The problem being that you don’t know exactly how it was made, you might not have a written recipe, and your memory may fail you. Even if it’s tasty, it may not be “what Mom made” – and when it’s your brother that’s made the request, well, you can’t help but feel like you’ve failed just a bit.
Last week I attempted goulash – my Mom made it all the time, but I never *saw* her make it, and there were no written instructions left behind. I figured I could modify my Goulaschuppe recipe and come fairly close. It did taste very good, but I forgot until halfway through that my Mom never put carrots or potatoes in it – just straight meat, sauce & noodles. Ah well, I’ll remember next time.
Tonigh I am attempting pot roast. Another one of those “Mom” dinners. It always just “appeared” – mainly because it takes a fair amount of time to cook, so again, I have NO actual idea how she did it. I know it DID have carrots & potatoes at least. :) There are no less than 100 variations on pot roast in allrecipes.com, so it looks like I’ll be winging it.
I’m thinking lightly score it, S&P, and sear it. Then into the dutch oven with the carrots, potatoes and onions. Beer, beef & chicken stock to cover the veggies. (I like to cut beef stock a bit, otherwise things get too “heavy” tasting for me.) Into the oven at 350 until the thermometer says it’s done…
We shall see!