What is your favorite pasta shape for goulash?

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Me mother always used macoroni noodles for her American Goulash. It was a simple dish with ground beef, canned, or stewed tomato, chopped onion, salt, and that's about it

My Dad made his with Rotini noodles, and basically made a ragu with added rustic chopped onion, green bell pepper, and Italian Seasoning blend. He liked the way the Rotini would capture and hold the sauce. There was no excess sauce. It was all blended nicely, and the dish was moist.

I like Cavatappi Noodles in mine as the little ridges also hold sauce well. I make a rich ragu with ground beef, rustic chopped onion, poblano, and red bell pepper. I cook the herbs gently in a little ollive oil before adding the ground beef to the pot to brown. My herbs are, from most to least, dried basil, oregano, sage, garlic, rosemary, and marjoram, sometimes a couple of bay leaves. I then add tomato puree after the meat has lightly browned, then tomato puree and a pinch of salt. I let this simmer for 0 minutes, then add two cups water, and one cup noodles. I have found that it takes longer for the noodles to become al dente when cooked in the sauce. After 5 minutes, the noodles are perfect, and the sauce has thickened into a rich, and flavorful sauce. I don' even need cheese with this golash version. This is my favorite version, though I have never had a goulash I didn't like.

What is your favorite pasta shape for your American Goulash/Slumgullion. and how do you construct it?

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[skilletlicker]

I try to stick with whole wheat pasta which narrows the choices some. At the moment, for something like this I'm using either Kroger 100% Whole Grain Penne Rigate or Barilla Whole Grain Penne. In both cases, the only ingredient is whole durum wheat flour and the Nutrition labels are almost identical. Both are about an inch long, pencil-thick, cut on a bias and have ridges running the length. The ridges are what makes it "Rigate" if I'm not misunderstanding too much. Sometimes instead of macaroni type pasta I'll make broad whole wheat egg noodles and either stir them in or ladle the sauce on top.

The rest is more or less like Chief's. Cook the pasta separately and add near the end. The exact ingredients though are never precisely the same twice in a row because, for me, this is one of those "use what's on hand" kind of things and changing one ingredient usually inspires changes in others. Come to think of it, most everything I cook is that way. So usually the meat will be ground beef but it could also be virtually any kind of fresh or cured sausage or leftover protein.

Usually will be tomato-based but might be another gravy instead.

Peppers will usually include poblanos but I'll add jalapeños or serranos for heat if I have any on hand and I usually do. Chilli powders, store-bought or not, would likely be added, or maybe whole chiles de Arbol. Chief didn't mention garlic but hard to imagine this stuff without it. Mine would nearly always include cumin also.

Cheeses are nice but not essential. Cotija, parmesan, feta, pepper jack, cheddar, ...

There's a lot more possible variations but you get the idea.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Yeh, garlic is a must-have item.

Seeeeya: Chief Longwind of the North

 

[larry_stewart]

I haven't had Goulash in probably over 40 years ( and now that Im vegetarian, ill likely never have it again.

That being said, My grandmother , who really wasn't a good cook, who lived through the depression era used to make us Hungarian Goulash, as she had Hungarian heritage . It was one of the only things she actually made well ( Her cooking was limited by some health issues ( ulcers, diabetes, Hypertension ), a kosher diet and depression era mentality ( not that that's a bad thing, just presented her with limitations).

Anyway,Her goulash was not tomato based, minimal herbs/spices. I do remember how she would yell at us to make sure we finished everything cause she would pay some astronomical amount of money at the Kosher butcher for whatever cut of meat she got ( which I found kinda funny, as she was frugal with everything, but would go all out when buying meat). She would make it and serve it over wide egg noodles and a nice kosher dill on the side.