A couple of weeks ago, a friend mentioned that she'd been trying to make a good vegetarian version of goulash, but she hadn't gotten it quite right yet. I made a few suggestions for when she was ready to try again, and then went back to business as usual. Or not. The thought of a vegetarian goulash niggled at the back of my mind for a solid week, until I decided I needed to make some in my own kitchen.
It's funny though, because at first I thought - vegetarian goulash!? The thought was basically an oxymoron in my mind. I mean, I grew up in the Midwest, and in these parts, hearty stews and casseroles always had meat in them. When I thought goulash, I thought ground beef in a paprika-spiked tomato base over noodles that was "lightened" up by stirring through a big scoop of sour cream...and then finished with melty cheese.
But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to try a meatless version. With the abundance of summer vegetables in evidence on my kitchen counter and table, as well as dotting the road with stands every few miles, now was definitely the time to do it.
