Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (2024)

Main Dishes-Beef

Felicia Levinson

Beef, Onions, Mushrooms

2 Comments

Main Dishes-Beef

Felicia Levinson

Beef, Onions, Mushrooms

2 Comments

Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (1)

Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (2)

This is another of those "unwritten recipes"--seriously, it was never written down. I think my Grammie learned it from her mother and made it all her life. There are only 4 ingredients at play here.It's a wonderful example of how simple and delicious home cooking can be when the right techniques are applied. The meatis fall-apart tender, there are tons of mushrooms and onions and the whole thing is covered with a lick-your-plate gravy. It was a staple inGrammie's kitchen and we all enjoyed it many times over the years. Now that she no longer cooks, I wanted to see if I could make it myself.It's the perfect winter meal!

If you're thinking of traditional goulash, filled with potatoes,paprika, caraway seeds and sour cream, think again. This is probably more a beef stew, but when I askedmy Grammie about it recently and referred to it as a stew she said,"I never madestew, it was goulash". She not's in great physical shape, but her memory is clean and clear, so Grammie's goulash it is.

According to Grammie, you brown your stew meat in one big pot and into another big pot you heat a bit of oil or butter andbrownloads and loads of onions. When that's done you add the browned onion to the meat, put in a lot of mushrooms and add some water, but not too much. Armed with these very "specific" directions, I headed to the store and picked up several large onions, a pound of mushrooms and a large package of stew meat, thinking it couldn't possiblycome out the way I remembered it.

Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (3)

But it did!! It was amazing, which leads me to believe that you can't really screw this up as long as you use good ingredients because it was all guesswork. I served it over a bed of egg noodles which was great, but it would also be wonderful with mashed potatoes or rice. And like all good stews the flavor isonly gets enhanced by sitting in the fridge a couple of days. It reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (5)

And so a tradition lives on...

Makes about 8 servings

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes; Cook Time: About 3 hours (non-active)

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds stew meat

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter

  • 4-5 large onions, chopped

  • 1 pound mushrooms, quartered

  • Water

  • Salt and pepper to taste

The Recipe

1. In a large pot, over medium heat, brown meat well on all sides. Don't crowd, you will probably have to do this in two batches. Set aside.

2. In another large pot, over medium heat, add oil or butter and cook onions till browned and softened. This took me about 10-12 minutes. Then transfer onions to meat in pot and add mushrooms. Stir together. Then add enough water that it comes up to about 2/3 of the way of the mixture. You don't want to cover the mixture or for it to be entirely submerged in the water. Turn the heat to medium low and set pan top ajar on top of pot, so that some steam is escaping, but the pot is not fully uncovered. (If you think you've added a little too much water, don't worry. I did the first time I made this and just cooked the whole thing with the top off so that moreliquid could evaporate.

3. Cook over low heat for about 3 hours or until meat is fall apart tender. Serve over egg noodles, pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.

4. Goulash can be reheated in the microwave or on top of the stove easily. Leftovers keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.

Enjoy!

Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (6)

Felicia Levinson

Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (7)
Grammie's "Goulash" — Unwritten Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is original goulash made of? ›

The classic “kettle goulash” is prepared by frying cubes of beef or mutton with onions in lard. Garlic, caraway seeds, tomatoes, green peppers, and potatoes complete the stew. Székely gulyás, another Hungarian specialty, is a stew of pork and sauerkraut flavoured with tomatoes, onions, caraway seeds, and sour cream.

What's the difference between stew and goulash? ›

While a typical stew consists of slow braising chunks of meat with root vegetables in a seasoned broth, goulash uses spices such as caraway, cumin, paprika, and peppers which really enhance and alter the flavor from a classic beef stew.

What is the difference between American and traditional goulash? ›

American goulash is a one-pot dish of ground beef, pasta (often elbow macaroni), tomatoes and cheese. Sometimes it includes paprika, like its Hungarian counterpart. Since American goulash calls for ground beef, it cooks much faster than Hungarian goulash which relies on low-and-slow cooking to render the beef tender.

What's the difference between goulash and Hungarian goulash? ›

Hungarian Goulash is a thick meat and vegetable stew with a broth that's heavily seasoned with paprika, while American Goulash is a quick dish made from ground beef, tomato sauce, herbs, and elbow macaroni noodles. It also goes by the name of American Chop Suey.

What is goulash called in the South? ›

American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, American Chop Suey, or even Beef-a-Roni, is an American comfort-food dish popular in the Midwest and South.

What do you eat with goulash? ›

The best side dishes to serve with American Goulash are crispy green beans, country gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, butternut squash, watermelon cucumber salad, caramelized carrots, Tabasco sauce, corn salsa, grilled asparagus, cornbread, roasted Brussels sprouts, cucumber salad, garlic bread, biscuits, and macaroni ...

What are the two types of goulash? ›

Hungarian goulash and American goulash. Hungarian goulash is a thick soup with meat and vegetables, usually seasoned with paprika. American goulash is very different. It generally has tomato sauce, macaroni and beef.

What is technically goulash? ›

Goulash (Hungarian: gulyás) is a soup or stew of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is a common meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. It is one of the national dishes of Hungary and a symbol of the country.

What is origin American goulash? ›

American goulash is usually referred to in the midwestern and southern United States as simply "goulash". As a descendant, of sorts, of Hungarian goulash, the only real connection seems to be the name, and the inclusion of beef and paprika.

What is goulash called in America? ›

American goulash, sometimes called slumgullion, American Chop Suey, or even Beef-a-Roni, is an American comfort-food dish popular in the Midwest and South.

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