Now that the heat of summer is just a memory, I’m debating turning on the heating. It means that it is time to make some autumn and winter food. Slow cooker Goulash is currently at the head of my list.
My first choice is to pull out the slow cooker and purchase some nice beef chunks for goulash from the butcher. I’ve prepared all the ingredients before starting. What I didn’t know, until recently, is that this is a classical French cooking method called mise en place. It helps me organize the cooking process and make sure that I don’t have to frantically cut or prepare something during the middle of cooking that I had neglected to prepare.
My cast-iron pan has been freshly seasoned and was used to heat up and brown the beef (using the Mailliard reaction). After that, the onions and garlic were caramelized, and the pan deglazed before cooking up the rest of the ingredients and transferring to the slow cooker.
Then my actual work was done and all that remains is to wait 24 hours for the Goulash in the slow cooker to cook and simmer and become a tasty treat for cold winter days.