Cookbook:Traditional Beef Stroganoff
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Beef Stroganoff, in its simplest form, is simply tender beef with a mushroom and sour cream sauce served over rice or noodles.
The current accepted history of this dish dates back to the 1890s when a chef* working for Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov (the famous Russian general) invented the recipe for a cooking competition in St. Petersburg. After the fall of Imperial Russia, the recipe was popularly served in the hotels and restaurants of China before the start of the Second World War. Russian and Chinese immigrants, as well as U.S. servicemen stationed in China, brought several variants of the dish to the United States, which may account for its popularity during the 1950s. It is commonly served with noodles or rice.
It is also very popular in Brazil (where it is better known as "strogonoff" or "estrogonofe"), but the recipe is slightly different there.
Note * Despite the allusion of the name "stroganoff" to Count Paul Stroganoff, a 19th century Russian diplomat, the origins of the dish have never been confirmed. Larousse Gastronomique notes that similar dishes were known since the 18th century but insists the dish by this specific name was the creation of chef Charles Briere who was working in St. Petersburg when he submitted the recipe to L 'Art Culinaire in 1891, but the dish seems much older. It did not appear in English cookbooks until 1932, and it was not until the 1940s that beef stroganoff became popular for elegant dinner parties in America.
Traditional
Ingredients
- 450g (1 pound) beef chuck roast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 110g (4 ounces) butter
- 4 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 300g (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1 150g (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
- 160ml (1/3 cup) sour cream
- 160ml (1/3 cup) white wine
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Procedure
- Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.
- Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard.
- Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
- Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste.
Also very popular as a basic food service dish as it is very easy to produce it in large quantities.
Quick and Easy
Ingredients
- 2 pkg (around 1.5 - 2.0 pounds) Bit Size beef (I prefer pre-cut stew meat. Left-over steaks cut into pieces works well. Ground beef browned in a skillet can also work if you have it around.)
- 1 can (8oz) cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 can (4oz) beef broth
- 1 Tub (8oz) sour cream
- 1 bag (16oz) egg noodles
- Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
- Cook egg noodles in a large pot according to directions.
- While egg noodles cook, season the beef with salt and pepper and brown the meat in a skillet unless it is already cooked. Low and slow makes a tender product. If meat is already cooked, heat the meat in the microwave or in a skillet.
- Drain egg noodles.
- Mix cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, and sour cream in the pot used for the egg noodles. Season the sauce with salt and pepper keeping in mind that many of the ingredients contain plenty of salt.
- Add noodle mixture with beef and serve.
This meal makes great left-overs.