I mentioned in my last post, I have a lot of eastern European in my background. Goulash, or the similar Stroganoff, is what the French would term a “peasant dish”. It throws together what is underground, either in the dirt or a cellar, with whatever meat can be scrounged, cooked with some local herbs, spices, and such from local gardens.

I’ve had a mother and two grandmothers cook their interpretations, and each is different. Throw in the rest of eastern Europe, and each recipe may be as different as the mother or grandmother cooking that day for the family.

I kicked the recipe up a bit with ingredients that would not normally be used in traditional versions of this dish, but the inspiration is from my upbringing.

But wait! There’s more!

It’s been warm lately. Unseasonably so. From Christmas Eve to now, it’s been pretty much low-80s in the day (mid-to-high 20s C). That’ll end tonight when it’ll dip near freezing, and tomorrow night when there’s a hard freeze warning for Central Florida. Since we’re right next to the ocean, I doubt we’ll see freezing, probably a couple degrees above (a couple degrees above in C).

But, for now, it’s warm, and yesterday evening was pretty balmy. So, for New Years Eve dinner, I cooked Christey and myself some NY strip steaks on the grill.

New York strip steak over mustard cream sauce, garnished with feta and caramelized shallot, with a sauteed mushroom side.

Pictures and Recipe Here