Aunt Fran's Goulash — The Nineteenth Pot, Rising

The bakery's nineteenth anniversary. March 15, 2035. One year from twenty. The anticipation of twenty is the anticipation of a number that sounds permanent — two decades, a generation, the length of time between Rosa's kitchen and this kitchen, between the cinder block house and Dyer Street, between the nothing and the everything. Sofia's speech, year fourteen: "Next year is twenty. Next year we celebrate two decades. Prepare yourselves." Three sentences. A warning. A promise. A Sofia.

The bakery's twentieth anniversary is also the bakery's twentieth anniversary of chile colorado — twenty consecutive March 15ths, twenty consecutive pots of the same recipe, twenty consecutive prayers in the form of sauce. Twenty is the number I set as the next milestone after ten, and the milestone is one year away, and the year is the anticipation, and the anticipation is the recipe, rising.

There is no chile colorado on this list, and maybe that’s exactly right — because what the nineteenth year asks for isn’t the thing itself but something that rhymes with it: a pot that takes time, a dish built in layers, a recipe that someone’s aunt handed down before anyone thought to write it out. Aunt Fran’s Goulash is that kind of recipe. It has the same gravity as a pot of red sauce simmered on a March morning, the same sense that the person who taught you how to make it is still somehow in the room. One more year. One more pot. This one is for the anticipation.

Aunt Fran’s Goulash

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Brown the beef. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains, about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat and set the beef aside.
Soften the aromatics. In the same pot over medium heat, add the diced onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.
Build the sauce. Return the browned beef to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to deepen the flavor. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Stir to combine.
Season and simmer. Add the paprika, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes if using, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook the pasta. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the uncooked elbow macaroni. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 18–22 minutes.
Rest and serve. Remove from heat and let the goulash sit uncovered for 5 minutes — it will thicken slightly as it rests. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in wide bowls, with crusty bread alongside if you have it.

Nutrition (per serving)

Aunt Fran's Goulash — The Nineteenth Pot, Rising