Goulash February 4, 2021

Today I made my Mother in Law’s goulash recipe with a few refinements of my own. Besides meat it had carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, peas, onions and garlic. It was layered in a roaster and cooked for several hours in the oven.

As the dish was cooking, I thought ,”Why not have a word goulash?” So with a bit of this and a little of that here is my goulash blog.

Earnest Hemingway said, ”Writing is easy. You just sit down at a typewriter …and bleed.”

While cutting up the vegetables, I wondered where are all the fresh vegetables coming from in the middle of winter? When I was a kid, my mother had canned vegetables from the garden. We enjoyed, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, carrots, asparagus and cabbage as kraut. Other veggies were bought frozen or we did without. We looked forward to spring and new leafy vegetables.

We have many choices to put in our goulash but the flavor has been decreased by early harvesting and travel. I put in more spices to make up for the flavor difference.

The idea of slow cooking is very popular. Once difficult to fit into a day with work and chores. Now with more people working from home, watching a low temperature oven or crock pot, people are managing both tasks. The aroma of a slow cooked meal permeates the air. Words like, delightful, palatable , savory and pleasant. I am tempted to open the oven door or the top of the crock pot to allow more aromas to escape.

Finally, the roaster is out and resting before serving. I never understood why a dish must rest until I try to taste test the goulash directly from the oven. I burned my tongue for my trouble .

The meal was dished out on the table and we blessed the gift of a home cooked meal from the past.

May you make your own goulash soon. But let it rest.

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Goulash

Gather the meat and vegetables to start the dish.

Open the recipe box to see a traditional preparation.

Understanding our tastes have changed, I add and omit ingredients.

Good smells are released into the house.

A quick look into the oven to savor the escaping vapor.

Shut the door to complete the cooking.

Happy with the results but please don’t burn yourself!

Copyright 2,4,21 Carol Farnsworth

carolfarn@aol.com