• 2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 ½ cups water
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons flour or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 pound pasta noodles, cooked and drained (egg noodles or farfalle both work well with this recipe)

Cook and stir beef, onion and garlic in butter until beef is brown; drain. Stir in 1 ½ cups water, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, mustard, and cayenne. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, 2 to 2 ½ hours.

Shake ¼ cup cold water and the flour (or cornstarch) in tightly covered container; stir gradually into beef mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve over hot noodles. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Do-ahead tip: Hungarian goulash can be frozen without noodles for no longer than 4 months. Cover and heat frozen goulash and ½ cup water over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.