Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff - by Mark Barry
Winter is already far over, but there is still enough room out there to cook some healthy and deliciously hot meals. Among these recipes, beef stroganoff is a good contender. It is basically composed of beef and mushrooms in sour sauce poured over noodles, rice, or even fries.

Beef stroganoff traces its roots from 19th century Russia, during which there was no mention of mushrooms in the original recipe. Eventually, the recipe caught on with pre-communist China and the US during the 50's. There have been slight modifications in the recipe (particularly the idea of putting the recipe over noodles or rice) as popularity of the recipe allowed it to go global.

If you are going to make beef stroganoff, it is essential that when you buy beef online, you only pick the best cuts. Stroganoff is a meat-intensive recipe; the quality of the beef you buy online can largely determine the overall quality of the dish. Preparation of stroganoff is easy, though, so it possible even for the most inexperienced of cooks to produce something decent.

Modern stroganoff requires sirloin or tenderloin but budget-conscious individuals may want to go class and use less expensive meat.

Now here is one basic beef stroganoff recipe that you could follow. The measure of the sour cream varies from person to person. Adjust according to what is palatable for you.

Ingredients

- 6 Tbsp butter
- 1 pound sirloin or tenderloin, cut into 1-inch-by-2-inch strips
- 1 medium shallot or onion, chopped
- 8 ounces of mushroom
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup sour cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- parsley springs (optional)

Instructions

1. Melt 3 Tbsp of butter over a skillet and use this to cook the beef. The beef should be cooked quickly. You do not want to burn it but you do not want to set the temperature so high that you also burn the butter. Sprinkle the salt and pepper for added taste. Once you are done, set this aside for a moment. Cook the shallots and onions over the same skillet and set this aside with the beef.

2. Once you are done cooking the rest of the beef, melt the rest of the butter and start cooking the mushrooms. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and stir occasionally every few minutes or so.

3. Turn down the heat to low and start mixing in the sour cream. Depending on your own taste, you could add in a few tablespoons of water in order to dissolve the cream. Take care not to put the cream to boiling point, stirring it constantly with the mushrooms. Mix in the beef strips that you have cooked earlier until everything is well-blended.

4. Serve on the carbohydrate source of your choice (e.g. fries, pasta, noodles, potatoes, rice). Put parsley springs on top for added decoration.

Notes: When picking fresh mushrooms, look carefully at signs of rotting. Otherwise, canned mushrooms should be good enough. Similarly, buy beef online only from those meat retailers that you trust. Make sure that the seller has adequate government certification in order to legally sell meat products to households. Eat the stroganoff while it is hot!