Beef Stroganoff
This is a delicious but fairly simple recipe that you can use for either steak or hamburger. Either way it tastes great, and, particularly using steak, makes a great company dish. This recipe is a little unusual for Stroganoff, because it uses some tomato sauce. I think it’s better for that.
To feed four, you need a pound or slightly more of meat, either way. If you use steak, I would suggest a thin cut, since you want to cut it into strips more or less French fry size.
Stroganoff is probably served most often over white rice. I frequently use egg noodles, but for the dish I made for the photo I used penne pasta instead because that’s what I had on hand. See, don’t get hung up over details…
INGREDIENTS
1 to 1 1/2 pounds beef (steak or ground beef)
1 onion
2 teaspoons garlic
1/4 pound mushrooms, or one 4.5 oz bottle of button mushrooms
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon flour
8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
instructions
If you’re using steak, trim it a little and beat it flat between a couple of sheets of wax paper, or between a couple of plastic bags. Then slice it into strips. Brown the meat (or hamburger) in a skillet, and when brown, spoon it out and add the butter to the pan.
Add the onions to the butter and cook until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another minute or two. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir. Add the wine, beef broth, and tomato sauce and stir while the mixture thickens. Add the beef back into the mix and stir.
If the mixture is too thick, you can add some water a little at a time until it’s the consistency you like. Add the cayenne pepper and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. For good Stroganoff, you want to be able to taste the sour cream with a little extra tang from the lemon juice without overpowering the meat and vegetable mixture.
Serve it over rice or noodles, with bread and salad on the side. A vegetable like green beans is also a good accompaniment.