How to make Hungarian Goulash (almost)

Ingredients:

1 lb sirloin steak

Olive oil

Beef broth

Salt and pepper

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp onion powder

¼ tsp Paprika

1 small can tomato soup

Egg noodles

Directions:

Step 1:  Acquire gobs of meat from your generous sister in law’s freezer.  Discuss making Hungarian Goulash.  Compare recipes that you were each given along with recipes on The Google and various other places. 

Step 2:  After one week take 1 package of Sirloin out of the freezer and allow to thaw overnight. 

Step 3:  Pour 1 tbsp Olive Oil into crockpot. 

Step 4:  Cut meat into 1” cubes, trimming fat.

Step 4:  Dump meat into crockpot.

Step 5:  Add generous amounts of salt and pepper and enough water/broth/boullion/stuff to cover.

Step 6:  Cook on High for as long as it takes you to take two children to school and one adult to work to do accountanty stuff for two hours, pick preschooler up, run three errands, talk to two people, order a BLT Crunchwrap from Taco Bell and return home..  Approx 5 hours.

Step 7A:  Remove cooked meat from crockpot, dividing into two portions – one for this meal and one for the freezer.

Step 7B:  Put one portion of meat, 1 Tbsp flour and approx. 1 cup of broth taken from crockpot into sauce pan.  Stir.

Step 8:  Add one small can of Tomato Soup, a little more broth and salt and pepper if needed.  Add about 1 Tbsp onion powder and ¼ teaspoon paprika.

Step 9:  Stir together.  Taste.  Think.  Furrow brow.  Stir.

Step 10:  Place lid of sauce pan and place in fridge.

Step 11:  Drive to friends house, visit for a bit, pick up oldest child from school, return to friends house, chat and do last minute crafty stuff until 5:20pm.

Step 12A:  Return home, discover that after removing meat and all broth from the crockpot you failed to turn it off.  Try to scrape burned on bits off of the bottom before the crock cools.

Step 12B:  Start a pan of ‘Noodle Water’, deal with backpacks, pick up random dishes, start a load of laundry.

Step 13:  Add noodles to water, place ‘Sauce’ pan on burner and low to medium-ish heat.

Step 14:  Make your own bed, pick up Mardi Gras beads neighbor brought over, debate cleaning off your dresser.  Decide you can’t deal with that mess.

Step 15:  Return to kitchen, realize that ‘Sauce’ is burning.  Attempt to rescue this train wreck by scraping unburned portion into a cereal bowl.

Step 16:  Drain noodles.

Step 17:  Serve noodles covered by sauce and meat except for the following:

Pink plate:  noodles with sauce and meat

Purple plate:  Create an invisible line on the plate. Place noodles on one side of line, cover with small amount of ONLY sauce.  Place meat on the other side of the line.

                               

Step 18:  Eat. Furrow brow.  Ponder.  (Too tired to think.)  Eat.  Wonder what your sister in law would think.  Wonder what husband would think.

Step 19:  Write blog post.

Step 20:  Argue with oldest child about need for a bath.

Step 21:  Mix together youngest daughters remaining food and eat.

Recipe duplication rating:  Almost.  The texture is right on, flavor feels like it is lacking something. My best guess is hot sauce but it could be tomato paste.

Easy of cooking:  Very easy.

East of cleaning up;  I don't even want to think about it.