This Hungarian-style dish reminds us of learning to cook on our own while in college. The term “goulash” is very loose in its definition as it was a dish invented for using leftovers—or in our case, whatever we could find in the kitchen! Sandy, in particular, has fond memories of goulash. She was the last of the four Pollock sisters to leave home. Lucky for Sandy, her sister Yvette lived nearby. While Sandy was living with her parents and attending college, Yvette was a young schoolteacher, just getting started in her career. Yvette didn’t have a lot of money, but she was always generous and creative. From time to time, she would invite Sandy and her parents over for goulash, asking, “Oh, would you mind bringing over a can of corn from the house? And could you grab some cheese? And some beef? Oh, and an onion?” It turned out that her goulash was composed of whatever the Pollocks had in their fridge or pantry at the time. But Yvette would always set the table for the family and turn the borrowed ingredients into the most delicious meal.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 to 10 servings

　　Cooking spray

　　2 cups thinly sliced onions

　　1 cup thinly sliced celery

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

　　1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

　　3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　1 tablespoon paprika

　　4 cups water

　　2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes

　　1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

　　1 tablespoon low-sodium beef bouillon granules

　　2 teaspoons salt

　　1 teaspoon ground marjoram

　　1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1 bay leaf

　　Pinch of parsley flakes

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

　　

Step 2

Coat a 4-quart oven-safe saucepan or Dutch oven with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, and sauté for 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the beef, tomato paste, flour, and paprika; cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the water, tomatoes, potatoes, bouillon, salt, marjoram, pepper, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring to a boil, then remove the pot from the heat and cover. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until bubbling and potatoes can easily be pierced with a knife. Stir every 1/2 hour.

　　From The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock. Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock; Food photographs copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, the Casserole Queens, have been delivering casseroles in Austin, Texas, since 2006; they also teach cooking classes at Whole Foods stores in the area. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM, as well as on television news and radio talk shows.