Catholic Recipe: Austrian Goulash

Had you lived in Austria before the war, November 15 would have been your harvest feast day. This date was kept for St. Leopold, and many of the celebrations of St. Martin were transferred to this day. It became the Goose Day when the fat old birds were plucked and their down was stuffed into billowy Austrian feather beds. This was the New-wine Day when the first bouquet of the wine was sniffed appreciatively as it rose from the must. This was a real feast day when every good Austrian counted his sausages by the yard and thanked St. Leopold for his fine goulash mit nockerln.

These frosty days of fall are perfect for the making of Goulash. If you have veal, make the Austrian variety. If you have pork, make Gulyas from Hungary. Our children can smell the Goulash half-way down the lane as they come tramping home with sacks of walnuts thrown across their shoulders. I have grave suspicions that they don't even take time to wash their hands for dinner, but when I object they blame it all on walnut stain.

DIRECTIONS

Cut veal into two-inch cubes and salt well. Brown onions in fat; add meat and seasoning. When meat is brown, add vinegar and one and one-half cups water. Cover and simmer. Add remaining water at intervals as it cooks away. When the meat is tender, thicken gravy by mixing flour in one-half cup water.