Roots

My mother is of Germain-Austrian-Hungarian (with a touch of Gypsy) heritage so growing up we ate things the neighborhood kids thought was weird. Things like liverwurst, landjaeger, lebekaissen, etc. Last month I was feeling a little sentimental and decided to go back to a dish my Mom used to make but hasn't made in a very long time. Hungarian Goulash. I remember eating bowl after bowl of this on camping trips to Moosehead Lake, ME when the weather got damp and chilly. Since it was cold here, I decided to make a batch for myself. I don't know if this is how my mom made hers - I will have to ask - but the results were delicious and stirred up those fond childhood memories. I did find that once everything cooked down I had a lot of sauce compared to the meat but that was ok since I used the extra sauce to make chicken paprika later in the week. I'll post that recipe another day.

Hungarian Goulash

2 Lbs Stew Beef

2 Cups flour

2-3 Tbs vegetable oil

3 medium onions, sliced

5 cloves garlic, crushed,

1 large can diced tomato 

1 small can tomato paste 

1 Cup beef broth

4 Tbs Hungarian paprika (sweet)

1 tsp caraway seed

2 bay leaves

Heat oil in a stock pot

Dredge beef in flour and brown in hot oil (small batches)

When beef is browned remove it from pot and set aside.

Add onions and garlic to pot, and saute until softened

Return beef to pot and add remaining ingredients.

Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours until beef is tender

Sever over egg noodles with a dollop or sour cream