Beef Stroganoff

Today is a very special day. I notice my post didn't post yesterday, so today you get two! Yay!

 

Do you ever just have those days where you need some good old-fashioned comfort food? Well, I do. In fact, I have those months where I need good old-fashioned comfort food. Of course, John just goes along with these cravings because usually it means I am going to prepare some hearty meal that takes hours to develop the flavors completely. Usually, we’ll wait until the weekend to make such dishes, so they can get the attention they deserve.

One of my favorite things to eat is beef. I really don’t care what form it comes in (OK, not entirely true I try and steer clear--ha ha, get it “steer” like a neutered cow--of the strange parts of the cow-liver, tongue, rocky mountain oysters, brains, etc.). I am just talking about good old beef: steaks, roast, hamburger…that kind of thing. Naturally, my love of beef causes me to love beef stroganoff just as much. Maybe it is the combo of beef and mushrooms or the tanginess of the sour cream. Either way, I love it.

It took me a while to perfect this recipe. I didn’t want to ‘sell out’ and use some sort of cream soup in a can. I wanted to make something from scratch. I think one of the keys to this dish is using a good cut of beef versus just using some sort of stew meat. I like to use rib eye or chuck eye steaks because they seem to just melt in your mouth. Of course, that makes it more expensive. If you don’t want to go that route it is A-OK, but your stroganoff will just be a little bit tougher.

• 1 ½ pounds beef cut into about 1” cubed
• 1 small onion diced
• 1-2 cloves of garlic minced (you can use one or two spoonfuls of the pre-minced stuff)
• 1 package sliced mushrooms (8 ounces) - you can use white or cremini - I prefer cremini because they feel like they have a little more substance
• At least 4 cups of good quality beef broth
• ½ cup of whole cream
• 1 cup or one small package of sour cream - Daisy makes this small container that is the perfect size
• All purpose flour
• Salt and Pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 package of wide egg noodles or parpadelle noodles cooked al-dente
• Green Onions or Chives for garnish

Generously season your steak cubes with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (1 turn around the pan) and 1 tablespoon of butter. Quickly brown your steak cubes on each side. Add in the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté for a few more minutes, then add two cups of beef broth to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Reduce the beef broth to about ½ a cup. It will start getting thick because of the flour - this is a good thing. Once reduced, add two more cups of beef broth. Bring back up to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Reduce beef broth by half. You should have a thick beefy gravy at this point. With heat on low, add in the heavy cream and sour cream. Stir to combine. Gradually bring the heat up to medium to heat your sauce all the way through. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Once the sauce is heated through, combine with your noodles. Garnish with green onions or chives.

This may seem a little bit complicated, but it is not. There is actually a lot of down time with this dish because it can take about two hours to reduce your beef broth down to the proper consistency.

There you have it, one of my favorite comfort food recipes.