When I lived in Boston – 50 years ago now – I shared an apartment with a dear friend, Marcia. We took turns cooking meals, and her signature dish was “slumgullion hash” – ground beef and spaghetti smothered in ketchup. We also had tacos frequently, but no salsa for us! Marcia taught me to use ketchup.
Marcia seemed straightlaced, prim and proper, so it seemed totally out of character that no matter how fancy the restaurant, she would ask for ketchup. She put ketchup on everything. And while I certainly wouldn’t do that, I did like the slumgullion hash and ketchup tacos.
In 2000, Marcia came to see me, and we reminisced about those years in Boston as if they were yesterday. “I’m not much of a cook,” Marcia said. “Anything good, you made.” Who knew?? (Certainly not my mother, who always felt that she had failed to teach me to cook.)
“Ah! But you made slumgullion hash,” I said. KW
6 comments:
I don't know about Kathy's mother failing at teaching her to cook but somehow she mastered it beautifully. I might add that many of her creations are alterations of other recipes which always turn out great.
When you read recipes, you see that they just switch ingredients around. You can get away with a lot of changes.
Slumgullion hash sounds great to me. Could you provide a simple recipe?
Hi Chuck!
I have to laugh. I think Joanne would love slumgullion hash, but if you don't care for ketchup, you might not.
There is no recipe. Just brown some hamburger and add cooked spaghetti. Then pour in ketchup to taste. It's very simple. This was a quick dish that Marcia's family used, and she said her dad dubbed it "slumgullion hash."
And of course, you could add onions as you brown the hamburger. I'd probably serve with green beans.
The tacos were simple, too. Marcia didn't like taco seasoning or salsa, so she simply browned the hamburger for the taco shells and we put a line of ketchup over the top.
I like a little ketchup, but just a little. I do like spaghetti and burger though! My favorite salsa is Safeway's Signature peach and pineapple. It's not sweet and not too spicy. I use it by the cupful in my homemade refried beans and Mexican rice. Mmmm...
For me, ketchup is pretty much just for french fries, hot dogs, and maybe hamburgers. I like taco seasoning and have been enjoying including beans and sliced olives in my tacos. I can't imagine ketchup on pasta even though it's all kind of the same...tomatoes.
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