Monday Recipe.... Beef Stroganoff

For me this is comfort food.
My dad, who wasn't around much, would make this for me on those occasions when he was around and being dad.
It was a special meal growing up. So to this day it still feels like a special meal.
I watched my dad make this. I learned to cook by paying attention to my favorites as they were being prepared.
I know how to make this dish but if my life depended on it, I don't think I could write down a recipe.
I went in search on the world wide web.
What I found is literally, hundreds of variations. All of which might be very tasty, but none quite matched my dad's version.
Most classic recipes call for a tender cut of beef such as filet or at least sirloin.
Neither of which were used in our household. We just didn't have that kind of money.
I never knew that ours was a poor-man's version using round steak. We cook the meat longer in broth to make it tender.
We use onion and mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and sour cream to finish the sauce. I am also a fan of adding a little sherry to the sauce- yum.
Here are two recipes I found that I think will be pretty close to my own family recipe:


6 Tbsp butter
1 pound of top sirloin or tenderloin, cut thin into 1-inch wide by 2 1/2-inch long strips
1/3 cup chopped shallots (can substitute onions)
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (can use button mushrooms thickly sliced)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of dry tarragon or 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup of sour cream at room temperature
The dish is surprisingly easy to make and goes as follows:

Add 3 tablespoons butter in a pan and brown the steak. Add salt and pepper to taste. After the steak has been browned, take the steak out of the pan and put it aside.

Cook the shallots in the same pan with 3 more tablespoons of butter. Add the mushrooms, the tarragon (and nutmeg). Stir occasionally for about 4 minutes.

Add the sour cream (or yogurt) after putting the heat to low. Make sure to stir it well and make sure (THIS IS IMPORTANT) not to let it simmer or boil as it will begin to curdle…which is gross, right? Depending on the thickness of the sour cream, you might want to add some water to thin the mixture down if it needs it.

Finally, stir in the beef and serve over egg noodles.


A more family friendly version (time and expense wise):


Ingredients:
3 lb. beef round steak, 1/2 inch thick
1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 med. onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can condensed beef broth
2 to 4 tablespoons dry white wine, optional
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. flour
Preparation:
Trim all excess fat from steak and cut into-3 inch strips about 1/2-inch wide. Combine 1/2 cup flour, the salt, pepper and dry mustard; toss with steak strips to coat thoroughly. Place coated steak strips in Crock Pot; stir in onion rings and mushrooms.
Add beef broth and wine; stir well. Cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours. Before serving, combine sour cream with 1/4 cup flour; stir into slow cooker. Serve stroganoff with hot cooked rice or noodles. Some even serve it over mashed potatoes.


I don't make this very often - once every couple of years - I think it might be time.