Mmm, Homemade Hungarian Goulash...
(sorry i haven't posted in a long time - since deviantart has a journal feature there's just less and less reason to write here - will share some new art soon, though)
I just made some. And i think it's my best batch yet.
See, when my parents were in Hungary a few weeks ago, they said it was served more like a soup than a meaty sauce to put over noodles, so i made it with that in mind, and didn't bother with thickening the liquid.
In fact i added MORE broth, and more spices to the pork loin meat (because Sarah doesn't like beef - weirdo), and put it on top of the nokedli/spatzle in a bowl and goddamn, it was awesome!
This place still smells like it. But i did just warm some up a few hours ago and ate it ...
The recipe i got from an old Hungarian cookbook my mom has from which i photocopied a few pages of things i wanted to try out.
Added a bit of my own flair with some proportions and some different spices. The book only calls for paprika, salt, pepper and marjoram - well, i can't just stop at that, i added oregano, thyme, basil, and a little extra pepper than what's in the recipe (but not too much - i like a little pepper burn, but not a lot). I considered a little curry, but ... i don't know, i'm not ready to take that step with this recipe yet.
After making Goulash and Minestrone, i get to thinking most European cooking is just throwing everything you got into a pot and seeing what happens, hehe. They're basically mostly the same, only with paprika and meat being the main difference (and some proportions). I put basically all the same veggies into them both - canned diced tomatoes, yellow peppers, celery, carrot, garlic - goulash uses onions, and minestrone uses leeks, but they could be interchangeable, goulash has potatoes where minestrone does not - i could have added zucchini to the goulash, too, but didn't feel like it. Also they both use beef broth. Or chicken, whatever, meat broth. Or veggie broth if you want. Minestrone has more focus on the tomatoes and veggies, though.
But yah. Don't you hate the countdown clock in your head when you have roughly 40-20 minutes left before work, and you keep looking at a real clock to see if you can squeeze in a little bit of a nap, or a session in a game that usually takes 10-15 minutes? (Saints Row 2, Strong Arm anyone?)
Right now i have about 15 minutes before i have to start getting dressed and ready - then about another 15 before i absolutely need to leave the apartment or i'll be late. Grrr.
But yummy goulash, yay!! I was thinking of bringing some in for my co-workers (i brought in minestrone for them the last 2 times i made it, and they loved it) - but spatzle recipes don't really make a lot of spatzle, and i am quite frugal. It's bad enough the amount i had to give up for my mom and dad, jeeeeez. Haha, i'm not that cheezed off about that, but you know.
Fleet Foxes - beautiful music, go check'em out. They're like a peaceful, yet exciting adventure through a forest. That's the best way i can describe it. Kind of like a cross between The Shins and Jeff Buckley, but with a nature vibe to it somehow. Well, most of their songs are about nature in some way or another...
I just made some. And i think it's my best batch yet.
See, when my parents were in Hungary a few weeks ago, they said it was served more like a soup than a meaty sauce to put over noodles, so i made it with that in mind, and didn't bother with thickening the liquid.
In fact i added MORE broth, and more spices to the pork loin meat (because Sarah doesn't like beef - weirdo), and put it on top of the nokedli/spatzle in a bowl and goddamn, it was awesome!
This place still smells like it. But i did just warm some up a few hours ago and ate it ...
The recipe i got from an old Hungarian cookbook my mom has from which i photocopied a few pages of things i wanted to try out.
Added a bit of my own flair with some proportions and some different spices. The book only calls for paprika, salt, pepper and marjoram - well, i can't just stop at that, i added oregano, thyme, basil, and a little extra pepper than what's in the recipe (but not too much - i like a little pepper burn, but not a lot). I considered a little curry, but ... i don't know, i'm not ready to take that step with this recipe yet.
After making Goulash and Minestrone, i get to thinking most European cooking is just throwing everything you got into a pot and seeing what happens, hehe. They're basically mostly the same, only with paprika and meat being the main difference (and some proportions). I put basically all the same veggies into them both - canned diced tomatoes, yellow peppers, celery, carrot, garlic - goulash uses onions, and minestrone uses leeks, but they could be interchangeable, goulash has potatoes where minestrone does not - i could have added zucchini to the goulash, too, but didn't feel like it. Also they both use beef broth. Or chicken, whatever, meat broth. Or veggie broth if you want. Minestrone has more focus on the tomatoes and veggies, though.
But yah. Don't you hate the countdown clock in your head when you have roughly 40-20 minutes left before work, and you keep looking at a real clock to see if you can squeeze in a little bit of a nap, or a session in a game that usually takes 10-15 minutes? (Saints Row 2, Strong Arm anyone?)
Right now i have about 15 minutes before i have to start getting dressed and ready - then about another 15 before i absolutely need to leave the apartment or i'll be late. Grrr.
But yummy goulash, yay!! I was thinking of bringing some in for my co-workers (i brought in minestrone for them the last 2 times i made it, and they loved it) - but spatzle recipes don't really make a lot of spatzle, and i am quite frugal. It's bad enough the amount i had to give up for my mom and dad, jeeeeez. Haha, i'm not that cheezed off about that, but you know.
Fleet Foxes - beautiful music, go check'em out. They're like a peaceful, yet exciting adventure through a forest. That's the best way i can describe it. Kind of like a cross between The Shins and Jeff Buckley, but with a nature vibe to it somehow. Well, most of their songs are about nature in some way or another...