This was my vantage point from the pool early this afternoon, and (call me crazy) but I swear it was sending me a telepathic message. I heard "beeeef stronganofffff". It was such a beautiful day- low humidity, strong sun and a nice breeze, that I couldn't bear to move from my float, let alone coordinate a meal. It was at that moment that it occurred to me that my partner was a whiz at making stronganoff and that maybe if I volunteered to clean up after dinner, I could convince her to get busy. It worked. The resulting stronganoff was much better than I ever could have made- the beef simmered in the consume and spices, absorbing all the flavors and turning out as tender as can be. She based the recipe on one that my father gave me a few years ago.
Saute thinly sliced mushrooms and onions and add salt, pepper, garlic powder and sage- just sprinkles of each. Cut 1 pound of sirloin into cubes. Cook that in another pan in 1/2 a can of beef consume, and add more sprinkles of the aforementioned spices into the beef mixture. Simmer slowly and the beef will slow-cook, absorbing the liquid. Add the mushroom and onions to the beef and the rest of the consume.
Saute thinly sliced mushrooms and onions and add salt, pepper, garlic powder and sage- just sprinkles of each. Cut 1 pound of sirloin into cubes. Cook that in another pan in 1/2 a can of beef consume, and add more sprinkles of the aforementioned spices into the beef mixture. Simmer slowly and the beef will slow-cook, absorbing the liquid. Add the mushroom and onions to the beef and the rest of the consume.
Again, let it simmer and the consume will continue to be absorbed. At this point, you can also add a measure of bourbon or rum. We didn't have bourbon, so we used rum. The alcohol burns off during the cooking process, and the resulting flavor really makes this dish rock. It gives it a certain je ne sais quois. The instructions in my dad's recipe say to add the pint of sour cream when the beef has absorbed so much of the liquid that it is almost dry. We added mushrooms to the recipe, which added a bit of moisture, so we had to compensate. The beef had simmered for about 1 1/2 hours, and was extremely tender, so we called it ready. We briskly whisked in a pint of sour cream and served it over extra wide egg noodles.
It was beefy, creamy perfection- needing no additional seasoning. I love this dish- maybe it's the Russian genetic memory kicking in. I was deliriously happy- having spent the day in the pool, having a leisurely shower and now enjoying a fabulous dinner. I was also appreciative, of course, and held up my end of the deal by doing the clean up. It was the perfect end to the perfect day...and the eggs.
8 comments:
she's spoiled :)
I'm going to just pretend you didn't say that!
Hey Kiddo- I remember the recipe and how much we all loved the dish. It's always been one of my favorites and I'm delighted to learn that you remember it, too. I'm really pretty sure that we can get there in October. My mouth is already watering for the treats that you've been writing about over the past few months. Maybe our visit could be enhanced also by the Moons being with us. Pop
Now I am going to have to make this soon. I can almost taste it now!
I sure hope this was as good as you say because it looks really funky and gross.
Does it really? Aww- sorry. In that case, the photos are misleading. If there is one thing I have learned in my few short months as a food photographer, it is that sometimes it's hard to make the food look as good in photos as it tastes. I thought I did okay on this one, but I guess not. Trust me, it's a fantastic dish :)
I just never saw it look this white. Then again, maybe i never had real stroganoff. But looks can be deceiving...I'd eat a fried up dog sprinkled with bread crumbs if it tasted yummy.
It looks so good that I plan to try it soon, even though I rarely eat meat! I remember your dad making this for dinner parties. I think the original recipe is from James Beard cookbook, with dad's variations.
(:
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