Quest for comfort

Winter is finally settling in,holidays just about over...time for home cooking! After all the running around over Christmas, the eating out, etc I was beyond excited when Monday night rolled around and I could stay in with Jon and cook us dinner. Not to mention I have a pretty stressful month coming up that already has me up at night. Cue the stress relief....cooking and blogging!

So Monday night, cold weather, cozy night at home = comfort food! Time to test out a new recipe from my Reader's Digest Soups & Salads cookbook...

Goulash Soup

4 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp hot paprika
2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 quarts beef stock/broth
1 large green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 lb dried egg noodles

In a 6 quart soup pot, cook bacon over medium heat. Transfer bacon to plate and set aside.

Remove and discard all but 1 Tbsp of bacon drippings. Add onion and garlic to reserved drippings and sauté over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika. Add beef, stock, and bell pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Add potatoes and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in noodles and simmer until noodles and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with reserved bacon.

Pretty tasty. It was pretty entertaining, Jon kept sneaking some bacon whenever he walked by, so I hid the plate. I then served the dish, completely forgetting about the bacon...which I found 2 days later...so I guess, I'm my mother! I consider myself very lucky!