Friday, April 06, 2007

Beef Stroganov.. From Russia with Taste..

Beef Stroganov, as the name suggests, hails from 19th century Russia. It was popularized in China by those who escaped the Socialist Revolution of 1917, and subsequently made popular in other parts of the world by escapees from the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Essentially, it is a dish based on sliced beef, but any meat can be used. In Brazil chicken is substituted, and in Northern Europe it is not uncommon to find types of sausage used. The simple truth is that you can use whatever you prefer. It is also a recipe that lends itself to easy production in large quantities.
This is the ingredient list:

  • ½ pounds beef fillet, sirloin or porterhouse steak
  • Salt, ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbs four
  • 1 can of drained button mushrooms (the liquid of the mushroom maybe used for thinning the sauce if necessary)
  • 1 cup beef broth or canned consommé
  • 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
  • ¼ cup sour cream, more can be used according to taste
.. and this is how you prepare it:

  1. Remove all fat and grizzle from meat, cut into narrow strips about 2" long and half an inch long, season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  2. In a saucepan, add the olive oil and then melt 1½ Tablespoons of butter, add the flour and stir with a wire whisk or wooden spoon until well blended, heat the consommé and add all at once to the flour/butter mixture (called a roux), stir until well blended and add the mustard.
  3. In a separate saucepan heat the remaining butter, add the meat and brown quickly all around.
  4. Add the sour cream to the sauce and heat well, constantly stirring.
  5. Add the mushrooms.
  6. Pour the sauce over the meat, adjust salt and pepper according to taste. Stir it reasonably well.
It would traditionally be served on a bed of rice or noodles, but would be as fine a treat with potatoes, Duchess perhaps, and green vegetables.


Please note that your finished product may not look exactly like the picture.

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