Beef Stroganoff.
The first recipe for Beef Stroganoff appeared, in an English language cookbook, in 1932, but its popularity didn’t blossom until after World War II.
The Baroque Church of the Synaxis of the Mother of God in Nizhny Novgorod underwritten by the Stroganovs in 1697. Wickimedia.
Construction of the Nativity (Stroganovskaya) Church, a fine sample of Russian baroque, was funded by the Stroganovs, a prominent Russian merchant family. It is one of the most beautiful religious buildings of the 18th century, particularly notable for the splendor of its white intaglio. The interior of the church is in a very good condition, so if you are interested in visiting an Orthodox church, this one is an excellent choice.
Traditional Beef Stroganoff.
After the subsequent fall of the Russian aristocracy, the dish traveled to China, where it was popular in restaurants and hotels prior to World War II. Immigrants and American military personnel stationed abroad brought the dish back to the United States, where its popularity grew and peaked during the 1950s, ironic considering this was also the height of the Cold War.
Two years ago I had this fantastic Stroganov with Spaetzle in a restaurant in Frankfort, Germany. Pic Benzkirch. You should have seen what that shop had to offer – just amazing !!
This is also when the once elegant dish became troubled. High costs of meat during the war sent cooks in search of cheaper, lesser quality cuts. American home cooks looking for shortcuts turned to the burgeoning processed food industry, leading to recipes for Beef Stroganov that included ingredients like cream of mushroom soup and ketchup. Anna Karenina would not have been happy.
How mouthwatering is this one ?
In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child describes „Saute de Boeuf a la Parisienne“ as a French version of Beef Stroganov. Although her book is notorious for its hours-long recipes, this one is surprisingly quick—she claims it can be done in 30 minutes. And it uses just 12 ingredients, including salt and pepper. I used the main down here.
For my dish, I wanted to combine Stroganov with some potatoes and we decided for Roesti instead noodles. I am grateful to sources like Stroganov.Net, Jennifer Eremeeva and Wikipedia for the historical information presented here.
Beef Stroganov on homemade Tagliatelle.
The recipes.
Ingredients.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 kg (2 lb) filet steak (filet de lomo, as better the meat is the better this dish is), cut into strips 4cm (2 inches) long by 1cm (½ inch) wide.
500 g (16 oz) sliced button mushrooms
salt to season
3 small shallots, minced (about ¼ cup)
1/3 cup Madeira or other sweet/heavy red wine
3 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder mixed with 2 teaspoons water, or other starch
freshly ground black pepper to season
½ cup sour cream or creme fresh
3 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish
This is Chicken Stroganov mixed with Spirali pasta and sprinkled with lemon juice. I love it when the cream is slightly separating because of the juice on it.
How to do.
Heat 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear beef in batches 2-3 minutes per side, turning once, about 4-6 minutes total. Repeat until all the meat is browned. Don’t overcook the meat, it should be inside still medium-rare. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
Melt 1 tbsp. butter to skillet. When foaming subsides, add mushrooms, season with seasoned salt to taste, and saute for about 3 minutes. Add shallots and continue cooking until mushrooms and shallots are browned, about 6-7 minutes total. Remove from pan.
What an ordinary dish, but sooo delicious.
Deglaze pan with Madeira (or some other heavy sweet wine, could be even Sherry), stirring to remove any remaining browned bits. Add beef broth, increase heat and bring to a boil. Boil liquid until reduced by half Return beef and mushroom mixture to pan, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the meat is cooked but still tender, about 12-15 minutes.
During the last couple minutes of cooking, add the arrowroot-water mixture and stir to thicken the sauce as it cooks. Turn heat to low. Season with fresh ground black pepper and, if desired, additional seasoned salt. Stir in the sour cream. When heated through, turn off the heat. Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes topped with parsley.
German variation, Filetspitzen Stroganov.
This recipe is the variation, which is usually served nowadays in Germany. The Russian origin contains neither gherkins, cream or mushrooms instead of sour cream and mustard. Here it is cooked by J Achim. We guess that the dish in the west was extended, out of cost reasons, with gherkins and mushrooms, even beetroot.
Ingredients.
1,5 kg (3lb) beef rump (the good-value, usually beef tenderloin), in German the „Spitzen of the filet“ (excellent quality, but can’t be used as filet mignon)
Filetspitzen, not to be used as tournedos, to small.
500 g (16 oz) mushrooms
5 medium sized gherkins (pickled) or 10 cornichons
3 white onions
3 teaspoons tomato paste
3 teaspoons flour
3 teaspoons sharp mustard
3 small beetroots
400 ml (13 oz) beef broth (strong cube will do)
300 ml (10 oz) double cream
salt
pepper
1/2 a lemon
4 tablespoons oil
How to do.
This recipe is for 4 persons and easy to make by anybody, just takes a bit time for cutting. Cut the meat into strips. Slice the mushrooms. Halve cucumbers lengthwise and cut leafy. Same with beetroot. Heat oil strongly. Brown meat on all sides vigorously, then remove and keep warm.
Chop the onion finely and brown slightly. Mushrooms also saute briefly. Add flour, mustard and tomato paste and saute well admit. Pour broth, simmer for about 15 min. A slow reduction is the secret at this stage.
Stir in cream, beetroot and cucumber and simmer for another 5 min. Season sauce with salt and pepper, add the meat and cook briefly. You don’t want to turn the meat into shoe-leather. Almost at the end squeeze in some lemon juice to give the dish freshness and decorate with some small slices of tomato or chopped parsley.
The German variation served with Potato Balls.
Tips.
In the US Stroganov will be served on pasta, the types which like to soak good sauce. A few side dishes one can also use with Beef Stroganov :
mash potatoes
different pastas
rice
french fries
baked potatoe chips
roesti
spaetzle
polenta
knoedel
or
filet mignon with Stroganov sauce,
meatballs in Stroganov sauce,
Zuericher Geschnetzeltes mit Roesti.
Different servings of Beef Stroganov seen in the internet. Above left on rice, above right as small filets on a very creamy sauce. Below left, very fancy in a portobello mushroom on a bed of straw potatoes. Below right with baked potatoes, out Cafe Pushkin in Moscow.
The recipe ideas are made all on the same base. Very easy and only a few ingredients. But so delicious that one want’s to have it every week. And why not ? Instead beef you can use chicken, but decide for the thighs, breast is to tasteless. Enjoy !!
