Beef Stroganoff

Winter is a time for hearty fare, a time for comfort foods and a great time for home cooking. Comfort foods are classic foods, whether the dish is known the world over or just in your little corner of it. These dishes may not be the most appealing when you see them on your plate, however the first bite will have you flashing back to memories or enthusiastically engulfing every last bite.

So what is your number one comfort food?   A big plate of spaghetti and meatballs? How about a gorgeous grilled cheese? It might even be a simple bowl of chicken noodle soup. Whatever your comfort food you most likely have an attachment to it that goes far beyond the simple combination of ingredients. While most foods in this category string from a lengthy stretch of home cooked staples, not all dishes in this family arise from humble origins. I cannot speak for everyone but I know for me there are quite a few comforting dishes that came right out of a cookbook. In the 80’s a lot of parents did not have the time to spend getting to know food on as intimate a level as the generation that came before them for a myriad of reasons. Cookbooks, commercial cookbooks I mean, are full of variations of dishes that have made their rounds in the culinary scene for quite some time.

This week I’m looking into the well-known beef stroganoff, and as everyone knows beef stroganoff is Russian: or is it? The history dates back to the late 1800’s in Russia, however it comes down to the preparation. After World War II beef was considered luxurious due to wartime rationing causing most families to have little, if any to serve during the war. As with anything popular there are various versions as everyone tries to make “their rendition” of the dish…and we are no exception. Beef stroganoff; you need beef, mushrooms, pan sauce and sour cream. The countless takes on it are seemingly endless. There are versions that call for ground beef rather than strips, how about créme fraiche rather than sour cream, beef stroganoff with oyster mushrooms? I highly doubt that the Russians of the 1800’s had access to the plethora of mushrooms available today. So why not throw one more rendition of beef stroganoff out there?

Recipe

Ingredients:

.5 kg. sirloin steak

10 oz. red onions

7.5 oz. cremini mushrooms

2 Tbsp. sour cream

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

½ tbsp. dried terragon

400ml. beef stock

2 Tbsp. dried thyme

2 Tbsp. salted butter

2 Tbsp. flour

200g. fettuccini pasta

1 litre water

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

• Cut the sirloin into strips and brown in a pan with oil.
• Brown the onions and soften the quartered crimini mushrooms with the steak.
• Remove all ingredients from the pan, melt the butter and add flour, stir until combined to make a roux.
• Add beef stock, spices and stir until evenly combined. Let simmer for 40 min.
• In a separate pot boil salted water and cook down the fettuccini.
• Stir the sour cream into the beef mixture and cook on medium until sauce thickens to desired consistency. DO NOT allow to boil.
• Plate pasta, spoon pan ingredients overtop. Serve.

There you have it, my take on beef stroganoff. This classic Russian dish has had quite the run, and is still warming bellies after more than one hundred and twenty years. Any dish that combines pasta with beef and a rich pan sauce is sure to be a hit but this one not only was pleasing then, it has stood the test of time.

 

A few additional ideas:

 

http://www.canadiancook.ca/2016/01/27/roll-some-rouladen/

 

 

 

 

http://www.canadiancook.ca/2017/11/01/slow-cooker-pulled-pork/