Beef Stroganoff is one of those simplistic dishes that on the surface seems like it should be pretty good. Really, there are a lot of pretty good beef stroganoffs out there. But today, we’re not going to talk about how to make a pretty good stroganoff, are we? Of course not! Instead, we are going to take a look at where the dish comes from, what exactly it is, and how we can make the best damn beef stroganoff anyone has ever tasted.
You ready? Good. Let’s get to it.
Beef Stroganoff
What it is and where it comes from.
Even if you don’t actually know where beef stroganoff comes from I bet you could guess. Just imagine you are a villain from a 1980s action movie and say “Beef Stroganoff” in the first accent that comes to mind. That’s right, it from Russia.
The first written recipe for stroganoff comes from a classic Russian cookbook called A Gift To Young Housewives by Elena Molokhovets in 1871. The original version of the recipe included lightly floured beef cubes as opposed to the stirps that we most often see in recipes today. The beef cubes were sautéed and served with a sauce of mustard and beef stock. This was finished with a bit of sour cream. Some other early recipes for the dish may contain a bit of tomato paste rather than sour cream.
The original version of beef stroganoff lacked three things that we considered common or even definitive ingredients in the dish. They are mushrooms, onions, and red wine.
In the 1938 version of Larousse Gartronomiqe which is essentially a culinary encyclopedia listed stroganoff served with crispy potato straws as was the traditional side dish in Russia. Today, stroganoff is most commonly served with egg noodles or rice. Rice is common because of its popularity of the dish in China. This popularity comes from the close relationship between Russia and China starting in 1917 after the Russian Revolution.
So, what is beef stroganoff?
Today, beef stroganoff is thin strips of beef sautéed with mushrooms and onions and served in a sauce of red wine, beef stock, dijon mustard, and sour cream. This can all be served over rice, egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crispy potato straws as is the tradition. Fresh herbs are also commonly used to flavour the dish.
Ingredients
- 650 g Sirloin Steak Cut into thin strips across the grain of the meat.
- 1 med. Onion Diced
- 8 ea. Cremini Mushrooms Cut in half and sliced.
- 1 tsp Rosemary Fresh chopped
- 1/2 tsp Thyme Fresh chopped
- 1/4 tsp Dried Dill Optional
- 1/2 cup Red Wine
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1/4 cup Full Fat Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- Salt and Pepper To taste
- 1 tbsp Canola Oil
Instructions
- Season the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper
- Toss the beef strips in the flour and remove shaking off excess.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the pan is hot add the oil, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and brown the beef.
- Once the beef is browned on all sides remove it from the pan, turn the heat down slightly and add in the mushrooms and onions.
- Cook until the onions soften, about 5-6 minutes.
- Pour the wine into the pan and cook until it has almost completely evaporated.
- Add in the beef stock, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in the herbs, and the browned beef and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream.
- Serve with your preferred side dish and enjoy!
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