Gool-ash.

Monday 1/18

So Jim had a lunch of the Hungarian Goulash and Cucumber Salad that we made yesterday along with some homemade Spätzle that he made today. We ate it all week. The goulash was inspired by these recipes: 1, 2, 3

We can't remember everything that we did, but Jim always uses at least a 1/4 cup of Sweet Hungarian Paprika in his Goulash. We think that our recipe was mostly from the "We Are Never Full" site. It was the first time he used caraway seeds, as well. They gave an earthy, musty flavor to the Goulash which was fine, if a bit dominant. So we added more paprika. We also used venison, because we have so much, with presents a problem discussed below.

The nutmeg called for in the Spätzle [German egg and flour noodles] was overpowering alone, especially to Peta who doesn't much care for the "sweet" spices, but it worked OK in concert with the Goulash. However, the spätzle all stuck to the pan when frying it and it was a complete bitch to clean. Plus, Tyler Florence is also kind of a ponce, so we'll find a new recipe next time (probably next year as it gets warmer here).

Cucumber Salad
• 2 cucumbers
• Seasoned salt
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Pinch dill, dried or fresh (optional) (We added)
• Dollop sour cream (optional) (Replaced with yoghurt)

Because venison is so lean, it has a tendency to get either chewy if over cooked or dry (yet tender-ish) if stewed. Because we are the FoodFixers, were going to do a test where we browned the venison and put half into the goulash to stew for hours and the other half in at the end. We got tired and bailed, so the meat was tender, yet dry. Once we get our freezer, we'll have a source of grass-fed beef two towns over. Perhaps a 1/4 cow? Moooooo....