BEEF GOULASH AND FOOTBALL

Let’s talk about Crock Pots, or what they are affectionately called today, slow cookers.  For a while Crock Pots disappeared from our list of required kitchen equipment; they almost became extinct. But for the last ten years or so they have been reborn, and suddenly they have become the new must-have item for everyone’s kitchen.  Who would have guessed slow cookers would suddenly become hip and everyone would want one?

I never owned one, but I remember my mother had one and she used it all the time.  In fact that is how I started to learn to cook.  She worked part-time like most mothers did, and she gave my sister and myself directions over the phone; most of the time it was just putting ingredients into the Crock Pot when we got home from school.  This way dinner would be done by the time she came home from work.

That was my entire experience with Crock Pots up until about six years ago.  My husband at the time was sick - I was juggling many different hats - and my girlfriend gave me one as a gift.  She thought it would make my life easier.  So the box sat in the closet for a couple of months until I finally decided to take it out.  Well after having some discussion about the use of the pot with Irwin, we decided to give it a try (actually it was his idea - either that or get rid of it).  Did I forget to mention it sat in the bottom of his closet? Oh, closet space is a story for another day.  Sundays in my household were usually devoted to some kind of sport.  During baseball season, it was baseball, during football season it was football, and I am not just talking about one game.  My husband would start watching at 1 in the afternoon and go right through the rest of the day, taking a break in-between games, of course, for the right snacks until the 11PM news came on, which he had to watch for any of the highlights he missed.

Here’s where the pot comes into the picture.  I decided that on a Sunday, if I was going to sit and watch the games with him, I could not be in the kitchen cooking.  One cannot be in two places at the same time, and given the choice I would rather be spending my time with him.  When we first got together I did not know a single thing about football, but his friend taught me all about the game.  Irwin just did not have the patience to teach me about football, so over the years I learned about football and became just as big of a fan as my husband was, and this was something we shared and did together.

His friend who was also named Irwin use to tease me and call me a football maven, because I became so knowledgeable about football.  My Irwin used to sit there and tell me, "They can’t hear you yelling at them through the TV!"  So on Sundays I used my slow cooker to create some delectable meals without having to spend hours in the kitchen.  This pot has been put to good use on many different occasions, especially in the later years when he got sick.  I will always be grateful for my slow cooker; it allowed me to spend more time with Irwin, which was a good thing!  Here’s a recipe for beef goulash which, although an oldie, was always welcomed on a cold Sunday night.  Oh course it was eaten in front of the TV with the third football game on!

BEEF GOULASH IN A SLOW COOKER

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds boneless beef flank steak trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, hand crushed
• 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped marjoram

Directions

Place a large heavy pot over medium heat and add the bacon. Fry for about 5 minutes until crisp then remove to a paper towel and reserve fat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrot to the hot bacon fat and brown, seasoning generously with salt and pepper.

Take the rest of the ingredients and mix together, with the meat.  When the bacon, onions, garlic, celery and carrots cool, add them to the meat mixture. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Take meat mixture out of the refrigerator and place in slow cooker.  Cook on low for about six hours, until meat is fork tender. Make sure to taste dish before serving and adjust seasoning.  If you would like to make it a complete meal, you may add quartered potatoes halfway through the cooking process   Add chopped parsley and sour cream for garnish.