As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’m participating in the Pick A Chef event over on Recipezaar. While looking through Cynna’s recipes, I saw one that stood out to me immediately — Bayerische Semmelklöße — or as they’re called in the part of Germany that my family is from (Hesse), Semmelknödel. This is a dish that I grew up with, one that my Oma made regularly, when she wasn’t in the mood to make spaetzle or egg noodles or potato dumplings instead. The recipe she used was much simpler – just bread and milk and egg and seasoning, but this sounded close enough. I figured that this time around, I would mostly follow the recipe as written (allowing for a substitution of double smoked bacon in the place of Canadian bacon, because I don’t like Canadian bacon) and see how it compared to the dumplings I remembered from my youth. Because my Oma always served hers with Goulash, I figured that I would serve them this way too.
The only other change I made to Cynna’s recipe was that I used two eggs instead of three, as the consistency was right with just two eggs. The flavor was great, especially with the substitution of the double smoked bacon. But as I’ve said before and I’ll probably say again, double smoked bacon makes *everything* taste better. 
Below is the recipe I used for Goulash. Unfortunately, my Oma’s recipe died with her, but this is the closest I’ve been able to come in flavor over the past decade of trying Goulash recipe after Goulash recipe.
Hungarian Goulash
Source: AllRecipes
2 pounds beef chuck roast, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/4 cups water, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Place beef in slow cooker, and cover with onion. In a medium bowl, stir together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, and 1 cup water. Pour mixture over beef and onions. Cover, and cook on Low for 9 to 10 hours, or until meat is tender. Mix 1/4 cup water with flour to form a paste, and stir into goulash. Cook on High for 10 to 15 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
And I’ve already got great plans for the leftovers, too. I had originally planned on just frying them in butter like my Oma used to do, until I came upon this post at Delicious: Days. Perfect timing! I’ll definitely be following those suggestions for leftovers tonight!
American News, Aberdeen, S.D., Farm and Business Scene Column.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News October 10, 1999 | American News, Aberdeen S.D.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 7 — NAMES IN THE NEWS: Barbara Forred registered nurse at Avera St. Luke’s Hospital and parish nurse for St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart Catholic churches, and Carol DeSchepper, registered nurse, director of the Avera Parish Nurse Center in Sioux Falls, were speakers at “Quest for Quality ’99,” a regional nursing conference sponsored by Mayo Continuing Nursing Education in Rochester, Minn. Forred and DeSchepper presented the topic “Parish Nursing: An Expanding Role in Promoting Healthy Communities.” Stuart Campbell, secretary of Campbell’s Town and Country Building Supply in Aberdeen, was elected past chairman at large of the Northwestern Lumber Association. He has served on the association’s board of directors and membership committee. The Northwestern Lumber Association is a trade organization headquartered in Minneapolis that represents more than 1,100 independent and lineyard lumber and building material retailers and their suppliers in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, and has been active since 1890. Campbell has 18 years of experience in the retail lumber industry. go to website detroit lions tickets
EARLY CHILDHOOD PARTNERS SPONSORS FLU SHOT CLINIC: Early Childhood Partners at Presentation College will have a flu shot clinic for day care providers from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. There will be a $10 charge for the immunization. For more information or to preregister, call Early Childhood Partners at (605) 229-8505.
A.G. EDWARDS EARNS HONORS: For the third time in the past 12 months, A.G. Edwards and Sons, Inc., has earned the top ranking for full-service brokerage firms from Kiplinger’s Magazine, which announced the honor in its special “Stocks 2000″ issue. A.G. Edwards was also named best full-service broker in Worth Magazine’s reader’s choice survey, which appeared in the July/August 1999 issue. A.G. Edwards is one of the nation’s largest investment firms with more than 6,600 financial consultants in 650 offices across the nation, including in Aberdeen at 24 Fourth Ave. S.E. site detroit lions tickets
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION OFFERS DISASTER LOANS TO AREA COUNTIES: The U.S. Small Business Administration announces that businesses in some counties can now apply for Economic injury Disaster Loans. These loans are available to small businesses that suffered a substantial loss of income as a result of severe storms, flooding, snow and ice, ground saturation, landslides, mudslides and tornadoes that occurred between March 1 and July 19, 1999. These loans are not intended to cover physical damages resulting from the storms. South Dakota counties eligible include Brown, Campbell, Corson (including the Standing Rock Indian Reservation), Marshall, McPherson, Perkins and Roberts. To obtain an application, contact SBA at (800) 366-6303. The deadline for filing an application is March 8.
These items are compiled from The Associated Press, Knight Ridder/Tribune and local sources.
American News, Aberdeen S.D.
October 3rd, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Terrific site! I’m starved!!!!
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:20 pm
[...] so a big part of my blog has been about trying to find her recipes. As for that goulash, this is the closest I’ve been able to come, and it is sooooo good! Jennifer from Domestic [...]
November 30th, -0001 at 12:00 am
I used to make it with tomato paste , but I will try ketchup , any how I Should try it , your blog is more than terrific