In my post yesterday, I made mention of “a big lunch involving pot roast and macaroni.” Gina says it was delicious, and has asked me for the recipe, which I would be happy to provide.

Except, there is no recipe. I’ve been making this meal for years, but never exactly the same way twice. I use whatever beef is on sale, and some kind of pasta, or egg noodles, and add whatever I feel like adding. We’ve always called it “that thing with beef and noodles.” It’s a good meal for a Thursday supper, so we can load up on beefy goodness before abstaining from meat on Friday, as is our habit. By Saturday, we are hungry again, and ready to devour the leftovers as a lunch or snack.

For Gina, I will attempt to reproduce the recipe for “Gleeson Goulash,” in the form it took yesterday. I’m sorry if some of the amounts are a bit vague, but I sort of eyeball it as I go, and don’t take measurements.

GLEESON GOULASH
The high-fat, high-carb alternative to salad!
Makes about 11 to 17 servings.

You’ll need:
3 lbs. beef, or whatever’s on sale
2 lbs. pasta, macaroni, or noodles
2 lbs. diced tomatoes
1 lb. mushrooms
Half lb. butter

Random amounts of:
Minced garlic, minced onions, basil, rosemary, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, apple juice, wine (chablis is good), beer, Worcestershire sauce, salt.

STEP ONE:
Put meat in pot with apple cider vinegar, stick of butter, some olive oil, garlic, onions, basil, and rosemary. An ounce of bourbon wouldn’t hurt, if you have any bourbon. Put lid on pot. Put pot in oven. Bake at 250 degrees, for six or seven hours. The meat will now be soft enough to slice with a Canadian dollar bill.

STEP TWO:
Drain vinegar and stuff out of the pot and discard it. But not the meat. Keep that in the pot, if you can. Now put other things in pot, too: another stick of butter, more olive oil, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, apple juice, wine, beer, Worcestershire sauce, and whatever seasonings you have lying around. Salt is good. Don’t add the macaroni yet. Put lid on pot. Put pot on stovetop. Simmer over low heat for two or three hours.

STEP THREE:
Now, add the macaroni, or noodles. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes. The pasta will absorb all the liquids in the pot, resulting in a yummy mess of meaty slop. During this time, make peanut butter sandwiches, for those disinclined to eat what’s in the pot. Serve.