Beef Stroganoff

      The Russian meal Beef Stroganoff has so many variations. From adding Worcestershire sauce to peas, celery I’ve even seen Asian fish Sauce used , which I don’t recommend.

What works what doesn’t? I’ll try and take the guess work out of it for you!

      Food doesn’t have to be complicated to taste great. As we all know I like to keep it simple, most of the time ……… and Beef Stroganoff is no exception.

Simple is Best

      The key to this meal is…… you guessed it “Mise en Place”. Those three little words again.

      There are only Mushrooms, Onions, Beef and Noddles to cook. Cook them in the right order and they will taste great every time.

USING HIGH HEAT

      We start with sautéing the mushrooms. This is best to do in batches we want as many mushrooms as possible to be touching the pan. If we pile the mushrooms high the temperature in the pan will drop and we will just steam them instead of browning. 

      An average size pan you should do 2-3 batches and DO NOT be afraid of High Heat. The heat must be high for the mushrooms to brown. Heat the pan then add 1-2 Tbsp of Butter and 1 tsp of Olive Oil to pan. Add enough Mushrooms to cover the bottom of the pan, toss so they all get a chance to soak up some butter. Now LEAVE THEM ALONE lol, letting them stay in contact with the bottom of the pan for awhile is what will let them brown. After a couple minutes you can move them around to get the other side.

      After the mushrooms have gained some colour remove them and place into a bowl. Repeat with the rest of the mushrooms in batches adding new butter and Oil for each batch, why because we all love more butter.

KEEPING THE HEAT

      Saute the Onions next in the same hot pan with a Tbsp or two of olive oil. Then remove them and place into the same bowl as the mushrooms. 

      I use ground beef mainly because it is Cheap and easy to use. You could use chuck or Loin or even Tenderloin sliced if you wanted. Each cut of beef will give a uniqueness to the dish but I still use Ground for the above reasons.

      Add your Beef to the same hot pan. Make sure the Ground Beef is cooked all the way through and there is no liquid left in the pan. At this point some of the meat might start to stick to the bottom of the pan and that is fine. This is where the real flavour comes from remember how those mushrooms and onions left little bits in the bottom of the pan. This is where we lift all that amazing flavour back up off the bottom.

THE SIZZLE

      Make sure the pan is still hot with the beef still in it and Deglaze the pan with red wine. Listen to that beautiful sizzle mmmmmm. Use a wooden spoon to help scrape all those wonderful bits off the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to cook down until it is almost  gone then add the beef stock. Turn the temperature to medium return the Mushrooms, Onions and all their juices back the pan. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by at least half then add in the Sour Cream and Nutmeg turn heat to low and watch everything get happy together.

The presentation

      After your egg noodles have cooked you have a couple of options for presenting your Beautiful Stroganoff. If you are like me and ready to sit and eat with the family right away you can add the Noodles straight into the Beef Sauce and serve.

      Maybe you’re trying to impress someone with your cooking skills, wink wink, you could strain the Noddles and toss them in a little Olive Oil to Keep them moist. Place some Noodles in the bottom of your plate or bowl and scoop a nice amount of meat sauce in the middle of the noodles. Maybe sprinkle a little Chopped parsley over the top and voila fancy Stroganoff.

NOTE:Browning onions or Beef doesn’t come from leaving food on an element for a long time. Caramelization as it is called is when the sugar in food browns, which is easily done over a higher heat.

Print Recipe

Beef Stroganoff

Russian Classic

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Russian

Ingredients

• 1 lbs Ground Beef
• 220-240 g Egg Noodles
• 450-550 g Mushrooms ( I like Cremini ) Sliced
• 2 Onions Sliced
• 1/2 C Red Wine Dry is better
• 1/2 C Beef Stock
• 1 C Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 3-6 Tbsp Butter
• 4-6 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions

• Start by having all your ingredients chopped, portioned and ready to go beside your cooktop.
• Get a pot of water going for your Noodles and drop the Noodles right before you start cooking the Mushrooms. This way the Noodles will be finished just ahead of your Beef and ready to be mixed in.
• On to cooking... get your pan nice and hot. Throw a couple nobs of butter in the hot pan along with a Tbsp of Olive Oil. Add not more than half of the Mushrooms into the pan, toss to coat them in the Butter and let sit to brown. Make sure to season with Salt & Pepper to help pull out the water in the Mushrooms.
• After they have browned for 1-2 minutes remove them from the heat and repeat with the remaining Mushrooms. Remember to allow the pan to get hot before adding each batch of Mushrooms and season.
• Once the Mushrooms are done and in a bowl use the same technique with the Onions. Onions will burn quicker then Mushrooms so make sure to continually move the Onions around. Again don't forget to season when the Onions go in the pan and remove from heat when caramelized.
• Finally add the Ground Beef, continue to cook until cooked all the way through and any liquid has evaporated off. Seasoning as you go.
• Once the pan is dry with only the Beef left Deglaze with the Red Wine. Stir and allow the Wine to cook until almost dry again. Now add the Beef stock and simmer again until it has reduced by half.
• Add in the Sour Cream and Nutmeg and stir to incorporate.
• Finally decide how you would like to present your food. The down and dirty family method would be to add the Beef stew directly to the Noodles toss and serve.

  For a more personal approach place a portion of Noodles into a nice bowl and top with the Beef Stew in the middle. Garnish with some fresh Parsley.

Notes

There are two things that make a big difference in the final product:

1. High heat, don't be afraid of heat here. With low heat you will end up with wilted Mushrooms and bland Beef. A Hot Hot pan with help to brown everything giving it that extra depth of flavour.
2. Season season season. Every time you add something new to the pan add a pinch of Salt and Pepper. Trying to add S&P to food after it has finished cooking will not be as flavourful as seasoning while you're cooking. There is a reason top end restaurants don't have Salt & Pepper shakers on the Table.