Beef stroganoff 1960s gourmet meal Russian roots

Beef Stroganoff is a rich beef dish with a lovely sauce made with beef broth and sour cream. In America, beef stroganoff was considered a gourmet meal in the 1960s with recipes from Joy of Cooking and Craig Claiborne at the New York Times. No one is certain how long Russians have been making beef stroganoff, but a recipe is in an 1861 cookbook!

You will need a pasta pot, cooking spoon, sharp knife, large cooking spoon, and cutting board for meat.

Cook noodles in boiling water according to package directions. Drain.

While waiting, trim the fat from the beef. Cut the meat about ¼ inch wide, diagonally across the meat. Cut each slice into 1-inch pieces.

Place butter in the pan and turn on high heat. Immediately when the butter melts, add the olive oil and turn down the heat to medium high. Add the sliced mushrooms. Add herbs. Stir and flip the mushrooms until soft, about 7 minutes. Remove the mushrooms to a bowl. Tip: Do not add salt to mushrooms while cooking. I use herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, or tarragon.

Add flour to ½ cup of beef broth. Stir well until all lumps are gone. Tip: I use arrowroot for a lighter sauce.

Add the beef to the hot pan. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Brown both sides of the beef until just a small amount of pink is showing. Tip: I use Paula Deen’s house seasoning, 1/4 cup salt, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder.

Add ½ cup beef broth, minced onion, minced garlic, and ketchup. Stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes. Tip: I use my homemade ketchup. You can also substitute tomato paste with a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

Stir in the broth and flour slurry. Add mushrooms. Raise the heat to medium high and stir while sauce thickens up.

Add the sour cream and heat through.

Serve over wide egg noodles. Serves 4. Serve with salad, green beans, or broccoli. Beef stroganoff can also be served over rice or shoe string potatoes.