Friday, October 25, 2013

Beat the Clock Ghoulish Goulash


     It's that time of year again when ghosts and goblins are lurking around every corner and goulash recipes pop up all over the Internet.  This delectable dish comes courtesy of Mr. Food, its a quick and easy recipe, good for campers as well as hungry trick or treaters.  Brown the beef over a full spread of coals, stir in the remaining ingredients and let your bubbling cauldron work it's magic.  In my 10 inch dutch oven, after sauteing the beef and onions over a full spread of coals, I removed most of the bottom coals, leaving 10 in a ring around the bottom and 22 on the lid.  In 25 minutes the macaroni was tender and most of the liquid had been absorbed.  The paprika does give it some warmth, add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want to ramp up the heat.  A good basic recipe, saute some red bell pepper with the beef and onions to give it more color.  Whatever you do, enjoy the season and have a hauntingly good Halloween! 

Beat the Clock Ghoulish Goulash
1 1/2-2 lbs lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 1/2 cups beef broth
8 oz elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 Tblsp paprika
1 Tblsp garlic powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-1 1/2 cups sour cream

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Brown beef with onion over a full compliment of coals; drain.
     Move bottom coals to a ring around base of oven.
     Add broth, macaroni, paprika, garlic powder and pepper, stir until well combined, making sure macaroni is completely submerged in broth.
     Cover with as many coals as needed on lid to bring mixture to a strong bubble.
     Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway, or until macaroni is tender.
     Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. 
     Makes 4-6 servings.

Brown beef with onion over a full compliment of coals

Stir in broth, macaroni and spices

Simmer for 20-25 minutes, remove from heat then
add sour cream

A filling hobgoblin's goulash

8 comments:

  1. I think I used the wrong paprika - I put in a tblsp of Hot paprika and that is one spice goulash. Did you use Sweet paprika instead?

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    1. Sorry I did not specify, yes, I did use sweet paprika. Hope your dinner was not a total loss. Liddy

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    2. Thanks for letting me know. I'll try it again only with the Sweet paprika. Not a loss at all - nothing a big glass of milk couldn't quench

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  2. Liddy, I have a couple recipes similar to this and have found something interesting--for these kind of soup and stew kinds of things I do not put coals on the top. What I do is brown the hamburger over about 25 to 27 coals, drain the excess grease, add the other ingredients, put it back over the full compliment to bring to a boil, then adjust coals as needed to maintain the simmer (usually that's 12-15 coals). I'll check occasionally and push a few more under if needs be. It doesn't (to me anyway) seem to boil any faster by moving coals from the bottom to the lid once the burger is browned. Most anything that can be done on a stove top can be done this way. One big advantage in my book is that it makes cleanup easier because I'm not cleaning ash off the lid. Now of course cakes and baking things need the top and bottom heat like an oven. K.C.

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  3. K.C. I put coals on both top and bottom because I think it brings whatever you're cooking to temperature faster without scorching the bottom but that's just me, sounds like your system is also a good one. Whether the coals are on the top or bottom of your oven probably doesn't matter much when you're cooking something with a fair amount of liquid in it, you can even put your dutch oven directly on your camp stove over a gas burner. I only post what worked for me when I made the recipe but whatever works for you is great. Liddy

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  4. Another weekend camping with the Boy Scouts and I offered to do the cooking for the leaders. Tried this recipe and it was a big, big hit. Quick, easy, and a great meal for a cold night in the woods. Plus, only one pot so cleanup was easy, too. Thanks for another winner!

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    1. So glad to hear everyone liked the Goulash Brian, sounds like you did a great job of preparing dinner! Liddy

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