Beef Stroganoff
Serves 4 to 6.
By Dennis W. Viau; created from several recipes.
My mom’s beef stroganoff sauce was a can of cream of mushroom soup and a roughly equal amount of sour cream. At least she used cut up beef rather than hamburger. For this recipe I wanted to stay close to the traditional, but add a few variations of my own for a dish I could proudly serve my guests. For added originality, I made my own pasta from scratch, but you can use the noodles available in the store.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil for sautéing
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound (454g) beef (sirloin, tenderloin, whatever cut would make an excellent stroganoff)
1 medium onion (8 ounces/225g); diced
Optional: 1 or 2 shallots (less than 1 ounce/28g); diced
2 cloves of garlic; minced
6 to 8 ounces (170 to 225g) fresh mushrooms; sliced (cremini or shiitake)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup (240ml) beef stock or broth
1 to 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry sherry, wine, brandy, vermouth, whatever
3 sprigs fresh thyme; the stems removed and discarded
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Optional: ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup (250g) sour cream
1 pound wide egg noodles
Directions:
Cut the steak into short, thin strips. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and the butter in a large skillet. Sauté the beef quickly over medium-high heat, leaving much of it still a little pink. Remove from the pan, cover and set aside.
Add the diced onion to the pan, keeping any beef juices that might remain in the skillet, and sauté the onion until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté a minute longer. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and set aside.
Add the sliced mushrooms with the remaining tablespoon of oil and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. More oil or butter can be added to the skillet if it looks too dry.
Add flour to the pan and stir, cooking it about a minute. Add the stock, optional mustard, lemon juice, sherry (or other liquor), thyme leaves, tomato paste, and optional paprika. Simmer to reduce the liquid by about half. Meanwhile, start cooking the noodles according to package directions.
When the noodles are nearly cooked, add the beef and the sour cream to the skillet. Heat until warm enough to serve. Do not overheat, as this will cook the beef and possibly make it tough.
Drain the noodles, butter well, and plate, spooning plenty of the beef stroganoff mixture on top. Serve with a green vegetable.
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