Good ol' goulash gets gooder (again)

Like zillions of other people, I have a collection of recipes passed down from my mother and grandmothers. Although my maternal grandmother grew up in what we'd call a privileged household, she experienced lean years as an adult in the midst of divorce and the Depression.

I'm sure my mom got her goulash recipe from my grandmother. I don't remember how many times we ate goulash - or olla podrida as she called it to give it a fancy twist. (Ironic that she tarted it up in Spanish because the word goulash already has an interesting derivation: It comes from the Hungarian word gulyás, which I think translates to something like "herder's stew.")

As I recall, Mom told us that olla podrida meant "all in a pot." What it actually means, apparently, is "rotten pot" in Spanish. Another irony: Potpourri also means "rotten pot" in French! Ha!

ANYway, my mom's goulash recipe involves ground beef, macaroni noodles, stewed or other canned tomatoes, black olives, and Parmesan cheese. Yum!

Yesterday I made what I first thought of as an updated goulash. I considered it updated because of the pasture-raised, grass-fed, antibiotic-free beef I used, along with the dark, leafy greens and fresh tomatoes (organic). I got to thinking. . . Before the era of factory farming, it's entirely feasible that my grandmother (and maybe her mother's cook) prepared goulash with pasture-raised, grass-fed, antibiotic-free beef, dark, leafy greens and fresh tomatoes (organic).

So, a more accurate name for the following recipe might be "Good ol' Goulash Like Great-Grandmother's Cook Used to Make." But that's pretty wordy.

1 lb. pasture-raised, grass-fed, antibiotic-free ground beef (locally raised, if possible)
1 bunch of organic dark, leafy greens, cut or chopped into big pieces;
toss stems in chicken scrap bowl (turnip, etc.) - rescued from a box of produce slated to go to my chickens
3 or 4 organic tomatoes, roughly chopped - ditto
1 big squirt from a tube of organic basil paste (or fresh basil)
1 big spoonful of chopped garlic
1 big splash of red wine (Trader Joe's Charles Shaw, aka two-buck chuck, works well)
1 cup or so of water
1 big handful of dry pasta (I used lasagne noodles for casseroles - those little ones)
Black olives (nixed in deference to our youngest, who doesn't like 'em)
Secret ingredient with which I may lose all credibility on the organic/locally grown/nutritious front: 1/4 jar or so of Cheez Whiz
Parmesan for sprinkling over individual servings

Brown the beef in a big pot or really big skillet. If it's very lean, I don't drain the fat. Add everything else except the Cheez Whiz and Parmesan. Cover and let cook over medium heat until pasta and veggies are cooked. Stir in the Cheez Whiz and heat a few minutes longer. Sprinkle Parmesan over individual servings, and serve with warmed sourdough bread. This looks fab and fancier if you serve it in big pasta bowls with wide rims.

Here are the leftovers, waiting to be heated up:

Stay tuned for my next blog: Remains of the fridge. . .