Saturday, June 14, 2008

Yukon Pete Goulash?

My mom has always been a fan of her goulash, where she trims cuts of beef, boils up egg noodles, makes gravy, slices onions thinly, and boom, just like Omama might make. I know my mom is a huge fan of dumplings too and sometimes used to make it with the dumplings.

I'm reading the new issue of Saveur magazine and I'm reading an article about Airstreamers, and the author talks about how a neighbor used to make Yukon Pete Goulash. It sounds very similar to what my grandfather used to make, but it was just "spaghetti with macaroni" (nevermind the pasta technicality, that's what it was called and I liked it). It's simple, and oddly enough I only found one recipe online:

Bring a gallon of water to a rolling boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1 pound of elbow macaroni. Stir. Do not let the macaroni stick to the bottom or to itself. In another pot or large frying pain, place 1/4 pound of bacon, chopped in small pieces. Fry it brown. Add a cup of chopped onions. Brown the onions. Then sprinkle in 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef in small pieces. Let it fry until brown. Stir often. When brown, add two cans of tomato soup (no water). Stir this until it is well-heated. When macaroni is tender to cut, pour off the water. After the macaroni is drained, pour it into the meat sauce and stir until heated through. Add salt and pepper and serve.

Has anyone tried this? I'm sure the bacon brings a nice flavor to things. As for an Airstreamer, I never saw any growing up in Hawai'i because there was no need. Parents (or really, mom) made the food in the morning, then you'd put it in a cooler or bag and eat as we drove around the island. I'd like to drive one one day.

AIRSTREAMER LINKS
Airstreamer.org
Silver Wheels (Airstream history)
Sweet Sovereign Of The Road
Vintage Trailer Jam
Young Air Streamers (blog)

2 comments:

Lauren said...

Hi there! Thanks for linking to the youngairstreamers blog! We're always on the lookout for interesting recipes, and this one looks yummy! Thanks for posting it.

As for driving an Airstream, it would have been funny if you asked me that yesterday. We just arrived at a new farm. We had to back the Airstream up the entire drive, through a tight spot between some trees and a fence, then around a bend and into a tiny space behind a shed and the back fence. We are AMAZED that we did it without a scratch. Inch by inch, it took a while! That qualifies as the most difficult driving thus far! Living in the Airstream makes it all worth it, though. Let us know if you get to try it some day!

Tjac said...

I made this tonight on our fire pit but followed advice from my father who remembered making this as a Boy Scout. You can simply cook the pasta in the soup with all the other ingredients. No need for the separate pot of water! Our family added chipotle, cayenne, chili powder and/or garlic salt. Delicious and fun!