Simple Goulash!

There are many ways of making goulash and I know that we can have real arguments about how to make a great goulash. I have had goulash in Serbia and Hungary that is very different than what we eat here, and I have had different types of goulash in different regions of the United States. This my reflect immigration patterns or conditions of work and poverty. I got the following recipe from the Southern Colorado coalfields many years ago. I imagine that it was made for taking leftovers to work or for a quick and inexpensive family meal, or possibly for bar food.

You are going to need:

* Two-and-one-half pounds of beef or pork cubed
* One chopped onion (at least one cup)
* At least one clove of garlic minced
* One-quarter-of-a-cup of flour (or more)
* One-and-one-half tsp. of salt
* One-quarter tsp. of pepper or more
* One-and-one-half Tbsp. of smoked paprika or more
* 2 bay leaves
* One-quarter tsp. of thyme
* At least one can of tomatoes
* One cup or more of sour cream

In a large pot brown your meat, add your onion and garlic, and cook 'til its tender. Blend in your flour and seasonings. Let that cook awhile. Add your tomatoes. Stir around. Let it cook for at least one-and-one-half hours. It's okay to add more meet, seasonings and tomatoes as it cooks, I think. Stir in your sour cream a little while before serving.

You're going to want to serve this over egg noodles or macaroni.