Beef Stroganoff
Tender strips of beef in a creamy, savory sauce with mushrooms—perfect for cozy nights.
If you go to French websites, they’ll tell you that paprika is an essential ingredient in beef Stroganoff – basically beef Stroganoff without paprika isn’t beef Stroganoff at all, and that would be the end of the negotiations. Once you switch to the British sources,
then the Worcester sauce is a must. Eastern European countries tend to add tomatoes, either fresh or tinned, or in the form of a paste… It resembles the story of pasta al ragu or Bolognese sauce – everyone seems to know the “right” recipe, the authentic one! But how do we know for sure, given that beef Stroganoff was invented two or three centuries ago, and even the stories of its origins vary. It’s still not confirmed (and perhaps never will be) in which generation of the Stroganov family the thin strips of tenderloin were first cooked with onions, mushrooms, sour cream and Dijon mustard. Stroganovs were wealthy diplomats in generations, who served abroad, and all of them had French chefs in their households, as it was very fashionable at the time. My favorite version is Alexander Stroganov’s “open tables”: as an elderly governor-general, he opened the doors of his house to anyone who could come for dinner without a formal invitation. And these charitable efforts resulted in a delicious beef Stroganoff which was easy to cook and serve.
Meanwhile, my own beef Stroganoff story is very simple – my sons and
husband love it with tagliatelle pasta. We tried in so many different ways – French, Baltic, British, even a little Indian with curcuma. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that in this particular case, simplicity is the best.
INGREDIENTS:
700g / 1.5 lb Boneless rib eye
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 Onion, cut in half rings
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
8 oz / 230g Mushrooms, cut in slices
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
2 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Flour
2 cups / 480 ml beef broth
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup / 200ml Sour cream
Kitchen utensils: a large frying pan, a spatula, a cutting board and a knife, a rolling pin or a mallet for flattening the steak.
Method:
Start by flattening 700g (1,5lb) boneless steak. What does this mean? Gently pound the meat with a rolling pin or mallet. Then cut it into very thin strips.
Heat the frying pan on a high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil and start frying the strips of beef. Don't crowd the pan – you want all the pieces to be nicely caramelized on both sides. Do it in batches if needed. Once it’s done, let the meat rest on a plate.