It's the brown sugar and onions -

My mother, who's as Hungarian as silverkun, makes a dish she called Hungarian Goulash when we were kids.

Keep in mind, Mom was a single parent with four kids on a nurse's wage - everything had to go as far as it would. But Mom would take a pound of ground beef and turn it into something I had to learn to make myself. It's a comfort food almost as good as homemade macaroni and cheese. Well...it's good. Mmm good.

However, actually recreating the taste gets tough - it turns out too watery, too weak, too spicy, too salty - a good batch turns out stick-to-your-ribs thick, with the sauce covering the components with a slick, shiny coat - and the taste is not overpoweringly tomatoish, even though the main ingredient is a can of tomato paste and another one of chopped stewed tomatoes.

Tonight - I did it. It's sitting on the stove waiting for Jim to come home.

Take a pound of ground beef and brown it. I took two small onions, about the size of large eggs and matchsticked them with the mandoline and browned them with the ground beef. Salt and pepper liberally. Take the can of tomato paste and dilute it with 3 - 4 cups of water. Add to browned beef and add the can of stewed tomatoes as is from the can.

Start seasoning. I use everything in the cabinet I like - salt, pepper, celery salt, a pinch of curry powder, a pinch of cinnamon, some thyme, a bay leaf - taste often.

But Mom's secret was a lump of brown sugar.

Add that, and then you look at what you have in the house. Mom always added a cup of uncooked pasta (elbows, what have you) at this point and some kind of vegetable. I prefer corn but she would often add some frozen mixed vegetables or peas. Tonight, it was a can of corn, added straight from the can without draining. I also added a cup of orzo.

Taking a page from the Swiss, who cook pasta and potatoes together for alpler magroenen, I took some little fingerling potatoes I found at the farmer's market last week and added them to the sauce. Then began tasting again, adjusting and adding more pepper and salt.

About 15 minutes later, the potatoes were done, so was the pasta and the dish is ready to serve. *Whomp* cooking.

Best part - it makes great leftovers. And it tastes just like Mom's.

Hurry up Jim. I'm hungry.

It's the brown sugar and onions -

My mother, who's as Hungarian as silverkun, makes a dish she called Hungarian Goulash when we were kids.

Keep in mind, Mom was a single parent with four kids on a nurse's wage - everything had to go as far as it would. But Mom would take a pound of ground beef and turn it into something I had to learn to make myself. It's a comfort food almost as good as homemade macaroni and cheese. Well...it's good. Mmm good.

However, actually recreating the taste gets tough - it turns out too watery, too weak, too spicy, too salty - a good batch turns out stick-to-your-ribs thick, with the sauce covering the components with a slick, shiny coat - and the taste is not overpoweringly tomatoish, even though the main ingredient is a can of tomato paste and another one of chopped stewed tomatoes.

Tonight - I did it. It's sitting on the stove waiting for Jim to come home.

Take a pound of ground beef and brown it. I took two small onions, about the size of large eggs and matchsticked them with the mandoline and browned them with the ground beef. Salt and pepper liberally. Take the can of tomato paste and dilute it with 3 - 4 cups of water. Add to browned beef and add the can of stewed tomatoes as is from the can.

Start seasoning. I use everything in the cabinet I like - salt, pepper, celery salt, a pinch of curry powder, a pinch of cinnamon, some thyme, a bay leaf - taste often.

But Mom's secret was a lump of brown sugar.

Add that, and then you look at what you have in the house. Mom always added a cup of uncooked pasta (elbows, what have you) at this point and some kind of vegetable. I prefer corn but she would often add some frozen mixed vegetables or peas. Tonight, it was a can of corn, added straight from the can without draining. I also added a cup of orzo.

Taking a page from the Swiss, who cook pasta and potatoes together for alpler magroenen, I took some little fingerling potatoes I found at the farmer's market last week and added them to the sauce. Then began tasting again, adjusting and adding more pepper and salt.

About 15 minutes later, the potatoes were done, so was the pasta and the dish is ready to serve. *Whomp* cooking.

Best part - it makes great leftovers. And it tastes just like Mom's.

Hurry up Jim. I'm hungry.

It's the brown sugar and onions -

My mother, who's as Hungarian as silverkun, makes a dish she called Hungarian Goulash when we were kids.

Keep in mind, Mom was a single parent with four kids on a nurse's wage - everything had to go as far as it would. But Mom would take a pound of ground beef and turn it into something I had to learn to make myself. It's a comfort food almost as good as homemade macaroni and cheese. Well...it's good. Mmm good.

However, actually recreating the taste gets tough - it turns out too watery, too weak, too spicy, too salty - a good batch turns out stick-to-your-ribs thick, with the sauce covering the components with a slick, shiny coat - and the taste is not overpoweringly tomatoish, even though the main ingredient is a can of tomato paste and another one of chopped stewed tomatoes.

Tonight - I did it. It's sitting on the stove waiting for Jim to come home.

Take a pound of ground beef and brown it. I took two small onions, about the size of large eggs and matchsticked them with the mandoline and browned them with the ground beef. Salt and pepper liberally. Take the can of tomato paste and dilute it with 3 - 4 cups of water. Add to browned beef and add the can of stewed tomatoes as is from the can.

Start seasoning. I use everything in the cabinet I like - salt, pepper, celery salt, a pinch of curry powder, a pinch of cinnamon, some thyme, a bay leaf - taste often.

But Mom's secret was a lump of brown sugar.

Add that, and then you look at what you have in the house. Mom always added a cup of uncooked pasta (elbows, what have you) at this point and some kind of vegetable. I prefer corn but she would often add some frozen mixed vegetables or peas. Tonight, it was a can of corn, added straight from the can without draining. I also added a cup of orzo.

Taking a page from the Swiss, who cook pasta and potatoes together for alpler magroenen, I took some little fingerling potatoes I found at the farmer's market last week and added them to the sauce. Then began tasting again, adjusting and adding more pepper and salt.

About 15 minutes later, the potatoes were done, so was the pasta and the dish is ready to serve. *Whomp* cooking.

Best part - it makes great leftovers. And it tastes just like Mom's.

Hurry up Jim. I'm hungry.