I was craving something rich, creamy, and savoury the other evening, and this hit the spot. I’m quite sure that this is not “authentic” beef stroganoff, but then I’m not really sure what is – as far as I can tell, there’s no “traditional” recipe: it’s just beef and mushrooms in a sour cream sauce over noodles, and the variations are pretty endless. I’ve never had it made for me by anyone else, so I have nothing to compare to, but this tasted pretty darn good. I looked at a few recipes online for inspiration, and this is what I came up with 🙂 I used flank steak, but I’m sure any kind of steak would be fine – probably ground beef would work too! Shiitake mushrooms would be a great addition to this dish.
Beef Stroganoff
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add about 250 grams of flank steak, sliced thinly across the grain, and sear quickly. The meat should be browned but still rare in places. Remove to a plate.
Add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter to the pan. Sauté:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups quartered button mushrooms (I used tiny tiny mushrooms so I only halved them)
Season with pepper and a little salt (go easy on the salt if using salted beef stock in the next step) and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms start to get browned and soften. (If you have it, you could add a splash of Cognac, wine or even beer to the pan.) Add:
1 cup beef stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Marmite (optional, but good!)
a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce
Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring, until the liquid has reduced and thickened slightly. Stir in:
2/3 cup sour cream
the reserved steak (plus any accumulated juices)
Heat through, season with salt and pepper, and stir in 2 chopped green onions. Serve over hot buttered egg noodles (I used 2 soup bowls full of raw noodles – about 2/3 of a 340 gram bag). Serves 3-4.
The versions I have stated pretty strongly that tomatoes did not belong. My favorite is from the Time-Life Russian Cookbook—one of the really good cookbooks from series, and worth getting. It’s by George & Helen Papashvily, who wrote the wonderful book Anything Can Happen, which tells of his emigration to the US, how they met, and various adventures. Totally charming.
Their recipe:
1 Tbsp powdered mustard
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4-5 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups thinly sliced onions, separated into rings
1 lb fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 lb filet of beef trimmed of all fat
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pint sour cream
In a small bowl combine the mustard, 1.5 tsp sugar, pinch of salt, and enough hot water (~1 Tbsp) to form a thick paste. Let stand 5 minutes.
Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a heavy 10-12-inch skillet over high heat until a light haze forms above it. Drop in the onions and mushrooms, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to low. Stirring from time to time, simmer 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Drain them in a sieve, discard the liquid, and return the mixture to the skillet.
With a large, sharp knife cut the filet across the grain into 1/4″ wide rounds. Lay each round on a board and slice it with the grain into 1/4″ wide strips. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in another heave 10-12-inch skillet over high heat until it is very hot but not smoking. Drop in half the meat and, tossing the strips constantly with a large spoon, fry for 2 minutes or so until the meat is lightly browned. With a slotted spoon transfer the meat to the vegetables in the other skillet and fry the remaining meat similarly, adding oil if necessary. When all the meat has been combined with the vegetables, stir in the remaining salt, pepper, and the mustard paste. Stir in the sour cream, a tablespoon at a time, then add the remaining 1/2 tsp sugar and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer 2 or 3 minutes, or until the sauce is heated through. Taste for seasoning.
To serve, transfer the contents of the pan to a heating serving platter and, if you like, scatter straw potatoes over the top.
Ooooh, that sounds good. Like I said, I’ve never had “real” beef stroganoff, so I was kind of flying by the seat of my pants. I liked the colour that the tomato paste gave the sauce – often you see pictures of beef stroganoff with really pale sauce, which just looks unappetizing to me.
As I recall, this sauce has a robust color from the mustard, mushrooms, browning of the meat, etc. It wasn’t a problem, as I recall. Once I reach target, I’ll make it again.
FAVORITE dish ever, maybe. Reminds me I need to make it again, soon. Would you believe the hubbster prefers it over rice? Sigh! So much better over pasta. 🙂