She had to be with 10 kids, though the oldest was in the army when youngest was born so never were all 10 home at same time. I think there were picky no tomato eaters which is why she used juice.

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