Living Greener: Warming grub to lift those dismal evenings
Delicious goulash served with fresh baguette
THIS time of year we remain mired in a dismal winter, and in earlier eras the stores of food would run low this time of year. People ate the food that kept until this time of year – grains, roots, and whatever meat could be butchered or had been preserved.
Thus, the meals for this time of year, in most cultures, tend to be “comfort food,” heavy and warm. Perhaps not by coincidence, these are precisely the same kinds of foods that give us energy to keep warm this time of year, that give us stores of fat to insulate us, and that just seem to fit the season.
Pour some oil in a pan, heat up and toss in the beef. Roll it around on high heat for a minute or two to brown it. Slice the onions and sautee until golden. Add the chopped garlic.
Return the meat to the pan and season with two teaspoons of paprika, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the tin of tomatoes. Finally, pour in some chicken stock until the ingredients are almost covered, and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for about 90 minutes.
Shred the potatoes and onions. Take a third of the potatoes, the eggs and flour, and mix them together. Combine and mix the result with the rest of the potatoes.
Fry over high heat in a generous covering of oil. Serve piping hot as they come out of the pan, top with cold applesauce.
When Irish people hear about this American dish, they think it sounds disgusting, as “biscuits” here mean sweet cookies and “gravy” is hot and thin. Call it “savoury scones in a white mushroom sauce,” however, and it sounds more appetising.
Crumble the sausages and fry in a generous amount of butter with a bit of olive oil to prevent burning. When they have turned a crusty brown, dust them with a few tablespoons of flour. Fry off for another minute or so.
Add two cups of milk while stirring quickly to prevent lumps. Add fresh chopped sage and a bit of cayenne and salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Centigrade. Mix in the dry ingredients, rub in cold butter. Mix in the buttermilk with a fork, work the dough very gently or it will be tough. Roll out into a sheet about two centimetres thick, and cut into squares. Brush with melted butter or buttermilk. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
To serve: Pour the “gravy” over the “biscuits” and you’re done.
