Goulash

A recipe for Non-Mushy, Spicy Goulash (a Firmer Goulash).

Ingredients

• 1 lb of ground beef (or ground Turkey)
• 3 cups elbow macaroni
• 4 8oz cans Spicy Hot V-8
• Onion flake
• ½ fresh tomato (diced)
• salt
• coarse ground black pepper
• butter (not Margarine)

Instructions

Partially brown ground meat in a large skillet. Brown but do not cook though, make sure center of meat is still somewhat pink. At the same time boil the elbow macaroni in a large saucepan. Boil in water with a little salt added. Boil only slightly longer than you would normally. The macaroni needs to be chewy but not soft.

While browning meat, add salt and pepper, season to taste. Add Onion flake. You can also use fresh chopped onion.

Empty the browned meat into a bowl and set aside. New place 2 Tbsp butter in skillet over medium heat. Drain water from macaroni.

After the butter has melted, place macaroni in skillet, add salt and cook until macaroni just starts to brown. This is an important step, as it prevents the macaroni from becoming mushy later when combined in the saucepan. Be sure to use a spatula to scoop and stir the macaroni so it doesn't stick to the skillet during cooking. Move macaroni casually while cooking.

Place empty saucepan on medium heat and pour one can of V8 into pan. Heat until it starts to boil while you are browning the macaroni in the skillet. Add diced fresh tomato to saucepan.

Add meat from bowl to saucepan. Heat. Add slightly browned macaroni to saucepan. Add 3 more 8oz cans of V8, heat until it starts to boil. Turn heat down to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Notes

Seasoning Salt works as a more tasty alternative to table salt. Tobacco Sauce can be added to mix in saucepan while heating. A few dashes of Tobacco Sauce makes for a richer more spicy Goulash.

People's Goulash is often too mushy, with the elbow macaroni overcooked and falling apart in the mix. By not boiling the elbow macaroni too long, and then frying it until it gets a skin, it does not become mushy in the final mix. The macaroni will soften in the saucepan but retain some chewy texture, just enough to prevent the regrettable Goulash macaroni mush.

Frying the elbow macaroni in butter with salt gives the pasta a buttery flavor that comes though in the final mix. Use several shakes of salt over frying macaroni.

When using fresh onion, use only a small amount and dice up into small pieces. Add the fresh onion to the meat right away while browning.