Now, Let me start off by saying that I have no idea how close this is to what Goulash actually is-- It might be exactly it, it might be far off. Maybe goulash is very expandable. But this dish is a favorite in my house.
My Grandmother's mother (My Great Grandmother) cooked this goulash for her family. It is very great on the budget, because it is delicious so you can add more or less of either the ground beef, elbow pastas, or tomato soup. I will put the recipe I usually use, but feel free to adjust it to your liking.
My grandmother cooked this dish for my father & my aunt, and it was their absolute favorite.
"I Hated onions as a kid... but Goulash onions were O.K. they melt in your mouth, or something" is what my father has said. He and my Aunt Blynda (blynn-dah, not bel-in-da) both claim that they cannot recreate this dish. I think it can only taste the way they remember in one of our families prized and appreciated cast iron skillets. I do not have one of these yet, and my goulash tastes great to me, but it is NOT the same as when my grandmother made it. I think it's the skillet.
The use of bacon grease is necesary to get the right flavour. My Aunt hates and despises keeping the fat from fresh cooked bacon, but to get the flavour here, butter or oil will not do the trick. It can be used, but the taste will suffer. It probably won't be anything special.
The Baird Family Goulash (Danielle's way)
(to serve three with a lunch portion leftover for the next day)
1 t Bacon Grease
1/4 to 1/2 of a large onion, to taste
1/2 box Elbow shaped pasta, uncooked
2 - 4 cans tomato soup (or buy the big can)
1 lb beef, give or take to your liking.
Using meat with a higher fat content improves the flavour, but I usually try to get at least 85% lean, and it comes out good.
Put a medium sized pasta pot on the burner.
cut the onions to your liking. My mother would probably have these huge ones because she likes chunk of onion. My grandmother made them medium sized. I almost always nearly mince mine, and that is what I do for goulash also. As soon as you finish, turn on the burner and use 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of bacom grease, depending on how many onions you cut. melt the grease to cover the bottom of the pasta pot, and add the onions. You can always add more grease, but don't have the onions swimming-- we're not draining the burger later.
JUST brown the onions. as soon as they are tinting brown, this is when ou add the meat. add it in chunks, or spoonfuls, and stir it up. Add however much you would like.
ALMOST brown the meat. Once it is completly browned, or still slightly pink, you add the tomato soup.
The recipe calls for adding 2 cans soup, 1 can water.
I simply add soup til it covers the beef, Stir it, and add more if I would like it soupier.
If not, just add half as much water as soup.
I rinse the cans to get all that extra tomato taste.
Bring the goulash to a hard simmer, early boil, and stir it up. once it bubbles again, add the pasta. Just shake the box over the pot,
DO NOT STIR. use at least half a box of elbows, more to taste, and pat down with a fork. stirring causes the pasta to stick.
simmer this on
LOW HEAT until the pasta is cooked.
I top this dish with fresh grated parmesean cheese, and EVERYBODY in my family loves bread and butter on the side. (My dad says it cleans the bowl nicely! this is a true fact.)
