BEEF TOMATO-BARLEY SOUP

"It has finally stopped snowing", she said quietly as she knocked on wood. We actually saw the sun today and they are calling for more sun tomorrow; it has been quite a winter!! My poor old crock pot has hardly hit the shelf this winter; it seems like there is always some bean or soup recipe bubbling away in there.

Today's post is one of picky-picky husbands crockpot favorites. It is very rich, very beefy, very filling and it just keeps getting better and better the longer it cooks.


I was a young bride when I tried to make  home made beef soup the first time and it was terrible (I think it called for a ton of bay leaves). I remember cooking it all day and wanting it to taste as good as it looked, but we just couldn't eat it.

I didn't give up though, I tried all kinds of magazine recipes; some had a ton of herbs; some had onion soup mix; some had Italian salad dressing mix in it; I tried them all, with little success. I decided to go back to a no frill vegetable soup recipe.  I tweaked it for years until it evolved into the recipe I'm posting today. Picky-picky husband is crazy about this soup and loves to dip hot buttered bread rolls into it.

2 pounds beef chuck roast
1 cup onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
2 cups carrot chopped
4 large potatoes cubed
2/3 cup pearl barley (don’t leave out)(2) 32 ounce boxes beef broth
(1) 15 ounce can tomato sauce
½ teaspoon black pepper
(2) heaping teaspoons beef bullion granules

Cut the beef into 1” cubes, removing as much fat as possible. Brown beef in a minimal amount of vegetable oil until beef is nice and crusty brown (this is where the majority of your soup flavor will come from, so don't skip this step).
.
Remove beef from fry pan and drain off as much fat as you can; add onion, celery and carrots. Using the moisture from the veggies, de-glaze any crusty brown bits on the bottom of the pan. If the brown bits are stubborn, add a table spoon of water and use your spatula to scrape up the fond . Cook until onions are transparent.
.
Put the beef and sauteed vegetables in the crockpot and add the rest of the ingredients, stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours.
.
NOTE: Do not leave out barley. It not only gives a wonderful flavor to the soup, but it thickens the broth.

NOTE: Put any vegetables you like in the soup, just make sure they are vegetables that can stand up to long cooking times.

NOTE: Taste the soup for salt when it is almost done cooking.

QUICK STEAK and GRAVY

This great week night dinner is fast and satisfying for sure.  It is  made with cubed beef steak and is versatile enough to feed two or twenty.  It's rich brown gravy is flawless and the whole thing is table ready in about 35  minutes (depending on the thickness of your cube steak).

The ingredients listed here are for one pound of cubed beef steak (it makes about 2 cups of gravy). Double or triple the ingredients as you like.

1 pound cubed beef steak (see note)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon flour (to add to gravy)
little extra flour to coat the cubed steak
(1) 4 serving size envelope of Lipton's Beefy Mushroom soup mix (see note)
2 cups water
(no salt...there's salt in the soup mix)
pepper to taste

Cut the cubed beef steaks into serving size pieces and dust them with pepper (no salt). Coat them in a little flour (shake off the excess) and brown them in 2 tablespoons of vegetable (or Canola) oil.

Remove the browned meat to a plate.  Mix 1 tablespoon flour with the dry soup mix and mix it all into the oil and meat juices in the same pan that you browned the meat in. Whisk in two cups of water and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir till the gravy is thick.

Put the  meat back in the gravy and turn it way down to a slow simmer.  Simmer (covered) until the meat is tender (see note below).

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes for a quick and easy dinner that even Picky-picky husband loves.

NOTE:   Some people have said they can not find Lipton's Beefy Mushroom soup mix. You can also use Lipton's Onion soup mix.

NOTE: How long you let the meat simmer in the sauce depends on how thick (and how tender) your cubed beef steaks are. The ones I buy are fairly thin, so I usually simmer them in the gravy for about 30 minutes. If you have thick cube steak (or if it looks a little tough) it may take more like 45-60 minutes to get fork tender.

UPSCALE SLOPPY JOES

Upscale Sloppy Joes sort of sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it? I am here to tell you that this recipe is definitely good enough for company (at least MY kind of company, lol).  It is made  with a chuck roast in the slow cooker, so what could be simpler? 

The beef chuck roast juices combine with the Sloppy Joe seasonings while it cooks and the result is fork tender beef and an absolutely delicious gravy/sauce. I only had bargain hamburger buns for this photo, but I can see this same recipe served on crusty sourdough rolls along with some potato salad that would please any guest.

UPSCALE SLOPPY JOES
2 pounds lean beef chuck roast (trim any large fatty areas)
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup green pepper
2/3 cup ketchup
½ cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon red pepper sauce
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder

Brown the beef chuck roast in a frying pan, then place in a slow cooker. In the same frying pan, saute the vegetables until the onions are almost transparent.  Put the vegetables in the slow cooker.

In a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the meat and veggies. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 hours. It isn't necessary, but I turn the meat over a couple of times during cooking and spoon the sauce over the meat.

Thirty minutes (or so) before serving, thicken the sauce with a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water.  Cut the beef into sandwich slices (or just pull it apart) and top with some of the
sauce.  OH SO GOOD!!

NOTE: This would even be delicious over rice.
NOTE:  My slow cooker took only 4 hours on high to make the meat extremely tender, but still slice-able. If you like your beef more like pulled pork, cook it on high for 5 hours.

CROCKPOT LASAGNA

SERIOUS COMFORT FOOD

I guess this isn't technically lasagna, since it is cooked in the crock pot and uses rigatoni noodles, but it qualifies as serious comfort food and has all of the rich, familiar lasagna flavors.

1½ pounds lean ground beef (browned & drained well)
4 cups of beef broth (not bullion)
(1) 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
(1) 12 ounce can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon dry oregano
2 teaspoons dry basil
½ teaspoon fennel seed (don't leave out)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons sugar (don't leave out)
½ teaspoon black pepper
small pinch of red chili flakes (optional)
¾ pound of rigatoni noodles
½ pound of mushrooms (thick sliced)
2 to 3 cups Colby jack cheese shredded
1 cup of ricotta cheese

Brown the ground beef and drain it very well. In a large crock pot (see note below), Mix the beef broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion and spices. Use a whisk to mix the sauce together well, then stir in the meat and mushrooms. Cook on high for 4 hours (see note). Stir once in a while during the 4 hours if possible (but not absolutely necessary.

After 4 hours, Stir in the DRY unboiled rigatoni, make sure you push them under the sauce (add a little extra hot water if necessary). Add the ricotta to the crock pot by spooning tablespoons of it in random spots and gently push down on the ricotta to submerge it as well (don't stir).

Continue to cook on low for 30 more minutes. Sprinkle the surface with shredded Colby jack cheese and put the lid back on for about 5 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted. Serve.

NOTE: My crock pot is a large oval and wide slow cooker, which works well for this recipe, as opposed to a small/tall one.  The main cooking time is 4 hours on high, but if you are going to be away from the house all day, just turn it down to LOW and cook for 8 hours before you add the noodles. If you are using one of those smaller/taller slow cookers, you may have to adjust the cooking time a little.

NOTE: My crock pot has a "low" setting, a "high" setting and a "warm" setting. Once this recipe is completely done (and ready to eat) you can leave it on "warm" for quite a while. Warning, "low" is not the same as "warm".

NOTE: Noodles tends to fall apart if you leave them in the crock pot for much more than 30 minutes, so don't be tempted to add them early. Thirty minutes is perfect.

NOTE: This recipe uses rigatoni noodles, which are large diameter tubular noodles that have ridges on them. However, any kind of thick walled (sturdy) noodle will work for this recipe. Just make sure you do NOT BOIL THEM before you add them to the sauce. They cook in the sauce and soak up all of that extra liquid. Regular elbow noodles work well if you are serving this to a crowd of kids.

NOTE: I like dehydrated onion in this recipe, but if you don't have that, just saute a small chopped onion along with the ground beef.

NOTE: You can use your favorite cheese. We happen to like Colby jack cheese, but mozzarella works well too.

NOTE: This reheats very well.

MEAT LOAF FOR TWO

Whether you are cooking for two because you are empty nesters, or newly weds, there are certain favorite family recipes that simply make more food than we need. Meat loaf is one of those recipes that I've made (for a crowd) for years, but seldom make it these days because I'm left with to much extra. So, with a little tinkering, I've come up with an excellent meat loaf for two recipe and, I'm happy to say, meatloaf is back on the menu.

It's called "meatloaf for two" but, in reality, since it is made from half a pound of ground beef, you can easily serve two and still have enough for a nice meatloaf sandwich the next day (always a good thing).
MEAT LOAF FOR TWO
½ pound of lean ground beef (90% lean)
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1 egg
1/3 cup saltine cracker crumbs (fine)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients and shape into two oval patties (or loaves). Place them on a flat baking sheet (spritzed with cooking spray), a few inches apart (make sure the baking sheet has a lip, so any meat juices won't end up in your oven. Brush with meatloaf glaze and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

MEATLOAF GLAZE

¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon ground mustard powder
few drops of liquid smoke (optional)

Whisk together and completely cover the meatloaves (use all of the sauce).

CHILI ON CORNBREAD WAFFLES

I saw a television commercial, recently, for chicken and waffles and that started me thinking (dangerous I know). Chili and cornbread were on the menu for dinner, so... I thought, why not serve the chili over cornbread waffles? It was VERY good and such a fun change!!

CHILI

1 pound lean ground beef
½ cup of chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dry oregano
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 ounce can of tomato paste
4 cups beef broth (not bullion)
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon dry red pepper flakes (optional heat)
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans
1 15 oz. can white kidney beans

Brown the ground beef and onions and drain well. Add everything else, stir well and cook in crock pot on high for 4 hours.

CORNBREAD WAFFLES

I am not a big fan of commercial "mixes", but there is one that I always keep on hand (because it is tasty and inexpensive) and that is Jiffy Cornbread Muffin Mix (here in Alaska they are 59¢ a box). Here is my version of a cornbread waffle. It is a little soft and cake like when it comes out of the waffle maker, so I let them cool for a minute or two (they retain their heat well) on a baking rack so they hold their shape better, but they are SO tasty.

1 box of Jiffy Cornbread Muffin Mix (8 oz.)
¼ cup melted butter
1 can creamed corn
1 egg

Mix everything and bake in waffle iron.

ROASTED BEEF & ZITI (serious comfort food)

This is comfort food at its best!!! It is FULL of flavor, rings all of the right rich flavor bells and it reheats excellently. I make it with big pieces of trimmed chuck roast that become "fall apart" tender because its all cooked at a very low temperature in the oven for 2½ hours.


2 pounds trimmed chuck roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
(1) 6 ounce can of tomato paste
4 cups beef broth (not bullion cubes)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons dry basil
1 teaspoon dry oregano
½ teaspoon fennel seed (do not leave out)
pinch of dry red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon of white sugar (do not leave out)
3 cups uncooked ziti
2 cups sliced mushrooms

Trim as much fat from the chuck steak as you can and brown it well in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place the browned meat in a large oven proof pan that has a lid (or you can use foil). Saute the onions in the same frying pan until transparent. Add the tomato paste, beef broth and seasonings to the onions and heat it a little so the tomato paste completely mixes with the broth. Pour over the meat.

Put a tight fitting lid on the pan or seal it TIGHTLY with foil, and bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the lid, and stir in 3 cups of UNcooked pasta and the mushrooms. Make sure the pasta and mushrooms are covered with sauce.

Put the lid back on (or cover tightly with foil) and turn the oven up to 350; bake for 30 more minutes.

NOTE:You can use any short, tube shaped noodle, but ziti works the best. NOTE: You can use ground beef, but brown it then drain it very well before baking.

NOTE: When baking the chuck roast, the low oven temperature of 300 degrees is important in order to get very tender beef.

NOTE: If you want to add cheese to this dish, I suggest Mozzarella or Jack cheese and add it AFTER everything is fully cooked, just mix in and put back in the oven for a few minutes, uncovered.

BEEF POT ROAST (OVEN BRAISED)

I will be posting some old classic recipes, from time to time, for the younger cooks that visit my recipe blog. These recipes are classics for a reason (they are really good) and todays post is a real winner.
.
Not only is this an easy family style meal, but it creates some of the best leftovers. Start by browning large chunks of chuck roast, then slow roasting them (in beef broth) in a low temperature oven, the end result is super moist, super tender and super beefy.



4 pound beef chuck roast (about 2" thick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14 ounce) beef broth
potatoes
carrots
salt and pepper

Don't let the simplicity of the ingredients fool you, this is more about the cooking method than the ingredients. The final flavor is huge and it comes from browning the beef well before you put it into the oven (at least 4 minutes per side). Cut up the chuck roast into large pieces by removing any large white (fat) pieces that run through the meat. Some of you have commented that meat grosses you out. I hope you are courageous enough to try this cooking method, because your family will love you for it. After you cut the large pieces, salt and pepper them, generously, on all sides and brown them in a hot (preferably not a Teflon pan (see note). After the meat has nice crusty brown edges, remove it from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, saute a medium (diced) onion (about a cup). If you used a non-Teflon pan, there should (hopefully) be bits of browned beef stuck to the bottom of the pan. The moisture of the onions, will help de-glaze these little crusty treasures (where a lot of the flavor comes from). Keep cooking the onions until they turn soft. They should look like this (brown from the meat).
When the onions are soft, add the beef broth and stir to loosen everything in the pan.
.
Place the meat in a large roasting pan and arrange potatoes and carrots around the meet. Pour the onion-broth mixture over everything (make sure everything gets coated) like this:

Seal the pan tightly with foil and put into a pre-heated 300F oven for three hours. The meat will be extremely tender and moist and there will be enough broth to make a gravy (or we like the broth just spooned over the meat and potatoes); just make sure you have lots of crusty bread to dip in the broth.
NOTE: If you use a teflon pan, your meat will not leave those wonderful browned bits in the bottom of the pan, thats why I like to use a non-teflon pan to brown.
.NOTE: Leftovers make delicious cold sandwiches, beef & cheese burritos, barbecue beef sandwiches, etc.

NOTE: This recipe can be done in the crock pot, but it is just never quite as moist as it is when cooked in a 300F oven for 3 hours.

NOTE: We are purists when it comes to beef pot roast. I've tried adding herbs and other flavorings, but Hubby likes this simple recipe the best. If you want to liven up the taste with herbs, garlic, etc, go for it.

CROCKPOT SWISS STEAK

Super easy, super flavorful, super leftovers...what more can I say? This is comfort food at its best. For the richest flavor, brown the meat and veggies before they go into the crockpot, but that isn't absolutely necessary if you are in a rush. This recipe will fill your kitchen with nostalgic aromas from your childhood and leftovers make the best panini sandwiches for tomorrow nights dinner.


¼ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dry basil leaves
2 pounds round steak (about ¾" thick) see note
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 stalks celery chopped (see note)
small chopped onion
3 carrots chopped (see note)
(2) 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes (see note)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
.
Cut the meat into serving size pieces and coat it with the flour (save any flour that doesn't stick to the meat). Brown the meat in the vegetable oil then put it into the crockpot. In the same pan, saute the onion, celery and carrot until tender. Stir in the diced tomatoes, salt & pepper, basil, Worcestershire, brown sugar and the rest of the flour. Mix well and pour over the meat in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is very tender (my crockpot cooks hot, so it was tender in 6 hours); the sauce/gravy thickens as it cooks.
.
NOTE: The recipe calls for round steak, but I thought that would taste a little dry because its so lean, so I used lean chuck steak and trimmed all the fat away.
.
NOTE: I chopped the veggies in the food processor to get them small enough. I also used canned diced tomatoes that had basil and oregano in them and I put the tomatoes in the food processor because Hubby doesn't like to "see" chunks of tomatoes in the sauce.
.
NOTE: If you like mushrooms, add them the last half hour of cooking, or serve them on the side.

KID FRIENDLY CHILI

Because this recipe doesn't really have a name, I'm calling it "kid friendly chili" because it is very mild. There are several people in our family that prefer this mild chili as opposed to more traditional chili. The tomato acids are offset by grated carrot and a little white sugar, and there is very little "heat", but lots of flavor from the beef broth & long cooking time.

1 pound lean ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 cup grated carrot
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 scant tablespoon white sugar
(1) 12 ounce can tomato paste
(2) 15 ounce cans kidney beans
4 cups beef broth
corn chips

Brown ground beef and onions until there is no more pink in the meat then drain well. Return the meat-onions to the pan and add everything else. Simmer slowly for a couple hours if you have the time (at least one hour). If the chili gets too thick, add a little water. You can put it in the crockpot at this stage.

Throw a handful of broken corn chips into the bottom of each bowl and top with the chili and chopped avocado, tomato and cheese.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

Hubby has a serious sweet tooth; he even likes SOME savory dishes on the sweet side, like this (quick and easy) sweet and sour sauce. It works equally as well with chicken, pork, country style ribs and shrimp.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS

MEATBALLS
1 pound of very lean ground beef
5 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup of milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients and shape into walnut size balls. Bake for 20 minutes at 375, then drain on paper towels.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
In large sauce pan, mix:
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry red chili flakes (I use only a pinch)
(1) 8 ounce can of pineapple chunks undrained

Bring everything to a boil and thicken with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. When the sauce has thickened, turn the heat down to a very slow simmer and add the baked meatballs. Continue simmering for about 20 minutes. Serve over rice.

NOTE: We don't care for a lot of "heat" in our food, so I use a scant 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

NOTE: Bake the meatballs for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how large you make them. I turn on the broiler for the last 2 or 3 minutes to give the meatballs some color.

OVEN BARBECUE STEAK

I had big plans to barbecue outside today, and then Mother Nature decided to rain on us all day, I went for plan B (the oven). The outcome was not as good as grilling outdoors, but an excellent alternative, for sure. Cooking "low and slow" in the oven, gives you a steak more tender than you could ever get on a grill.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup beef broth (or water)
1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon DRY mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 pound chuck steak (1" thick)

Cut the chuck steak apart, into serving size pieces (cutting out some of the obvious fat lines). Brown the meat in the olive oil until it gets a nice crusty brown surface, then put it in a 9x13 baking pan.

In the same pan you browned the meat in, saute the veggies until they wilt. Add the rest of the ingredients (not the meat) and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Pour sauce over meat and cover the baking pan with foil (tightly). bake at 300 degrees for 2 to 2½ hours or until "fall apart" tender. Thicken sauce if necessary.

ROAST BEEF and VEGGIE STEW

Have you ever tried to photograph a really tasty recipe and you just can’t capture it in a photograph? This is one of those recipes. I tried several angles with minimal luck, so you will just have to trust me lol.

It has been very warm here, for this time of year (in Alaska, that means in the mid-70’s). When it gets that hot, I turn to my crockpot instead of my oven. This recipe came about because I wanted to make two crockpot meals with one crockpot.

I had a small eye of round roast that I wanted to cook for sandwiches and I also wanted to make a vegetable stew. I browned the small roast and put it in the crockpot, then covered it with the stew ingredients and 8 hours later, I removed the roast and had both meals…the eye of round roast (for sandwiches because it is so lean) and a super flavorful vegetable stew!

2 pound eye of round roast
(1) 15 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes
(1) 8 ounce tomato sauce
(1) envelope dry Lipton’s beefy mushroom soup
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dry sweet basil
pinch of dry red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 clove garlic minced
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water
2 cups favorite stew vegetables chopped

Brown the beef roast on all sides and put in large crockpot. In the same pan, saute onions and celery then add them to the crockpot. Wedge your choice of vegetables on top and around the sides of the roast. In a bowl, mix tomatoes, tomato sauce, dry soup mix, spices and water. Pour over everything in the crockpot and cook on low 8 hours.
NOTE: If you are cooking this roast for sandwiches, you can slice it very thinly if you let it completely cool in the fridge first.
NOTE: This veggie stew is excellent over buttered biscuits or toasted French bread.
NOTE: Our veggies, of choice, are usually Yukon gold potatoes, green beans, corn, carrots (just about anything in the fridge).
The eye of round beef roast (meal #2), we use for a variety of sandwiches. Hubby says this photo is too "meaty", but like I said earlier, I had trouble photographing this recipe.

HUNGARIAN GOULASH + HOMEMADE PASTA

This is MY kind of comfort food…slow simmered beef until it is fork tender, in a rich, full-bodied gravy and served over homemade noodles; it does not get much better than that. If you make this on the stovetop, it is done in about 2½ hours, at most. If you cook it in the crockpot, it takes about 8 hours on low.

2 pounds of chuck roast
1 medium onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ cups beef broth (not bullion)
¾ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika (not the hot kind)
½ teaspoon dry mustard
healthy pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Trim all of the white fat parts from a 2 pound chuck roast and cut it into one inch cubes. Brown the meat, onion and garlic in the olive oil. Drain any excess fat.
Add the rest of the ingredients and heat to boiling. Stir well and reduce heat to a very gentle simmer. Cover and simmer until fork tender (about 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on how tough the meat is). While this is simmering, make the noodles.

PASTA FOR FOUR
I made the dough for this in my kitchen aid (with paddle attachment). I don't have a pasta roller or cutter, so my pasta was a little irregular, but it still tasted great.
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil
I just put the wet ingredients in first, mixed for a couple seconds, then put in the dry ingredients and mixed until it turned into a nice soft dough. Depending on the moisture content of your flour, you might have to add or subtract a tablespoon of water to get the right consistency (so don’t add all of the water at once). Knead the dough by hand for five minutes (or by machine for 3 minutes).The dough should be smooth, elastic and a just a little tacky to the touch.
Wrap the dough in plastic and let it sit (at room temperature) for 20 minutes…this is the most important step. If you skip this step, the dough will not roll out right and will try to spring back on you. If you let it sit for 20 minutes, it will roll out much easier.

Flour your counter and roll the dough out as thin as you can get it (it is a very forgiving dough and will not crack or tear like piecrust). Keep in mind that when you cook the noodles, they expand, so whatever thickness you roll them out to…your final product will be almost twice as thick! Cut the noodles in thin strips and air dry for an hour or so (I dried my noodles on a baking rack).To cook, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil (I added a tablespoon olive oil to the water) and cook the pasta for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it starts to float, it is very close to being done; remove a piece and taste it for doneness.

BACK TO GOULASH
When the noodles are almost done, and the meat is ultra-tender, turn up the heat under the meat and thicken the sauce with a flour-water slurry (¼ cup water + 2 tablespoons flour shaken in a jar). Stir vigorously while adding the slurry to the sauce and cook until thick, remove from heat. Serve goulash over cooked noodles.
NOTE: The first hour that the goulash cooks, the aroma will be strong, but never fear…the second hour, something magical happens and it all mellows out and becomes delicious.