This hearty comfort food is easy to make and it uses very inexpensive ingredients! Create this delectable dish today!
When the weather starts getting cold outside, a popular dish to prepare is beef stroganoff. It includes beef, onions, mushrooms, and some sort of creamy dairy element poured over noodles. The dish was created during the early 1800s in Russia and was popular in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. Many people get confused about beef stroganoff’s Russian origins because it seems to have some French influence to it. Let’s dive into a little history.
Count Pavel Aleksandrovich Stroganoff came from the prestigious Stroganoff family of Russia. They gained their grand fortune through trade, salt mining, and acquiring a lot of land. One of the matriarch’s of the family, Anika Feodorovitch even allied herself with Ivan the Terrible and seized much of Siberia.
During the 17th century the Stroganoff family were part of the Russian aristocracy that liked to live and travel all around Europe, which is why Count Pavel Stroganoff was born in Paris in 1774. Count Pavel Stroganoff was a diplomat to Britain and he was a general in the Napoleonic Wars for which he earned a St. George Cross. A St. George Cross is one of Russia’s highest military honors.
Count Pavel Stroganoff’s Russian origins and French upbringing greatly influenced his diet. It was common at the time for Russian aristocrats to hire French cooks. The French cooks often created dishes for their benefactors that was palatable to Russian tastes with a bit of French style. According to the A Taste of Russia cookbook, the original beef stroganoff recipe included a basic French mustard for seasoning beef and Russian sour cream. Count Stroganoff’s chef named the dish after his patron.
I was taught how to make this dish from one of my favorite roommates. We lived in this apartment that had a terrible kitchen. It was small and narrow and we had to move the refrigerator to the living room, because the refrigerator placement prevented us from accessing our stove. He and I loved to cook, it was a good way for us to bond because we did not know each other very well at first. His specialty was making beef stroganoff. I watched him slice the beef thinly, sauté the mushrooms and onions, and create a rich sauce out of beef stock and sour cream. He would pour this creamy concoction over hot egg noodles and sprinkle dried parsley on top. It was always so tasty and comforting. We loved eating it in the winter together. I have since experimented with his original recipe and I believe I have created something equally delicious. I hope this recipe brings you comfort as well. Please enjoy!
Scrumptious Stroganoff Recipe
Yields 4 servings
Specialty Tool: Skillet with a lid
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 27 minutes
Wine Pairing Suggestion: Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay
Ingredients
8 ounces beef sirloin or beef chuck, thinly sliced 1/2 inch strips
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh Portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
3/4 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 cup beef broth
3/4 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
dash of dried parsley
8 ounces egg noodles, cooked and hot
Directions
In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook the mushrooms and onions for about 5 minutes, until onions are tender.
Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Remove items from skillet to a separate plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, cook the beef until brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, Worcester sauce, and 3/4 cup beef broth. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Mix 1/4 cup beef broth and flour together to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the beef mixture.
Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic back into the skillet. Heat to boiling and stir constantly for 1 minute.
Reduce heat to medium low. Stir in the sour cream, make sure it is smooth. Heat until the sauce is hot (do not boil).
Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Pour sauce over hot egg noodles.
Add a dash of dried parsley.
Serve immediately.
Feel free to vary the types of mushrooms for this recipe. See how button mushrooms or chanterelles would taste with stroganoff. See what is fresh and local to you!
Low fat sour cream tastes great in this recipe too!
If using chuck, make it extra tender by doing a quick marinade of Worcester and soy sauce to wet the beef. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.
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