Beef Stroganov
"Stroganoff" is the more typical Americanized spelling of this classic Russian dish.
This is one of my first recipes to publish when I started my recipe blog in March of 2009. It was one of the first recipes I posted because it was one of the first recipes I learned to make. My mother taught me how to make this dish abetting my enthusiasm when she first served it. That was sometime when I was maybe 12-13 years old. I've made this recipe since then so many times, I almost don't need the written version in front of me, cooking it from memory.
Stroganov (or the more common, Americanized spelling "Stroganoff") recipes can be found almost all over the globe including Europe, Australia, North America, South Africa and Brazil. It is popular in Portugal and Brazil under the name "estrogonofe." Stroganov is also popular in Sweden and Norway, where a common variant is Sausage Stroganov, which uses the domestic product Falukorv (a traditional Sweden sausage) as a substitute for the beef.
The world over, Stroganov has substantial variations in preparation, ingredients and taste, having evolved into different versions basically held together by five ingredients that were in the original recipe: beef, broth, onions, mushrooms and sour cream. Anything else is in the recipe is interpretive and pretty much up for grabs.
The recipe allegedly has its origin from Russia associated with Count Paul Stroganov, a 19th century Russian diplomat, however, the true genesis of the dish has never been confirmed, and in its present form is largely held to be a creation of post-war America in the 1950s.
I have made this recipe with leftover tenderloin, rib eye steak and prime rib, or by using fresh, sautéed sirloin, and they're all good. Probably my favorite, however, is using leftover beef from the Kitchen Tapestry recipes for Marinaded Tenderloin of Beef with Sauce Béarnaise or Prime Ribs of Beef Au Jus.
Beef Stroganov
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 to 2 lbs beef - either fresh or leftover sirloin, tenderloin, prime rib or rib eye steak, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbsp
- 1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained (like, Green Giant)
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 medium to large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3- 1/2 cups beef stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 1 tbsp dried thyme leaves (not powdered)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 tbsp brandy
- 4 tbsp dry sherry wine
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 heaping tbsp tomato paste (like, Hunt's or Contadina)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1- 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 10-12 cornichons, thinly sliced (like, Trois Petits Cochons)
- 3-6 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 8 oz noodles or no-yolk dumplings
- 1 stick butter
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Whether you are using fresh or leftover beef, toss the cubes in the half-cup of flour and season with salt and pepper.
- If you are using fresh beef, you will need to sauté the cubes in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven in olive oil over medium high heat until they lose their pink color, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Then remove the beef from the pot to a platter and set aside. If you are using leftover beef, you can omit this step.
- Over medium high heat, sauté the onions in hot olive oil until they begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté another minute, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Add the mushrooms and the tomato paste and sauté until the tomato paste begins to brown, about another 5 minutes.
- Add the beef cubes to the pan and stir all the contents together, then add the brandy. Use your cooking spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the saucepan.
- Next, add the white wine, beef stock, sherry, Dijon mustard, heavy cream, the thyme and bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring it all to a light simmer. Cook about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring frequently.
- Make a slurry by mixing the 2 tablespoons of flour with a half-cup of tepid tap water and whisk until thoroughly blended.
- While whisking the Stroganov mixture, add a little of the slurry into the mixture allowing it to return to the simmer. Watch as the sauce thickens, and repeat with more slurry if needed, allowing the sauce to return to the simmer after each addition of more slurry.
- Bring the sauce to a thickness that it coats the back of a spoon.
- When the desired thickness of the sauce is reached, add the parsley, some black pepper and salt to taste. Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan and allow it to slowly bubble away, amalgamating all of the flavors for at least another 15 minutes.
- Remove the Stroganov from the stove, take out the bay leaf and allow the sauce to rest for a minute. Then, fold in the sour cream, which means to gently stir it into the sauce with a spoon or spatula, but not a whisk. Do not return the saucepan to the stove after adding the sour cream. If you bring the sauce back to a simmer, the sour cream will curdle.
- While the Stroganov sauce is undergoing the last 15 minutes of simmering, bring 4-5 quarts of salted water to boil.
- Cook the noodles for the amount of time recommended on the package.
- When the noodles are cooked, drain through a colander and return the noodles back to the pot. Melt the stick of butter into the noodles,
- When the butter has melted, add the poppy seeds and stir well to incorporate.
- To plate up the dish, spoon a portion off the hot buttered noodles into a pasta bowl. Top with a portion of the Beef Stroganov. Garnish with fresh parsley and a couple of tablespoons of the cornichons.
Notes
- Be sure to take the saucepan off the the heat when you add the brandy to prevent a flambé. Keep the pan off the stove for a minute while the volatile alcohol vapors evaporate.
- When I am thickening the sauce with a slurry, I like mine even a little thicker than just coating the back of a spoon because I have found adding the sour cream at the end of the recipe will always loosen the sauce a little.
- You can substitute dried parsley for fresh parsley in the dish, but don't use dried parsley as a garnish.
