Family Chow Hall

South-of-the-border Goulash

December 21st, 2005

Here’s a new recipe we tried last night. Certainly not true Mexican food, we’ll have to label it as Tex-Mex. You can spice it up as much as you want, or leave it milder. Good Mexican spices are chili powder, cilantro, and cumin.

It was very easy, filling, and pleased four-sevenths of us. I got the idea from a recipe for Picadillo — but, as usual — I made a couple of my own changes. The Picadillo recipe calls for raisins, which I think would make an interesting flavor, but I wasn’t sure how that would go over with the rest of the family.

We had this with “sticky rice” - a favorite with the kids. If you want to try it, look for glutinous rice in the Asian foods section of your grocery. It should be soaked for a couple of hours, then steamed. I was in a hurry last night and I cooked it on the stove just like regular white rice and it turned out okay. When done right, you can eat it with your fingers, because it sticks together in clumps.

South-of-the-border Goulash
serves 6 / prep. time: 5 minutes / cook time 15 minutes

1 pound ground beef, turkey, or bulk sausage
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can ro-tel tomatoes
1/2 can black olives, chopped
2 oz. American cheese

Brown the meat and cook the pepper with it. Feel free to add onions if you like. Lower the heat, and drain off the grease if the meat is swimming in it. (A good way to do this is simply soak it up with paper towels and discard them.) Now you can add the other ingredients and put a lid on it to allow the cheese to melt.

Ro-tel tomatoes are something I discovered when we moved to Texas. Ro-tel offers a line of diced tomatoes with peppers. They’re great for making Tex-Mex cooking easier.

Entry Filed under: Casseroles, Recipes, Supper