I grew up thinking stroganoff was made with cream of mushroom soup, canned mushrooms, ground beef and IMO. Obviously that recipe was a throwback from my parents' dental school days; the penny pinching days when a sandwich was made with a single slice of Buddig ham. Since I discovered "the real thing," I've been on the lookout for the best recipe. Not surprisingly, this winning recipe comes from Cooks' Illustrated (my favorite!) We had it on homemade egg noodles tonight (recipe follows) and it was amazing!
Beef Stroganoff
•1 1/4 lbs sirloin steaks, tips (trimmed of excess fat and cut lengthwise with grain into 4 equal pieces)
•2 teaspoons soy sauce
•1 lb white mushroom, quartered
•2 teaspoons hot water
•1 tablespoon dry mustard
•1 teaspoon sugar
•fresh ground black pepper
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•1 medium onion, finely chopped
•table salt
•2 teaspoons tomato paste
•4 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
•1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. white wine or 1/3 cup dry vermouth
•1 1/2 cups beef broth
•1/2 cup sour cream
•1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions:
1- Using fork, poke each piece of steak 10-12 times. Place in baking dish; rub both sides evenly with soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2- While meat marinates, place mushrooms in medium microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high power until mushrooms have decreased by volume by half, 4-5 minutes (should be as much as 1/4 cup liquid in bowl). Drain mushrooms and set aside; discard liquid*. Combine water, dry mustard, sugar, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl until smooth paste forms; set aside.
3- Pat steak pieces dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat oil in 12" skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steak pieces in skillet and cook until browned on all sides and internal temperature registers 125 to 130 degrees, 6-9 minutes, reducing heat if fond begins to burn. Transfer meat to large plate and set aside while cooking sauce.
4- Add mushrooms, onion, and 1/2 tsp salt to skillet and cook until vegetables begin to brown and dark bits form on bottom of pan, 6-8 minutes. Add tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until onions and mushrooms are coated, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup wine, beef broth and mustard paste and bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce has reduced slightly and begun to thicken, 4-6 minutes.
5- While sauce is reducing, cut steak pieces across grain into 1/4" thick slices. Stir in meat and any accumulated juices into thickened sauce and cook until beef has warmed through, 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let any bubbles subside. Stir in sour cream and remaining tablespoons wine; season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.
* Being a teetotaller, I opted not to discard the mushroom liquid, but added 1 tsp cider vinegar to it and used it in place of the wine/vermouth.
(Cooks' Illustrated March 2010.)
Egg Noodles
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.
2. On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes.
3. Allow to air dry before cooking.
4. To cook fresh pasta, in a large pot with boiling salted water cook until al dente.
