This hearty meal whips up very quickly for a mid-week treat
Beef Stroganoff (also spelled Stroganov), is a classic Russian dish that is credited to be more than 250 years old, attributed to a chef of the Russian Nobel family Stroganov. The recipe has travelled around the world and, as such, has many variations.
In its simplest form, beef stroganoff is thinly sliced beef in a hearty sauce, finished off with sour cream and served over a bed of broad egg noodles. Most western recipes include mushrooms.
The first time I made this dish, I’d been asked to prepare it for a daily special in a kitchen somewhere. Having never made it before, I literally had no clue where to start. Our head chef was surprisingly kind to me. Instead of his usual throwing a copy of Irma S. Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking at me (and yelling), he actually took some time to explain what he wanted.
What he showed me was basically the same as the recipe in the Joy of Cooking, but using red wine instead of white as the base for the sauce. There are as many variations out there as there are cooks, chefs and bottle-washers, but this one is simple, quick and very tasty.
I wasn’t sure about doing this until I woke up this morning. When I woke up and it was a dull, dreary day—pouring rain—I knew that this stick-to-your-ribs meal would be perfect.
One of the best things about this meal is that you probably have all of the ingredients already in your pantry, fridge and/or freezer. Of course, the better cut of beef that you use the better the outcome, but anything from flank steak through stewing beef to a nice rib-eye steak will work great.
I would highly suggest using sliced fresh mushrooms, but I was out of them. I did find a can of sliced mushrooms in the pantry and I wasn’t about to go out in the rain just for mushrooms. All in all, this took just under 30 minutes, start to finish, and landed on our plates for less than $5 each and with plenty of leftovers. The leftovers will last about four to five days in the fridge or can be frozen for a quick meal at a later date. I’d suggest fresh noodles in that case.
Beef Stroganoff (наслаждаться!)
Ingredients
- Beef
- Onions
- Butter
- Mushrooms
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Nutmeg
- Basil
- Red wine
- Sour cream
- Broad egg noodles
Instructions
- Start by thinly slicing beef into strips about 2 inches long. Grate about a tablespoon of onion and melt about a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. Get a large saucepan ready with water, salt and a bit of vegetable oil to coat the top for your egg noodles.
- Sauté the onion for about 2 minutes, then add your beef. Sauté that for about 5 more minutes until everything is evenly browned, then remove from heat. Put this into a mixing bowl and keep warm.
- Put the noodles water on to a high boil. When it reaches that high boil, add your egg noodles and give them a good stir with a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon, to prevent sticking. Stir again every few minutes. Once they are soft, or al dente (your preference), remove from heat.
- While your noodles are cooking, add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the frying pan and sauté your mushrooms. Once they are nicely done, add the beef again and sprinkle with about 3/4 tablespoon of flour, a grating of nutmeg, a pinch of basil, plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Return to a medium-high heat and add about a 1/3 cup of dry red wine. As this is warming, stir in up to a cup of sour cream and mix well. Once this starts to thicken a little bit, remove from heat.
