Grandma Cluff's Hungarian Goulash

This delicious recipe has many variations and can be cooked in many ways. "It brings back a lot of great memories," Dennis says. "It is the best dish my mom cooked. She always cooked it with pasta, but many serve and cook the pasta separately."

2 lbs. lean beef, veal or pork, cut into 1 inch cubes

In a heavy pot melt:

¼ cup butter or cooking oil

Brown meat in hot oil then add and sauté:

1 ½ cups chopped onion

2 or 3 cloves chopped garlic

1 cup boiling beef stock

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. paprika

Use just enough stock to keep the meat from scorching and add more gradually during the cooking, as necessary. Cover pot and simmer meat for 1 ½ hours.

Add:

1 Tbsp. Basil

Dash Marjoram

Cracked black pepper

Remove meat from the pot and thicken the stock for gravy. Start with 2 Tbsp. flour and whisk till it begins to thicken. Then depending on the thickness you prefer, add more stock or flour till it's to your liking. Return meat to pot and add:

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup corn

1 cup macaroni or egg noodles

Return to medium low heat and simmer till vegetables are all tender. You can add more vegetable is so desired. You can also add 6 small peeled potatoes during the last half-hour of cooking, however, they soak up a lot of the gravy--which is the best part.