Monk's Hungarian Goulash

This is one of those recipes that you can make for any gathering, but it's really great for a winter event when friends say, "Bring something!"

It's hearty, easy to make, and comes out fantastic.

Step 1: Step 1: Get a Big Pot.

Seriously. This WILL COOK DOWN, but you need room first.

I use a large stock pot. We're cooking it covered so make sure you have something with a lid.

Here's the ingredient list.

The ingredients are in order of cutting and cooking. Cut each ingredient into ½” to 1” pieces and
start cooking in a large pot.

½ package of bacon

2 packages of stew beef

1 ring of kielbasa

3 to 4 onions, rough chopped, (mouth sized pieces, we’re talking hearty food here)

2 to 3 green peppers chopped as above

1 ½ pound of shredded mushrooms

5 cloves of garlic

1t of thyme

1T of basil

1T of oregano

½ container of paprika. (Half a large can of Hungarian paprika, make the effort it’s worth it.)

1/2t of red pepper

1t of salt

1t of pepper

That’s it, as you chop things, add it to the pot and cook covered. The juices from the meat are all the moisture needed to cook items.

Just prior to serving, add ½ container of sour cream, or a dollop of sour cream to each bowl as served.

Step 2: Step 2: BACON!

The recipe calls for a half package of bacon. So I buy a half pound of good bacon. No nitrates.

Cut into 1 inch chunks. The phrase here is chunks. No dainty dicing in this meal.

Put this into the pot, turn the heat onto low, and start this cooking. Cover the pot while doing other things, keep the moisture in.

Step 3: Step 3: Stew Meat

The butcher gave me 2.3 pounds of stew meat. I usually only use 2 pounds, but what the heck.

Toss this in on top of the bacon, stir and let it start to brown while you move on. Cover.

Step 4: Step 4: Kielbasa!

We're going to use the whole ring. Cut it in half, slice the halves in half then cut them into bite size sections.

Again, chunks-o-meat.

Toss this into the pot with the stew meat and bacon, give a stir and let it start to simmer. Stir once in a while, while you're cutting vegetables and cover.

Step 5: Step 5: Onions

Four big onions. Pealed and chopped into, chunks. Not too big, not all minced.

Add to the pot and stir.

Step 6: Step 6: Peppers

I went and got organic peppers. I used all three again with large pieces.

Toss them into the pot and stir.

Step 7: Step 7: Mushrooms

1.5 Pounds of sliced mushrooms. I bough pre sliced, opened up the package and tossed it into the pot.

This couldn't get any easier!

Step 8: Step 8: Garlic

5 or so big cloves of garlic. I should have used just a little more, but this worked out fine.

Chopped and added into the pot. Stir and cover between adding things.

Step 9: Step 9: Spices

For the most part, follow the recipe with table spoon of this, tea spoon of that. The flavors of the meats and onion shouldn't be overwhelmed.

The recipe calls for a half can of Hungarian Paprika, the cans I've seen are about 5oz cans, so you're looking for 2.5 to 3 oz of paprika.

It seems like a lot, but it isn't. (I spilled in 4 oz and didn't ruin things)

Step 10: Step 10: Let It Simmer Then Serve.

Keep the lid on and let this simmer for an hour. I then transfer it to a crock pot and let it sit on low for a couple hours.

The meat goes through stages, it cooks, becomes firm, cooks more, then tenderizes.

From start to finsh, I let it cook for 4 hours covered, stirring often.

Serve in a bowl with a spoonful of sour cream. (no low-fat foolery).

This is a rich and hearty meal. One bowl will darn near feed you for a day. Seriously good.