Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff, or Stroganov, as the name suggests, is originally a Russian dish. A traditional beef stroganoff recipe includes sour cream and sautéed strips of beef.

There are many variations to this recipe, but I believe this one is a fairly classic beef stroganoff recipe.

I make beef stroganoff with cream instead of sour cream as it gives better flavour and consistency to the sauce.

I have had too many experiences in the UK where the cook has used the wrong cut of meat. Or they have overcooked the meat.

This makes this dish dreadful if you have awful meat.

Perhaps there is a crockpot beef stroganoff recipe around that could solve this problem? But because I do not have a crock pot I can’t try that yet. 

I have a different solution, which is to use a perfect tender meat for beef stroganoff, and not overcook it.

In this recipe, I used some 30 day aged Black Angus sirloin from Aldi, which is really very good value meat.

It is tender and does not need to be tenderised much with the rolling pin. I think this is the best steak for beef stroganoff.

The trick is really to cook the meat at a high temperature very quickly, and re-heat in the sauce at the end.

Stroganoff

It is funny that the word ‘stroganoff’ is used in different places to mean different things. My Brazilian wife makes a ‘Brazilian chicken stroganoff’ which is chicken in a type of tomato sauce with olives and served up with rice.

It is something completely different to this dish, but then often dishes vary across the world (and I am pretty sure she is the only one that adds olives!)

I am sure they have a Brazilian beef stroganoff there as well – they do love their beef in Brazil.

In some recipes for this dish in the UK people use white wine in the preparation. For me, in this recipe, I think it is optional.

Although it is good to use alcohol in sauces, sometimes it is just as good not to (and then you can drink the wine!)

 

 

How to make the best Traditional Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

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A delicious beef, onion and mushroom mix in a creamy sauce is delicious served with pasta.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 450g sirloin steak
• 1 large onion
• Vegetable oil (to fry meat)
• 100g button mushrooms, sliced
• 400ml beef stock
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 25g salted butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 120ml double cream
• Some Tagliatelli or Fettucine pasta
• Chopper Parsley to garnish
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Let the steaks acclimatise to room temperature for about 30 minutes before preparing them.
2. Cut all fat off the steaks.
3. Place the steaks between some baking paper and use a rolling pin to flatten them to about 1 cm thick. Then slice into strips, halving if necessary. Season the meat after slicing with salt and pepper to taste.
4. I use a wok to brown the meat. Heat the vegetable oil until it is hot. Then stir fry the meat for about one minute on a high heat in batches. The meat should be browned all around, but not fully cooked. So not overcook it or it will become chewy.
5. Remove the meat from the pan and put on a plate to rest.
6. Now add the onions to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and the butter and cook for a further 3 minutes stirring all the time. 
7. Add the flour and stir together for about a minute. Then add the beef stock and mustard to the pan. Slowly bring to a simmer. Then add the Worcestershire sauce and the cider vinegar. Simmer slowly until the sauce has begun to thicken, for about 5 minutes.
8. Then add the cream and add the meat back into the pan. Sample the sauce and season to taste. 
9. Cook for a further minute before removing from the heat and serving up immediately. Garnish with some chopped parsley.

Notes

Serve up with some tagliatelle or fettucine pasta.

If you enjoyed this recipe then please leave some feedback in the comments section below!

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