Stroganoff

Stroganoff is a warming, wintery dish that is Russian in origin, and it’s a far cry from my usual leanings toward Western European and Asian cuisine, but the flavor is one I grew up on, so once or twice a winter, it gets onto my weekly menu. This Americanized version came from the Polish part of my stepfamily, and my mother started making it when I was quite small. She made this every winter when I was growing up, and continues to do so today.

Traditionally made with beef round steak, I’ve found stroganoff to be a great means for using up some of the venison steak that fills my freezer in the fall. My mother uses canned mushrooms, but I’ve found I prefer fresh – there is nothing as yummy with beef or venison as sauteed fresh mushrooms, in my opinion. I also add a fresh onion, to enhance the flavor of the onion soup mix, used here in lieu of other seasonings.

Slices of steak and thick egg noodles in a savory sauce make this a hearty dish, a meal that truly “sticks to the ribs.” I think I like it because the gravy is not just beefy, but delightfully and unexpectedly tangy with sour cream (I love, love, love sour cream). These days, I leave out the mushrooms for Eli, who is anti-fungus, and just serve myself a bowl of sauteed mushrooms on the side. If you like mushrooms, I recommend leaving them in. They provide additional texture and flavor.

You need nothing more than a green salad and perhaps some fresh, yeasty bread to accompany this. Delicious.

Stroganoff

1 pound wide curly egg noodles
2 pounds beef or vension round steak, tenderized and cut into strips
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 package onion soup mix
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, and saute until tender. Add the steak and sliced mushrooms, and cook until thoroughly browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Stir in the onion soup mix.

Stir in the flour, mixing well, and allow to brown.

Stir together the water and milk, and slowly pour it in, continuing to stir until the sauce is very smooth.

Simmer over low to medium-low heat (just enough heat to keep it bubbling) for 45 minutes to allow flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.

About 20 minutes before the summering beef is supposed to be done, set a large pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package.

When the simmering time is up, stir in the sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle a pile of egg noodles onto each plate, and top with the beef mixture.

Serves 6-8.

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