A Halloween dish fit for Dracula

Slow Cauldron Transylvanian Ghoulash

This is a completely inauthentic, fully westernized, kid- Vlad- and vampire-friendly dish. Serve it up with some carrot and celery sticks on the side. Best for a large, 4 to 5 quart sized slow cooker.

yield: 6 - 8 servings

prep time: 15 - 25 minutes

cook time: 4 hours on high, 6 to 8 hours on low

To prepare the day before Halloween:

5 or 6 carrots

5 or 6 sticks celery

500 ml (2 c) cheddar cheese, shredded (aged cheddar is especially good with this dish.)

410 g (4 c) uncooked elbow macaroni

15 ml (1 Tbsp) olive oil

454 g (1 lb) ground beef 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 yellow onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced To prepare on Halloween morning: 1 (796 ml) can crushed tomatoes 1 (796 ml) can diced tomatoes with liquid 10 ml (2 tsp) Worcestershire sauce 10 ml (2 tsp) sweet paprika 3 ml (1/2 tsp) salt 3 ml ( 1/2 tsp) ground black pepper

Instructions

The day before Halloween:

Prepare carrot and celery. Peel carrots, wash celery, and cut into sticks. Refrigerate in a container.

Shred cheese, place in a zipper-type plastic bag. Refrigerate.

Cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions, drain and rinse well with cold water and drain again. Toss in 15 ml (1 Tbsp) of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking. Place in a covered container and refrigerate.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove excess fat. A simple method is to move the meat to one side of the skillet, tip the skillet slightly so fat drains to the opposite side. Use a pair of tongs to hold a crumpled paper towel and blot up the fat with the paper towel.

Add the green pepper, onions, and garlic to the skillet. Gently cook until onions are transparent, about 5-7 minutes.

Remove meat and vegetables to a container, let cool, cover and refrigerate.

On Halloween morning:

Transfer the ground beef, green pepper, onions, and garlic to the slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients (except for elbow macaroni and cheese) to the slow cooker. Mix well. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. (If your slow cooker is programmable, set it to cook on low and then switch to keep warm after 7 hours.) Once cooked, taste for salt.

When ready to serve, put refrigerated pasta into a large bowl or pot in the sink and pour boiling water over it. Let sit for 2 minutes to reheat. Drain. Spoon pasta into bowls and pour “ghoulash” over top. Top with shredded cheese and serve with vegetable sticks on the side.