There is nothing even remotely Hungarian about this goulash, but it is the ultimate comfort food and perfect for a rainy Friday supper. My dear friend and former neighbor Ann contributed this great recipe to our Loch Alpine Cookbook. It was one of her Pennsylvanian mother's specialties.
It was a favorite of my kids and very flexible. It can be made with any cuts of beef you might have or even venison. Just cut up whatever is on sale or use stew meat. Also, if you have an almost empty bottle of ketchup lingering in the fridge, use what remains and rinse out the bottle with some of the water you need to add and then you can throw it into the recycle bin! You can make it in a crock pot or make it like I do, in the pressure cooker. Over the years I modified it a bit to suit our tastes....a little less fat, a bit more cayenne. This is how I make it:
Ann's Hungarian Goulash
Serves 4 people
3 T. olive oil
2 lbs beef cubes
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. ketchup
2 T Worchestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar
2 t salt
1 t pepper
2 T sweet paprika
1 t dry mustard
1/2 t cayenne
1 c water
Brown meat and onions, then add remaining ingredients.
Cook in a dutch oven for about 2 hours on the stove top, or until beef is tender
OR
Cook in a crock pot on low for 8 hours
OR
Cook in a pressure cooker on the lowest setting for 15 minutes.
I'm not an instant pot person, but I am sure it will work in one. I own 3 pressure cookers, my favorite for this recipe is a Kuhn Rikon Duromatic skillet sized cooker. It gets dinner on the table fast.
Serve over hot egg noodles. Enjoy!