Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: K Frame on January 17, 2020, 07:41:14 AM
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It was goulash in my family when I was growing up. Mom made it a bunch of times, but I've not had it, or thought about it, in decades. In a lot of ways, it's basically homemade beef-a-roni.
Someone posted about it on faceplace the other day, and so this weekend I'm going to be taking a trip down memory lane. It should be perfect for tomorrow, given that it's going to be snowing in the morning and raining in the afternoon and generally gross as hell all day.
This is the recipe I'm going to use: https://www.budgetbytes.com/goulash/
Probably won't put the green peppers in, I'm not crazy about them.
I'm also going to double the recipe so I have lunches for all next week.
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My mom called it goulash. We ate it a lot, but I think she made it with rice instead of macaroni; can't remember, the rice might have been something else. Also she didn't add wine; we almost never had wine in the house (but we usually had beer)
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We never had wine or beer in the house unless someone gave us a bottle around Christmas.
The rice would be an interesting hack. I could get into that.
I remember being so confused when I was maybe 15 or so and had actual Hungarian Goulash for the first time.
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I remember being so confused when I was maybe 15 or so and had actual Hungarian Goulash for the first time.
Heh. I was confused looking at your link. :laugh:
My mom grew up in a kraut village in Hungary, so they did a good bit of Hungarian cooking, including goulash. My mom made it here as well, though her "Americanizing" it was more going to thicker gravy rather than the soupy kind of goulash. I used to love eating that goulash and dunking my mom's fresh homemade bread in the gravy.
The one at your link actually looks pretty tasty though, even if it isn't true goulash. Exactly the kind of thing I like for a cold day inside.
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Are you modifying it to make it in the Instant Pot?
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Called Goulash growing up, hated it very much. Mom made with the cheapest elbow macaroni (usually over cooked), tomato paste, onions and hamburger. Just very plain tasting and doughy.
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I just did a search, and this "American goulash" popped up more than traditional goulash if you just type in "goulash". Even Cowboy Kent Rollins makes it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4O76oeToN4
This one looks similar to what my mom made, though my mom also did one with a little thicker gravy as I mentioned:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/hungarian-goulash/
I'm actually getting hungry for it now. Dammit Mike.
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This sounds good
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-goulash
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I don't have an instant pot. I'll be making it on the stove top.
I suspect that this particular dish became known as "goulash," at least in Pennsylvania, because of the strong presence of both Hungarian and Italian ethnic groups
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Yeah, you overcook the macaroni and it won't be very good. I'm going to use the base recipe that I linked in, but I'm also going to add additional spices. I'm also going to add smoked paprika, even though it doesn't call for it, because damn it smoked paprika is GOOD.
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Alton Brown did an episode on Hungarian goulash. Looked good, but it was a multiday affair, IIRC.
Ah. Here's his recipe....
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-beef-stew-recipe-1948778
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Are you modifying it to make it in the Instant Pot?
I saw a recipe online that I will try soon: Cook the meat in the Instant Pot on saute, with a little onion and garlic. Add 1/2 cup of water and stir it up to deglaze the pot, then add a jar of spaghetti sauce. Add 8 ounces of broken dry spaghetti (do not stir) Rinse the spaghetti sauce jar with 1.5 cups of water and pour that over the spaghetti. Still don't mix it up, and that's supposed to be important. Pressure cook for 8 minutes and quick release the pressure. Now you can stir it. Let it rest a few minutes before serving; it will thicken.
Eight minutes sounds like way too long.
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Dammit, this has done it. I'm baking bread and making goulash for Sunday dinner now. Or possibly tomorrow, since it's supposed to snow.
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Called Goulash growing up, hated it very much. Mom made with the cheapest elbow macaroni (usually over cooked), tomato paste, onions and hamburger. Just very plain tasting and doughy.
Same for me. We also slumgullion but I think that was more like putting all of the leftovers together to make a dish. American chop suey is just the La Choy canned food to me. I hated it.
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"American chop suey is just the La Choy canned food to me. I hated it."
Ooohh... that was some NASTY stuff, wasn't it? Came with that can of crispy noodles zip tied to the can of dog vomit...
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As is my standard, I took the base recipe and played around with the ingredients based on my likes.
I added chopped celery, more onion, and added Worcestershire sauce, and upped the spices from 1/2 a teaspoon (are you freaking kidding me? WHY ARE PEOPLE AFRAID OF HERBS AND SPICES?????) to a full tablespoon, and added a tablespoon of smoked paprika.
It was quite tasty.
I also used whole grain rotini instead of elbows because my store was out of whole grain elbows.
I'll be making this one again.
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As is my standard, I took the base recipe and played around with the ingredients based on my likes.
I'm doing that with my Hungarian goulash this morning. I remembered as best I could my mom's recipe, then printed out several recipes that I got online. I'm going to mix what I consider the best parts of all of them together and simmer it all up in my dutch oven starting in a couple of hours.
Interestingly, one recipe by a Hungarian chef called for equal parts of meat and onions. I actually like "heavy on the onions" but I don't think I've ever had goulash with that much onion, including in the rather rare in the US Hungarian restaurant I've been to.
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(are you freaking kidding me? WHY ARE PEOPLE AFRAID OF HERBS AND SPICES?????)
I never got that either, my wife is like that, just a dash of pepper for the whole pot.
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I did add the green peppers, diced fine. Glad I did.
The wine? I picked poorly. It was ok for cooking but not very good todrink.
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I did add the green peppers, diced fine. Glad I did.
The wine? I picked poorly. It was ok for cooking but not very good todrink.
I made this yesterday, too. (I had a pound of ground beef in the fridge, and a sad looking green bell pepper.) But I didn't follow the recipe. I browned the meat and broke it up but not too small. Added the small-diced pepper and about half an onion. When those were wilted good, I poured in a can of Hunt's spaghetti sauce and some oregano, Italian herbs, and a spoonful of Asian chili and garlic in oil (it also has shallots and a little salty shrimp paste.) Cooked it all together until the "can" taste was gone. Meanwhile I simmered 8 ounces of elbow macaroni in 2 cups of water and a small beef bouillon cube until the water was almost all absorbed, then turned it off an put a lid on the pot. When the meat sauce was ready, I dumped the macaroni in, and stirred it all up, and cooked over very low heat just a little longer. I probably added a little salt and pepper and garlic powder at some point, I don't remember. I didn't have to buy anything for it; I had all this stuff already.
I made several meals out of it, and had a good amount left for Wife when she got home today. There's just enough left for one of us for lunch tomorrow.
I didn't use any wine, but if I did it would probably be Peter Vella burgundy; it comes in a 5 liter box. It's cheap and good for drinking or cooking, and it keeps pretty well even after it's opened because the bag keeps the air out until you get to the very last half a glass.
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The wine? I picked poorly. It was ok for cooking but not very good to drink.
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What did you pick?
I didn't use any wine, but if I did it would probably be Peter Vella burgundy; it comes in a 5 liter box. It's cheap and good for drinking or cooking, and it keeps pretty well even after it's opened because the bag keeps the air out until you get to the very last half a glass.
Posted on: January 19, 2020, 04:44:43 PMPosted by: Mike Irwin
Boxed wine is fine for cooking, and OK to drink. I would have picked Merlot or Cabernet, but that's me.
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"what did you pick?"
Barefoot Pinot Noir.
I've had other Barefoot wines before, mostly whites. They're OK, so I figured I'd be OK with one of their reds. Not a fan.
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Barefoot Pinot Noir.
I've had other Barefoot wines before, mostly whites. They're OK, so I figured I'd be OK with one of their reds. Not a fan.
Ah, OK. Pinot Noir is a good wine, but way on the dry side. I've seen Barefoot wines before, but don't think I've ever had any. If you prefer whites, it may be that you just like them a little sweeter. Chardonnay is what I drink if white is called for, but I usually prefer dry reds.
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For a dish like this the dryer reds work better in my experience.
Barefoot just didn't have the depth of personality a pinot noir should have.
I would have gone with a Chilean malbec but couldn't find any in the store.
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This stuff turned out so well that I'm going to make it again Sunday for lunches for the following week.
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This stuff turned out so well that I'm going to make it again Sunday for lunches for the following week.
Ha ha - funny, I'm doing the same with mine. I was happy with how it came out, and got several more easy meals out of it. Only thing different I'm doing is that only had smoked paprika handy. Sweet paprika is used in most European goulash recipes, but is hard to find locally. I ordered some on Amazon and it arrived yesterday. t should work out well. The already cubed goulash meat I bought at Costco was really good and really cheap, but of course comes in a ginormous package. I could only use half of it last Sunday or my 5 qt dutch oven would have overflowed.
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Of the various main paprika types -- sweet, hot, and smoked -- I REALLY prefer smoked. I use it in a LOT of stuff that generally you'd not think to use paprika in.
Chicken noodle soup? Have some smoked paprika.
Scrambled egges? Why not?
A sprinkling on buttered broccoli? Hell yes!
And so forth and so on...
I need to investigate a different wine, though. My original choice was Malbec, but I couldn't fine one at the store I was at. Different store should yield better results.
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For my wife and I, our go-to place to buy wine is Costco. We generally buy in the $15-25/bottle range, and find some amazing wines for that price. We will go above or below that range based on reviews, prior experience or just want to try something new.
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I also like the smoked Paprika on a lot of stuff. Seems like an underused spice in the US.
On the Costco wines, I too, have had really good luck with their reasonably priced wines - even the ones I buy just because of the name or the picture on the label. :laugh:
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When I cook with wine I generally buy at the $10 an under range.
I've found some really good wines in that range, both for cooking and for occasional drinking. I just got back from the store and picked up a bottle of Argentinian Malbec for $6.99. May be great, may be horrible, but I've found that even Malbecs that I won't drink do pretty well in tomato based sauces.
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I also like the smoked Paprika on a lot of stuff. Seems like an underused spice in the US.
I use a lot of dried chipotle peppers; the small dark "morita" kind. A little bag of them goes a long way, cuz one is a lot in a dish. (I put 2 in some pumpkin soup today, it's pretty hot and smoky)
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2018 Alamos Malbec from Argentina.
7 a bottle at Wegmans.
Not bad at all.
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The Malbec was a better choice for this. And it was far more drinkable on its own.
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For my wife and I, our go-to place to buy wine is Costco. We generally buy in the $15-25/bottle range, and find some amazing wines for that price. We will go above or below that range based on reviews, prior experience or just want to try something new.
My Costco has had Klinker Brick Zinfidel on and off, it's pretty darn good, highly recommend.
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Decided that I needed to make Goulash again (Ben, your objection is noted, sit the hell down! :rofl: )
This time I decided to go with red bell pepper (they were on sale at the store and are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!), no celery (forgot to get) and, for an added twist, mushrooms, which I sweated with the onion and pepper.
Used equal amounts of tomato sauce and crushed Italian style tomatoes, 2 pounds of ground turkey, about 8 ounces of left over shredded chicken breast, and whatever spices I felt like.
It's simmering now, then the rotini goes in.
Hopefully it turns out because if it doesn't I'm not sure what I'm going to do for lunches at work this week.
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Hopefully it turns out because if it doesn't I'm not sure what I'm going to do for lunches at work this week.
How could it not be at least edible? So you'll take it for lunch and either like it because it turned out, or pretend you like it because it is what it is. =)
(if you hadn't put the chicken in there, you could use it for Serenfood)
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Decided that I needed to make Goulash again (Ben, your objection is noted, sit the hell down! :rofl: )
Hey! :laugh:
I really need to make some again before the weather gets hot. Maybe this is a next Sunday thing. I'm pretty sure I still have stew meat in the freezer.
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Level with me, Ben, is your name actually John Ealy?
Because this is what John Ealy posted in response to my mentioning that I'm making this (on a Facebook group).
"There is not any such thing as American goulash. It is an insult to any Hungarian who knows what real goulash is."
My response?
"oh lighten up, Francis, and go do a google.
The fact that it's called AMERICAN Goulash should be a clue that it has nothing to do with Hungarian Goulash.
Jesus..."
Yep, my first thought was... Goddamn it, Ben! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
I think someone shoved a Hungarian wax pepper up Mr. Ealy's piss hole...
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As I just saw this thread I figured I would ask if anyone has tried a tablespoon or so of brown sugar in it? I do because the wife likes the sweetness. I an take it or leave it. Yes, I grew up eating this, as well as ground beef SOS and scrambled eggs and pig brains. It is what we ate back then with parents from the depression era. I do the "goulash" at least monthly now.
bob
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Yeah, I sometimes add a bit of sugar to tomato-based recipes, including this.
I like a bit of sweetness as I think it does a good job of brightening the tomato flavor.
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"Not The Goulash."
A few cupfulls of rice in the big pressure cooker. Add water to proper height. Add a stick of butter. Sprinkle paprika, cayenne, and either Cavender's or Chacchere's, or whatever's around. crushed peppers if I remember. Add a bag or two, depending on the amount of rice, of pre-done Aldi meatballs. Set to "rice time and pressure." I've also used smoked sausage, kielbasa, added pepperonis, and some mozz later...