Goulash With The Last Of The Farmers Markets Root Vegetables

Thanks for the support and positive vibes over the weekend. Unfortunately neither Beth or I placed amongst the 115 pies. Competition was it at it stiffest. Nevertheless I got to serve and sell my pies slices during the event , and both sold like hotcakes. The feedback was good from the public, so I'm calling my pies a winner. Beth and I concluded that they really wanted the more traditional pies, although the judging process seems weird to me. Oh well, onto the next thing.

A highlight of my day was tagging along to the Bucktown Farmers Market with Beth. I get organic delivery boxes and really don't have the time to make weekday Farmers Markets downtown during work hours. Green City Market in Lincoln Park just isn't convenient to get to on Saturdays with my schedule. I love Bucktown, a funky edgier neighborhood in Chicago full of great Boutiques and restaurants. The Bucktown Farmers market , while, small didn't disappoint. After getting bombarded for several signature and petition requests form local politicos, we made our way through. The root vegetables were so lovely, I wish I could have purchased it all. I settled on some wide and fat Cipolini onions, beautiful reddish baby carrots, celeriac root, miniature peppers, fingerling shaped sweet potatoes.and pretzel bread. The hues of nature were spellbinding and this market had a wonderful array of offerings.

I was thinking of roasting the Cipolini's in a balsamic glaze and making a tart with my puff pastry pie tarts. But Certain Someone was home and and an Autumn chill called for something more substantial. Immediately I thought of Hungarian Goulash. Both Certain Someone and I love Hungary, only we have never actually travelled there together. This summer he spent time there on business and brought me back precious bottles of Tokaj and foie grass. What we both noticed is authentic Goulash is more of a soup than stew with potatoes. Certain Someone and I are more inclined to a stew based dish with noodles. I decided to make Spazlte or little dumplings to add to our dish. I used my Culinaria Hungary book as guide. Goulash should never be thicken with flour. So I did not dredge my neat in flour before browning. Certain Someone mother uses a combination of pork and beef, I just used beef. So I guess it's not really authentic with the Spaeztle and no potatoes, but just as good.Long slow cooking and plenty of paprika and some tomato paste ensure a thickened stew.It's no wonder this simple dish created by herdsmen in a kettle has become an International favorite of all. It even tastes better the next day when the flavors meld more.

Goulash

* Note ,I used what I had on hand, Feel free to add other root vegetables like turnips, celery,or bell peppers, etc to this.

1-2 lbs beef cubes

2 large onions , cut into cubes, or whole peeled Cipolini's( about 4 )

2-3 cloves garlic

1 bunch baby carrots or 2-3 large carrots( peeled and cut into cubes, leave baby carrots whole)

1 cup mushrooms quartered

1/4 cup sweet paprika

salt and pepper

Vegetable Oil

1 can tomato paste

In a large Dutch Oven , brown the beef which was been wiped of moisture m in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the onions to the browning beef. Once the the meet and onions start to brown and caramelize, add the mushrooms, garlic, carrots. Cover with the 1/4 cup of Sweet Paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Add about 7-8 cups of water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour. About halfway through check consistency and add the tomato paste. Cover and continue cooking. Remove from heat and let stand.

Spaetlze

1 3/4 cups flour ( 250 grams)
3 eggs beaten
2/3 cup water ( 1/8 liter)
salt
nutmeg
Water for boiling( approx 2 liters)
Boil your water in a pot.In a bowl place your flour. Add beaten egg,water, salt, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly ( I used a whisk). Take a large holed colander and place a little mixture in at at time. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon run the mixture back and forth across the hole until it drops in the boiling water. The spaetzle dumplings will rise to the top of the water when done. Remove with a slotted spoon. Toss with butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In The Bag Event: Cooking The Month Of October

One of the main reasons I started this food blog was to participate in a lot of food blog events and challenges. The participation from people all over the world really inspires me. While checking out another blog this morning, I noticed a event hosted by Julia from A Slice Of Cherry Pie in the UK. In the Bag is a monthly event that calls for creative uses of specially selected ingredients. I happened to have all the components on hand. And just a day to go before the deadline!This months event challenged us to use Pumpkin, Mushrooms, and Leeks. I immediately thought of a few ideas. One was a pizza with feta, a chicken roll up stuffed with the ingredients perhaps in a stuffing mixture, or this on which I finally settled on. Based on the Tarte Poireux I used to eat in Paris as a student and Quiche Lorraine's.

Courtney's Oyster Mushroom,Pumpkin, Leek, and Feta Tarte.

Pate Brisee for your tart shell.

9 tbs unsalted butter at room temp

1 large egg

3 tbs water at room temp

2 cups flour

1/8 tsp of salt

butter to grease tart pan

Combine butter and egg in your processor. Add flour gradually to form dough. The mixture should resemble coarse balls.Gently form into a ball and wrap in plastic for 1 hour or overnight.

Butter spring form tart pan.

Roll out pastry dough between lightly floured sheets of wax paper to fit pan plus extra.Turn out, shape , and guide into the pan. Don't worry if it breaks or needs to be patched. Lightly punch bottom with a fork. Chill pastry dough in pan covered with wax paper for 30 min. Blind bake crust with ceramic weights if you have them for 15 min. Be sure to wrap your tart shell in foil to prevent leaks and spills.

Filling:

1 cup fresh pureed or canned pumpkin. * I made fresh, drain any excess water through a sieve. Canned may add more color as its more concentrated.

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

oyster mushrooms

1 leek

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp minced ginger

salt

pepper

butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup crumbled fresh feta( I used a water packed French feta)

sage leaves

Slice and thoroughly clean leeks, I soak them in water several times to drain the dirt and sand. shred the oyster mushrooms length wise with your fingers. Saute both with a little butter to wilt. You may add salt and pepper. Mix eggs , cream, salt,pepper,nutmeg, Parmesan,ginger, and pumpkin puree.

Take baked shell and line with leek and mushroom mixture. Add crumbled feta. Be sure your pan is tightly wrapped in foil and place in a cookie sheet to catch any spills. Pour pumpkin mixture to cover. You may have left over liquid depending on your size of shell, etc. Top with sage leaves. Bake for approx 30-40 min.

I would serve it in mini form as a appetizer, or as a main course with a seasonal salad with a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. I can also see it with bacon or ham Incorporated, but I didn't have any.