Austrian Goulash

GastronomyCo Monthly Recipe Austrian Goulash

by Céline-Christine Ekopf, Chair of GastronomyCo

‘It is so simple, and the first recipe my mum taught me’

Instructions

1. Mince onions and garlic cloves

2. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic cloves for 5 minutes

3. Add tomato paste, paprika, cumin, marjoram and the bay leaf and cook for 10 minutes over low-medium heat. Meanwhile dice potatoes

4. Add white wine, water, potatoes, vegetable stock, dissolved cornstarch and pepper and cook over low-medium heat for 30 minutes

5. In the meantime, dice frankfurter sausages and add to the pot after the 30 minutes

6. Season to taste

7. Serve with sour cream

Ingredients

- 2 onions - 2 garlic cloves - sunflower oil - 30 grams tomato paste - 20 grams paprika - 1 tbsp ground cumin - 2 tbsp marjoram - 1 bay leaf - 700 grams potatoes, waxy - 50 ml white wine - 700 ml water - 3 cubes of vegetable stock - 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water - black pepper - 4 frankfurter sausages - 3 tbsp sour cream

The Dish

How did you get the recipe? Does it have a special story to it?

‘When I was young, I was a pretty picky eater. So my mum introduced me to cooking by bringing me into the kitchen and showing me exactly what she did step by step. The Austrian Goulash was one of the first recipes she taught me as she knew that I liked potatoes.’

What is the best part of the recipe? Making it? Eating it? Or both?

‘To me, cooking is a form of meditating. I love standing in front of the stove and seasoning as I wish, trying new techniques and herbs to make it even better. The Goulash is comfort food that makes me happy on a bad day.’

A Love for Cooking

When did you start cooking?

‘From an early age on, my mum always brought me into the kitchen, and I made a whole production, commenting every step as if I am on TV. So I would say since I remember cooking was always a part of my life that I enjoyed and brings me closer to my family.’

Do you have any food traditions?

‘I love making soups in the winter and only in the winter, and salads in the summer. Every year my mum and I look forward to the seasons.’

Cooking tip of the month: a secret from Isabella

‘Sauces and soups are always better the next day. Boiling them up again makes the flavours get more intense.’ Do you have a memorable story related to cooking?

‘When my cousins and I were kids, we always spent our summer holidays together in Spain or Italy with my grandparents. My grandpa is a professional chef and always made the best Wiener Schnitzel. They were small and tender, and when I was 10, I dared to ask him to show me how he made them.’

Are there any people that inspire you to cook?

‘Since I moved to Utrecht, I think the person that inspires me the most is Olivia. Every time I enter our kitchen, she cooks something delicious and inspires my grocery list for the week.’

With whom do you like to cook?

‘Honestly, I like to cook either by myself to destress or surprise my friends with dinner. Back in Frankfurt, I started cooking nights with red wine and techno music, dancing in the kitchen with my loved ones, having an amazing time.’

Love Is the Drug: a Dreamer's

View on Hook-up Culture by Perla Gioannini

“You know I don’t want anything serious right? This was just a one-time thing”. The first time I heard this sentence at UCU I was a naïve nerd who really thought a hook-up meant love. Oh boy, was I wrong. My first reaction to this door slammed on my face was bursting into tears. It was embarrassing, but if I look back to that moment now and think of how I have learned to react to that sentence, I feel pretty proud of myself. Sure, a part of me still hopes the person lying next to me will care more than the others. But now I know that if you don’t want to get hurt, you must be more in control of your body and your heart.

I find myself wondering if I’m the only fool who reflects on hook-up culture. How can you get to know every single inch of someone’s body, and barely say hi to them the next day? It doesn’t make a lot of sense. Now, I don’t want to try encouraging people to stop a system that won’t ever change because it’s way too functional (“I don’t see the problem. It’s perfect for having fun!”). My purpose here is just to reach someone out there that might have the same mindset. Trust me, you’re not the only one. The world is full of dreamers, just as it is full of emotionless jerks.

So, how can this mechanical system work so well? Three words: fear of commitment. Of course, I’m not saying I don’t have it too. Once I was talking with a friend about it and they told me every single time they go home, their parents ask them if they’ve finally found a partner. “Oh yes, Mom. By now I have collected maybe ten sexual partners. Not entirely sure about that number though.”

"the world is full of dreamers, just as it is full of emotionless jerks"

Fear of commitment at UCU is so thick you can literally cut it with a knife. Beware of showing even a tiny sign of affection. “You know, I might have a little crush on you”. “Ha-ha you’re cute, but keep in mind this is a one-time thing, okay?”. Right, my bad. Wouldn’t want to risk seeking some human empathy for once.

Agony Aunt

I heard someone saying that this campus is too full of temptations to be able to catch actual feelings. Well, if we want to put it that way, then maybe we really are only mammals and should just “do it like they do on the Discovery Channel.”

But aren’t we more than that? I mean, why did people like Jane Austen or the Brontë sisters write pages and pages about marrying a man and sleeping with him for the first time? How did we get from making such a big deal out of it to not giving a shit so fast? Don’t worry, I’m not saying that we should all act like we were in 18th century England. If everyone waited as long as Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet did before getting laid, we would probably face extinction. But maybe, next time you are with someone, keep in mind you might be dealing with a dreamer. And instead of hitting them with the “onetime thing” stab, just smile and say thanks when they compliment your pretty eyes.

#blownawaybyeunice7k708 Expectations ruin everything for me when I’m trying to date. I get too anxious over how I act to really be myself. I am too enthralled by my date just because they’re my date and put them on a pedestal, or I impose an ideal image on them without seeing them for who they really are. It just makes things awkward for both of us. Such a nasty habit. How can I grow out of it? Any advice?

Expectations are a tough thing when it comes to dating. It is important to have some small expectations in your dating life: you should feel comfortable, your date should make you feel happy, etc - maybe standards is a better word than expectations in this case. I think small-scale expectations aren’t a bad thing, because they ensure that you’re being treated the way you deserve. But it’s important to avoid bigger expectations, like putting your date on a pedestal or creating a whole dream-fantasy world in your head where you and your date are married and have, like, three kids and a golden retriever - steer clear of that. It’s important to find a balance between being hopeful and being realistic - after all, dating is supposed to be fun and you should let yourself get some excitement out of that!

At the end of the day, it’s important to accept that dating is unpredictable, and there’s no way to determine what’s going to happen with someone - no matter how much you like them. Of course, that’s a terrifying thing to have to accept, and it can make you a lot more anxious than you’d like. But in that case, you have to remind yourself that odds are that the person you’re seeing is probably in the same boat as you. Hannah Montana said it best: “nobody’s perfect” - your date is likely having the same dilemma as you. And, if you really feel like your expectations are getting in the way of creating a real, genuine connection with someone, it might be worth it to talk to them about that. After all, communication is key in a relationship (very cliché, I know), and you never know what a moment of vulnerability can lead to!

And, if worst comes to worst, fake it till you make it (another cliché - sorry).

xoxo, Agony Aunt