Beef Stroganoff 

Beef stroganoff is a delicious second course of Russian origin made from beef cut into pieces and cooked together with the onion, well withered, and mushrooms. The peculiarity of Stroganoff is the addition of sour cream at the end of cooking, which binds together the flavors and combines well with all the ingredients. There are two legends around the origin of this dish: some report that it was first prepared by a French chef, personal cook of the Russian count Pavel Stroganoff, who added sour cream to the classic fricassee beef to make it closer to the count's tastes. 

The dish was successful and was named just after the count, in his honor according to a tradition of the time. Others report that Stroganoff was the name of the doctor who cured Tsarina Maria's herring poisoning with a diet of beef, onions and sour cream. Beef stroganoff is a full-bodied and tasty dish, ideal for a rich winter meal... 

The beef stroganoff is prepared by cutting the meat into slices half a centimeter thick and then obtaining strips that will be browned in a pan and served seasoned with mushrooms and sour cream. 

Here are the steps for the beef stroganoff.

INGREDIENTS

White onions 500 g

Mushrooms 500 g

Butter 50 g

Sour cream 80 g

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Chopped parsley 2 Tufts

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Vodka 45 ML

Tomato puree 50 g

Water to taste

Flour to taste

Beef pulp 1 Kg

PREPARATION

To prepare the beef stroganoff, begin to slice the onion very finely; then clean the mushrooms well and cut them into slices; finally cut into strips, about 5 cm long, the beef pulp. In a non-stick and capacious saucepan sauté the onion for 10 minutes with 25 grams of butter, taken from the total dose: the onion must become transparent and if it dries a lot add a few tablespoons of water. Add mushrooms to the pan along with a couple of tablespoons of parsley and finish cooking for another 10 minutes, then salt and pepper. Meanwhile, flour the strips of meat and cook them with a little oil and the remaining 25 grams of butter in another pan on high fire; as soon as they start browning blend with vodka and continue to cook. Season the salt and pepper meat. Add mushrooms and onions to meat and finally the sour cream and tomato puree. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring the ingredients with a spoon, until the cream is well blended. The beef stroganoff is ready to be brought to the table!

PRESERVATION

Store the beef stroganoff in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container for a maximum of 2 days. Freezing is not recommended.

ADVICE

If you like you can add a couple of tablespoons of mustard at the end of cooking, with sour cream and tomato puree. You can very well accompany beef stroganoff with rice pilaf. The original recipe provides that the proportions of meat compared to those of onion and mushrooms are 2 to 1, but you can change them at will. This preparation can also be used to cook other meats such as chicken or beef in a tasty way.