Steak Salad
Slumgullion | Leftovers That Actually Get Eaten
When I was a very young kid my mother would make a dish that didn’t cost a lot and would fill your stomach. Back in the day you could buy a pound of pasta for a dollar and ground beef cost $1.18 a pound. Then there was a can of whole tomatoes, let’s just say that was another two bucks. So for the bargain price of $4.18 you could feed a family of four for a night. This was a dish my mother always called Slumgullion. It was thought that Slumgullion was first used in literature by Mark Twain in his book called Roughing It in 1872. It referenced any cheap, nasty, washy beverage (whatever that might mean). There was also the term Slobgolliun that was used in Herman Melville’s great novel Moby-Dick in 1851 that consisted of a stew made with the waste from the processing of a whale carcass. Nearly 70 years later it took on another form. John Muir referred to a stew that the California miners would make. This was a stew that could be made of just about anything. Covered with water and boiled until done.
In our family it refers to a stew made of ground beef, tomatoes, and pasta. You will find some that use onions, but when I was growing up in the 70’s no onions were killed in this dish. As a kid, I never knew the history of this dish. Hell, for the first 40 years of my life I thought that it was a name and a dish made up by my mother.
This might have been a dish that my family made when we needed to save money. As we moved on in our lives it became a source of comfort. Easy to make, and would fill the bellies of two growing boys. That, by the way, would devour everything in sight. Now that I am grown, I cook this dish when I want to feel safe. Over time my wife grew to love the dish. She now finds it comforting and she’ll even eat the leftovers.
The food of a culture or a family will always live on and stand the test of time.
I am a salt fiend. I add salt as I cook the beef, I also add salt to the pasta water, and let’s not forget to add salt to the tomatoes. Now that we have added enough salt to cure a small child we should talk about the amount of black pepper that needs to be added. When you add salt, you add equal amounts of pepper as well. Normally you would add half as much pepper to salt. Not the case in Slumgullion. Well at least this is a Szilak rendition of the dish. Now, salt and pepper are a very personal preference so I will leave that up to you.
2 oz Olive Oil (or whatever oil you have)
1 lb Ground Beef
28 oz Canned Whole Tomatoes
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
Add the oil to a sauté pan. As the oil heats up add the ground beef. Break the ground beef up as much as possible. I use a wooden spoon. Religious about using one for this dish. No reason, just me. Season with salt and pepper. When ground beef is cooked through, drain off the fat. This is just habit. It is ok to leave it as well, just makes it a little greasy. Add the can of tomatoes to the cooked ground beef. Rinse out the can. Add the water from the rinse to the ground beef as well. Cut the tomatoes with a spoon into thirds. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Let the liquid in the pan come to a simmer and keep warm. Now bring about 3 qts of water to a boil, season with salt heavily (salty as the sea). Add macaroni once water comes to a boil. Cook until just done, don't overcook. If in doubt, grab a piece out with your wooden spoon and eat it. If you like the constancy, it’s done. Usually takes about 7-10 minutes. Drain pasta and add directly to ground beef and tomato mixture. Mix all together. Scoop out into a deep individual bowl with a ladle. Top with a little more salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper.
Right now is a very tough time for a lot of people in our country. We are a country divided by many things. I could never imagine what other people go through. I can tell you that I keep getting told that I should only watch the news once or twice a day. I have a hard time doing that. I want to be informed about it all. I also have a hard time not being opinionated about what is going on. You could also say that I am not in the best position to be giving opinions right now. Especially seeing how I am living off someone else’s pay (unemployment). I feel like I don’t have the right to speak up right now. You could also sit there and tell me that I have paid into the system for decades. That it is ok that I am allowing myself to be taken care of. That is a tough pill for me to swallow. I think that it is a tough pill for many people to swallow. We don’t know when we will be able to be normal again. It is going to take a while for us to heal. Even as we get back to the new normal there will be a lot for everyone to get “used to”.
Food will always be one of those things that will bring us comfort. The food of a culture or a family will always live on and stand the test of time. It will live through the tough times, and be celebrated in the good times. Whether it is a dish as complicated as an Indian Curry, or as simple as Slumgullion.
Enjoy.