This is good comfort food, especially in cold weather. The weather in Boise has been in the low 40s the last couple of days, which feels like a heat wave! Chuck commented how surprised he was to not have made this yet this winter. It was quick and easy. He told me it was a staple when he was living in Minnesota working long days. With this meal he was able to have a good home cooked meal fairly fast. And even though he doesn't like left overs, these left overs are really good!
Chuck's tips for this recipe: Normally goulash is made with beef, he uses ground pork and really enjoys the change. This dish needs layered flavors or has the potential to be bland. That means that a sprinkle of salt and pepper with each set of ingredient additions is important.
With this we had a gazpacho salad. This is another one that he has introduced me to that I love. I had the recipe written down from the first time we had it but now I have pictures!!
Chuck's Mom's Goulash with a Twist
Ingredients:
1 lb. Ground pork
15 oz. Tomato sauce
15 oz. Diced tomatoes
3/4 can Water (use one of the tomato cans)
2 c. Macaroni, uncooked
1 t Crushed red pepper flakes
1 t Italian seasoning
1 T Sugar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
Directions:
1: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot (our pot was EXTRA large, you don't need to
go THAT big, we just didn't have many options). Add ground pork and a pinch
of salt and pepper. Brown the pork.
2: Drain the fat drippings from the pan.
3: Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, 1t black pepper, large pinch of salt, and
4: Stir in the pasta and bring to a boil. Keep covered and reduce heat to let simmer for
20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
Gazpacho Salad
Ingredients:
1 Tomato, diced
1/3 English cucumber, or regular, diced
12-15 Pimento stuffed green olives, halved if they are large
1/2 Celery stalk, sliced
1/2 c. Texas Toast croutons
1/4 c. Italian Salad dressing
A few leaves of romaine or iceberg lettuce (optional)
Directions:
1: In a medium bowl, toss the tomato, cucumber, olives, celery, croutons, and dressing.
2: Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
3: Spoon onto leaves of lettuce (or just straight into a bowl or plate) and serve!
The dressing soaks into the croutons just enough to flavor them. They are hearty enough to stand up to the dressing for a while. Very good!
On another note. We are currently obsessed with "Bobby's Dinner Battle" on Food Network and can't figure out how to apply! We would kill it!
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