Gulasch

This is a recipe from our paternal grandmother Marie. We lived in the same town while Cielle and I were growing up and would eat over at her house once a week. Some kind of stew was often on the menu, and even when she branched out into other cuisines, it usually tasted to us like Goulash.

Marie's family was Hungarian, but she lived in Austria until the German occupation when she was nine years old. The family fled to Hungary, taking only a few possessions so that they could claim to be going for a visit. From Hungary they settled in southern France, then escaped German invasion again two years later on one of the last boats to leave. She liked to cook some traditional Hungarian dishes, and also had a number of recipes that she translated from old German cookbooks. She spoke at least four languages by the time she was 18, but in my lifetime she refused to use German out loud.

When Cielle walked into the house while I had this on the stove, she said, "it smells like Marie's house." Tastes and smells have such powerful associations.

This is a "plain" Goulash of only meat and vegetables. It's good served over egg noodles or dumplings.

2 onions, chopped in large pieces
2 lbs stew beef, cut in 1" pieces, or 2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
2 tomatoes, diced, or 1 can diced tomatoes
1 or 2 green bell peppers, cut into large pieces
2 medium potatoes, cut into 3/4" or smaller pieces
1 tablespoon paprika [at least, more if you like]
Cooking oil
Salt to taste

Brown onions in 2 tablespoons oil. Add meat and brown, then add paprika. Cook covered for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and cook for another 30-45 minutes, then add salt, tomatoes, green peppers and potatoes. Cook uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.