Anna Wright: My Goulash Recipe.

Who says third time's a charm?! I made it on the first try!

Yesterday I carefully attempted to make stew, any kind of stew. A few weeks ago my boyfriend made me goulash and it turned out to be one of the most delicious dishes I have ever tasted! If a boy can make a good meal, then so can I, who enjoys making meals. It wasn't until last summer when I visited my fam-fam back in Croatia that I started cooking and baking. I met my new sister-in-law and she is younger than me and knew how to cook! I felt slightly embarrassed, but she sure taught me a few tricks! She grew up on a farm and had more experience, while I relied on my mother to do most of the cooking around the house.

Anyhow, back to my goulash... I get sidetracked easily.

Since my return from Houston (where my boyfriend resides) I was determined to make my own goulash and when I tested out my skills yesterday, I can surely say I passed the test with flying colors! Even my mother was impressed. :)

I will share with you my joyous recipe below. If you decide to make it, good luck and enjoy.

Mind you, I was on my feet for three hours while I prepped, chopped and stirred!

(Bear in mind, this will be approximately a serving for about four to five people ... or depending on how much food you can consume in one sitting.) LOL.

Spices you will need:

Serbian spice called Vegeta found in Walmart (No, not Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, silly!!!)
Mrs. Dash (Table Blend, or any version your taste buds prefer.)
Bay Leaves (Not for consumption, I take them out when I am ready to eat.)
KC Masterpiece Steak Seasoning
Paprika Pimento
Mrs. Wages Pasta Sauce (Hold this one off until the end. You will fry it in a pan with a tablespoon of butter in oil and add to the stew.)
McCormic Parsley Leaves
Spice Classic Chicken Seasoning

Vegetables you will need ... to chop, of course. Unless you want to stick them whole in the metal bowl, but it won't have the same effect as the picture portrays. J/K. :)

1 green or red bell pepper
1 large carrot
1 small bowl of mushrooms (Wash those buggers, you never know in whose hands they've been in.)
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 stick of celery
3 small potatoes ... or two large ones. Whatever.
1 small can of tomato paste
3 tablespoons of ordinary spaghetti sauce (For the sake of coloring!)
2 chicken breasts
2 pork chops
1 can of green beans
1 Avocado

Now that you have all the ingredients, or at least I hope you do. I fear that I left something out, but as long as we included meat, who cares about the rest! Now, whip out a large cooking bowl or in whatever dish you cook soup. Add about three to four tablespoons of oil (any kind you usually use). When the oil is hot, throw in the garlic, onion, Mr. Carrot (chopped...), avocado, that smelly stick of celery and the chopped mushrooms. Stir for a minute, add the green beans and a few bay leaves, then low the temperature from high to about medium or even lower. You don't want the veggies to burn while you cut the chicken and the pork.

Speaking of the devil, while your home is filled with the onion aroma, and when you diced the meat, place in any large enough plastic bowl. Now to season it, I sprinkle vegeta (again, not the dude from Dragon Ball Z...), Mrs. Dash, add the parsley leaves, steak seasoning, Pimento and chicken seasoning. Stir with your (clean) hands. Make sure you check on the veggies from time to time.

NOW... In a frying pan, sprinkle oil and add the meat just enough for the meat to alter its color--it doesn't need to fry for more than a few minutes. Add a large cup of water to the vegetables and go ahead and be brave enough to add the meat. You will have to add a cup of water every once in a while, and when you do, raise the temperature for just a few minutes. Stir, stir, stir. (The reason for H2O is so the content does not become condensed.)

Next, chop the potatoes and add to the stew after it has been cooking for an hour. Add the tomato paste (Yes, you'll get your share of exercise standing in that hot kitchen.) I chopped the potatoes in really tiny pieces, but you don't have to. Stir, stir, stir (no sitting!) and in about two hours (hey, the longer the ingredients cook, the better it tastes), in a small frying pan, sprinkle oil and add the Mrs. Wages Pasta Sauce, along with a small cube of butter (of course if you don't like butter, you don't have to add it, deary). Keep stirring for about a minute and add to the stew and--you guessed it--stir some more! (Gee, I feel like I forgot to mention something...)

Aha. As for the spices, keep adding sprinkles of vegeta from time to time, along with Mrs. Dash, steak seasoning, chicken seasoning and the parsley leaves. Make sure not to add a lot, because you don't want it to taste too salty! Add hot paprika if you like it spicy. Taste from time to time just to test it. If too bland, add more vegeta. Bear in mind, one of vegeta's ingredients is salt, along with dried vegetables, which is why I don't salt any of my foods.

Lastly, a great combination with goulash is mashed potatoes, white rice (which I haven't tried yet but it sounds like it would work), and macaroni.

Tip: I sprinkled on Parmesan cheese and added a dollop of sour cream on top for extra flavor. This is not a recipe for dieters, however, you always have a choice to include low fat or fat free ingredients as well as watch your portion sizes.

FYI: If you didn't understand any of what I just explained, basically add oil, let it heat up and shove everything you have in the fridge and let it stew for a few hours. You can't go wrong. Just leave that chocolate cake out ... save it for when you decide to have an attempt at desert.