Beef Stroganoff
Classic Russian creamy beef dish
Servings: 4
Calories: 235kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- meat mallet
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs beef tenderloin or top sirloin
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter in all
- 4 oz sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
- 1 onion finely chopped or sliced
- 2 Tbsp instant-blending (gravy) flour or all-purpose
- ½ cup brandy or white wine (optional)
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tsp Dijon or brown mustard
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp smetana, sour cream or crème fraîche
Instructions
- Cut the beef against the grain into ½-inch wide strips. Place the strips between pieces of parchment, waxed paper or plastic wrap. Tenderize with a meat mallet or the side of a meat cleaver or heavy knife. Cut the strips into 1-inch lengths. Season with salt, pepper and allspice. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. When it stops foaming, add the sliced mushrooms. As you cook them, the mushrooms will absorb the butter. Cook them just until they begin releasing the fat back into the pan, about 5 minutes total. Remove them from the frying pan and set aside.
- Melt 3 more tablespoons of butter in the skillet and add the onions. Cook until just turning translucent but not browned.
- Add 3 more tablespoons of butter to the pan and then the beef strips. Sauté until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the beef and onions with the flour and stir to coat everything and cook off some of the raw flour taste.
- Add the alcohol to the pan, loosening any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Continue cooking over medium-high heat until the alcohol burns off. (Deglaze with broth in next step if omitting the alcohol).
- Stir in the beef broth, mustard and tomato paste. Simmer the meat and onions in the sauce for about 20 minutes, covered.
- When the meat is tender, stir in the smetana or sour cream (and the reserved mushrooms, if using) and cook for about 3 minutes more. Serve over mashed potatoes, cooked egg noodles or with a side of fried potato wedges.
Notes
Note: The alcohol, tomato paste, onions and mushrooms did not appear in the first published version of Beef Stroganoff in Elena Molokhovets’ cookbook, A Gift to Young Housewives (1861). They are, however, common inclusions in versions of this recipe popular today both in Russia and around the world.
Some recipes, including Molokhovets’, cut the beef into chunks rather than strips. Either shape will do, just so it’s a tender piece of meat that requires only quick cooking.
Nutrition
Serving: 240g | Calories: 235kcal