We found more fresh Maitake at the grocery store, so we stashed our newfound prize in our cart and gleefully (not exaggerating) dashed to the checkout line. The excitement was so palpable that in our haste, we forgot a few things that were actually on our shopping list…but I digress. For this dinner, we decided to embrace my wife’s Hungarian roots and go hog wild with paprika to make this classic stew.
Of course, as we sometimes (always?) do, we made some changes to make this dish our own. The main one was the removal of beef and the inclusion of its glorious mushroomy understudy to turn this normally meat rich dish into vegetarian fare. The other large change is along the same lines, as we swapped out beef stock for vegetable stock…it’s really hard to make a vegetarian entree with beef stock as a main ingredient. Since this was so veggie rich, and it had some carbs built in, we served this a la carte…but it would go nicely with a side salad (perhaps spinach based?) should you so desire.
Time: 45 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Maitake Mushroom. If you can’t get your hands on maitake, white button or cremini (baby bella) can fill in in a pinch.
- Bell Pepper (colour of your choosing)
- Onion
- Snow Peas
- Russet Potato
- Small Pasta of your choosing. We used Rye Rotini, but elbow noodles would be great too.
- 3 Oz Tomato Paste
- 3-4 Cups of Vegetable Stock.
- Oodles of Paprika. We used a mixture of hot paprika and sweet paprika.
Method:
- Rinse off your potato, puncture it a few times with a knife, and microwave it for about 3-4 minutes to soften it a bit.
- As your potato cooks, dice your pepper, onions, and snow peas, and peel and slice your garlic. Then, wash your mushroom(s), and dice them. Also, start to boil a pot of water for your pasta.
- Melt some butter in a large pot, and then add in your onions, peas, garlic, and peppers. Sautee for about 10 minutes.
- As your aforementioned veggies cook, dice your (mostly) cooked potato. Then, after your veggies have softened a bit, and your onions have turned opaque, add in your potato and maitake mushroom, and stir to combine.
- Scoop and stir in your tomato paste, and let sit for a minute or two. Then, pour in your vegetable stock, and mix in your paprika. Stir to combine, and bring to a simmer until it thickens to your liking.
- As your main ingredients come together, add your pasta to your pot, and cook through (just a little beyond al dente). Then, drain, and add it to your main pot.
- When your goulash reaches your desired thickness, you’re done!
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
