November 25, 2009

"Best stroganoff I've had all month."

This isn't exactly a soup, but no posts for a month is just out of control. So here we go. Last week I made Beef Stroganoff. I have made stroganoff before, but i couldnt find the other recipe I made so I went looking for a new one. I forget where I found this one (sorry!) but it sounded a little different, not quite traditional, but still tasty.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 pound beef sirloin, cut into 2x1x1/8-inch strips
* salt and pepper to taste
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 12 ounces button mushrooms, quartered (I used a mixture of crimini and button, probably more than 12 ounces, I love mushrooms.)
* 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 cups beef broth
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I left this out because I forgot to get it at the store. Don't think it was needed though.)
* 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves (instead of parsley I used fresh dill.)

For noodles:

* Kosher salt
* One 12-ounce package wide egg noodles
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I didn't use this)
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Raise the heat to high and heat 1 tablespoon oil. Season half the beef with salt and pepper, add to the skillet, arranging it in a single layer, and saute, without stirring, until well-browned and still pinkish inside, about 1 to 2 minutes. (It is key to only partially cook the meat at this stage, since it will be finish cooking later in the sauce.) Transfer to a large plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef. Discard any excess oil.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and, when the foaming begins to subside, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the plate with the beef.

Heat 4 tablespoons butter and, just as the foaming begins to subside, add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the beef broth and, whisking constantly, bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the sour cream, mustard, and lemon juice and season with pepper to taste. Set the sauce aside covered.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and cook the noodles until tender but not mushy. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with the butter and season with pepper to taste. (I didn't butter the noodles, seemed a little excessive.)

Add the beef and any juices, mushrooms, and parsley (or dill or both!) to the sauce and reheat over medium heat until just hot. (Do not boil.) Divide the noodles among 4 plates and top with the stroganoff. Serve immediately.

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This stroganoff was extremely delicious, but it reminded me more of this hungarian mushroom soup recipe that I love (recipe coming soon!) rather than stroganoff. My boyfriend proclaimed it as the best stroganoff he had eaten all month, and he had actually had stroganoff earlier in the month! I count that as a win. I would definitely make this again. The only thing I changed was adding dill instead of parsley because I just really like dill. I think I used slighly more sour cream than called for also. This made a ton of food, probably about 6-8 serviings. Not traditional though, the paprika and tomato paste I guess are what makes it different. And it tasted pretty light considering how much sour cream and butter was used in the making of the sauce!

Enjoy!