Goulash Chili

In a large pot (preferably cast iron but any one that can take some heat will work) heat on medium high, give one quick swirl of olive oil and let it get hot.

Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften – about five minutes. Add the mushrooms (if using canned, drain well) and the chopped garlic and keep the veggies moving so the garlic doesn’t burn. Cook for another two-three minutes or so until the mushrooms get a bit brown on the edges. I shake the pan but if you feel better, you’re allowed to use a spoon. Just keep those babies moving. Moving, moving, moving…

Deglaze the pot with a splash of red wine and stir to pick up any browned bits in the pan. If you get the right amount of oil to veggies, you’ll have lots of brown bits. But the amount of oil is a personal decision. One cook’s swirl is another’s overdose of oil.

Add the ground beef, seasoned salt and pepper (to taste), Italian herb blend, chili powder and worcestershire sauce and brown until meat is done. At this point, you might want to drain the grease, depending on what cut of beef you’ve used. The better the cut, the less grease there is. The less grease there is, the less you are likely to drain it and lose all that lovely seasoning and all those brown bits.

Throw in the two cans of tomatoes, the two cups of water, and the bouillon. Don’t throw too hard, it splashes! Give it all a good stir to blend. Bring to a boil, stir in the macaroni, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes or until macaroni is done. Keep stirring frequently or all the macaroni will stick to the bottom of the pan.

Ugh.

There’s a lot of stirring in this recipe. I never noticed that before. No wonder my arm is so fit!

Turn the heat off and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes so the macaroni finishes cooking.

Serve with salad and thick slices of fresh, warm bread slathered in butter.

After dinner, find a nice, quiet place to hole up and enjoy the carbohydrate haze you’re now comfortably floating in.

Note: Though it seems like there is a lot of salt in this, there isn’t. Use salt free canned mushrooms, low sodium bouillon and no-salt-added or low sodium tomatoes.