This week’s WIU theme was “Old favorites,” which to me means something mom made when I was a kid. And since I don’t consider “taking out for pizza” an acceptable WIU entry, I scoured the annals of my memory banks for stuff that Mom used to make when the mood struck her. But between fried flounder, tuna casserole and so was the baked ham we always had at Christmas, I couldn’t think of something I could veganize. But then I remembered the Hungarian Goulash that occasionally graced our table, and I knew I had a winner.

I know that some may think it’s a damn shame to veganize Hungarian Goulash, which is soup, a stew or a hearty dish, depending on how you make it. Either way, it’s heavy on the meat, which is cooked slowly so it becomes tender and thickens the dish. You can learn more about it here, if you’re so inclined. When I was little, my mom always made it with ground beef and macaroni, which is a decidedly American touch.

I bet that my Hungarian great-grandmother might not appreciate the fact that I can afford meat but refuse to eat it. However, she’d also be upset that I’m an atheist and living alone at age 30 with no prospects for marriage. So while I’m busy pissing her off, why not take a traditional recipe and veganize it? At least I’m not messing with her Paprikas or Palacsinta or whatever. Besides, according to my mom, it was my great-great aunt who was the real cook in the family.

I found the basics of this recipe here, but I changed it around a bit.

VEGAN HUNGARIAN GOULASH

Serves 1, 4 times

INGREDIENTS:

  • vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 3 medium-sized red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, smooshed & cut
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. Caraway Seeds, ground
  • 1/2 tsp. flaxseed, ground
  • 1 vegetable bullion cube
  • 2 tbs. water
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
  • 3 1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1/4 cup peanut oil
  • 1 Hungarian Hot Pepper, chopped
  • 1 bag 10 minute rice

not pictured: The Hungarian Hot Pepper, I hadn’t picked it from my garden yet:

METHOD:

Chop the onions and saute them in a skillet with the vegetable oil on medium heat. Once it gets going, lower the heat to simmer, and cover. Meanwhile, prep all the other vegetables and spices and add them to a stockpot. When everything’s chopped, add the onions to the stockpot, cover it and cook the whole damn thing for 40 minutes on medium. Ten minutes before it’s done, cook your rice. Or noodles, or whatever starch you want to serve the dish with. Serve the dish.

Recommended crappy beer: Pabst Blue Ribbon in a can.

And the questions!

Was the recipe easy to follow?

Yeah, since I kind of made it up. Everything (but the onions) cooks at the same time, so that makes it really easy.

Did the dish taste good?

Contrary to the opinion of a friend of mine who believes nothing can taste good unless some serious meat is involved, YES, this did taste really good. It was all about the caraway seeds. And the potatoes, which were very tender. Because it was meat-free, it was light enough to be a good summer dish. Traditional goulash can be a bit heavy when it’s hot out

Would you make it again?

Hells to the yes. Easy, cheap, tasty, filling. It’s a winner. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t add the peas until the very end, so that they keep their color. But other than that, it was perfect. Even my great-grandmother can’t deny it. Or my cat: