Es schmeckt mir gut!

Hello again from my Austrian kitchen!

Today, we are beginning a journey into cooking with a very new friend– an Austrian cookbook (in English!

For my first adventure, I decided to try recreating a simple recipe for Goulash.

Goulash, for those of you unfamiliar with Austrian cuisine, is basically a stew that is made red by adding plenty of paprika! My goulash tonight incorporated potatoes (Kartoffeln), Burenwurst, and plenty of delicious spices.

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A few of the interesting new ingredients I got to experiment with today:

Bauchspeck. Aka, really delicious Austrian bacon. Newsflash: frying bacon has the same delicious smell on every continent!

Apfelessig: Apple vinegar. This also smelled amazing when I added a splash to the hot pan.

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So, my goulash lacked the distinctive red coloring of the normal dish, but still. This was a great addition to my dinnertime repertoire here in Salzburg!

As per usual with Austrian dishes, it consisted entirely of meat (sausage) and starch (potatoes). I PROMISE I added three huge carrots and half a bell pepper… they’re in there… somewhere…?

The search for proper vegetable nutrition continues.

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This wonderful Austrian meal wouldn’t be complete without a piece of Frau B’s homemade Apfelstrudel!

I order Apfelstrudel for dessert nearly everywhere I go, but I would have to say that hers is still my favorite. :)

My delightful Hausfrau makes this typical Austrian dessert nearly every week, using a time-honored recipe and apples from a neighbor’s tree.

I am so unbelievably lucky.

“But I, when I undress me

Each night upon my knees

Will ask the Lord to bless me,

With [APFEL STRUDEL] and cheese.”

~ Eugene Field.

 

Mandi