Directions: |
Directions:1. Brown the beef.
2. Slice the mushrooms and sauté in olive oil.
3. Coarsely dice the onion, red pepper, and green pepper.
4. Sauté them in olive oil.
5. Mix all together and add the tomatoes. While this is simmering gently, it is time to make a decision-shall we add cooked macaroni? ...shall we make spaghetti sauce? or should it be chili? Only then should one find appropriate seasonings! |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: The title Family Cookbook made it possible for this inclusion. When it was suggested that a favorite recipes be included, panic set in---recipes?--recipes?--recipes? Following recipes has never been a developed talent from this quarter. In fact, the “pour, taste, add” method of cooking has been my m.o. from about the age of 10 or 12.
In the late 1940s or perhaps the early 1950s, Dad’s (Les/Grandpa Brue) brother Charles, from California, visited the Brue family in Fiscus, Iowa. Rumors were that he had been a cook for a period of time. We believed that meant he was THE cook in an exotic Italian restaurant. We did know “for a fact” that he could make the best spaghetti sauce that we had ever tasted. He shared some secrets. (It was, by the way, quite a novel idea to have an uncle cooking-how sheltered we were!) After boiling home-canned tomatoes down to a saucy consistency the fun part began. He added some oregano, a bay leaf, sage (I think), basil, and some very finely minced onion (or maybe just the juice), and of course salt and pepper. He then shared a secret: a wee bit of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomato sauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon to add some magic.
After that demonstration it became very clear to me that “add, taste, add more, taste again, add, taste...” was a way to be creative. Being the oldest of four siblings gave me the opportunity to help a bit with the constant food preparation for a family which seemed to consume pounds of food per meal. Rarely were there only six Brues at the meal table! What a wonderful place to practice culinary arts!
One cooking event which seems to resonate with the sibs is what became known as Carolyn’s Goulash. No one really remembers what it must have contained that particular day, but Dad (Les/Grandpa Brue) was heard to say,”…anything more in there may cause an explosion!”
Goulash, by local understanding at that time, required a combination of ground beef, tomatoes, and one type of pasta—usually elbows macaroni! The final delightful dish was strictly dependent upon the creativity of the particular cook!! The most commonly detected seasoning was chili powder. Corn (home-frozen) was a very tasty addition. Sometimes green beans (also home-frozen) were added or were used in lieu of the corn. Aren’t the possibilities just endless?!
|
This recipe for Goulash is from