Beef Stroganoff

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I first made this recipe in 1974. It originally came from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, but over the years I’ve made a few minor changes.

The original recipe is as follows.
Beef Stroganoff
Cut one pound beef sirloin into ¼ inch strips. Combine 1 tablespoon flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Coat meat with flour mixture. Heat skillet, then add 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. When melted, add sirloin strips and brown quickly on both sides. Add one 3 oz. can mushrooms, drained, ½ cup chopped onion, and 1 clove garlic, minced; cook 3 or 4 minutes or till onion is crisp-tender.
Remove meat mixture and mushrooms from pan. Add 2 tablespoons butter or margarine to the pan drippings; blend 3 tablespoons all purpose flour. Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Stir in 1 ¼ cups cold beef stock or one 10 oz can condensed beef broth. Cook and stir over medium high heat till thickened and bubbly.
Return browned meat and mushrooms to skillet. Stir in one cup dairy sour cream and 2 tablespoons dry white wine; cook slowly till heated thoroughly (do not boil) Keep warm over hot water. Serve over hot buttered noodles. Makes 4 or 5 servings.

Now, I found several things wrong or just a pain in the ass with the original recipe. The first is the cut of meat. Sirloin is kinda tough unless you cook the heck out of it. I either use a better cut of meat like a rib steak (rib eye) or a tenderloin. If I do use a cheap cut, I use whatever’s on sale. If that’s sirloin so be it. I then cut it into bite sized pieces instead of strips and I remove all that fat. I actually cook the fat with it, then feed it to the dog.

Then there’s all that flour mixture bullshit. It’s a pain in the rear. Then how about that tablespoon of tomato paste. What do you do with the rest of the can? How about the wine. Dry white? I always heard you served red with beef, white with chicken or fish.

So here’s the cure and then some.

I cook it in the crockpot.

I cut the meat into bite sized pieces. Throw it in the crockpot on high. I chop up one medium onion and throw the whole thing in there. I use pre-chopped garlic and throw in a heavy spoon full. Mix a tablespoon flour and ½ teaspoon salt sprinkle it over the meat. Let it cook til the meat is tender, I mean melt in your mouth fall apart tender. Pull out that fat, rinse it, chop it up, and feed it to the dog.

Use whatever kinda wine ya got on hand and throw in about a quarter cup. Now you can throw in a can of mushrooms, but I prefer about ¾ to a pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced. My brother, who makes a fantastic stroganoff says you can never have too many mushrooms. Cook in the crock on high for about three hours stirring whenever you think of it.

Throw in the full 6 oz can of tomato paste. It makes your stroganoff a little red. If you prefer a lighter color, follow the one tablespoon recipe then throw the rest in the ketchup bottle. Or if your crazy, just throw the rest away, save it, whatever. Pour in the can of beef broth or consomme. Sir in the 3 tablespoons of flour. I use a shaker with some of the broth. Now this should cook up to a nice gravy consistency. If it's too thin, taste it. Can you add more flour without making it taste like flour? If so add a tablespoon at a time and let it cook awhile, and repeat if necessary.

Cook your noodles or rice, which ever you prefer. I like both. While you’re cooking the noodles or rice, stir in that cup of sour cream. Serve it over the noodles or rice.

Yep, that’s some good stuff!

Enjoy!

PS- Here's a handy tip for the fresh mushrooms.

I use my egg slicer to slice the mushrooms.