Beef stroganoff

Beef stroganoff is beef and mushrooms sauteed in butter then simmered in sour cream. It is good with bread and butter or pasta. I served it to my family for dinner tonight with pasta, and bread and butter on the side. According to Askmen.com, beef stroganoff originated from St. Petersburg in Russia, a concoction of the winner in a culinary competition. The chef named the winning dish in honor of his employer, the Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov.

The classic beef stroganoff uses beef tenderloin. But note that you can substitute less expensive cuts of beef like brisket. Parboil the beef, chill then cut into strips.

You will need about a cup of sour cream to make this dish. If commercial sour cream is unavailable, make your own. Directions are given in the recipe.

This recipe uses beef brisket and homemade sour cream.

Ingredients :

200 g. of spaghetti or fettucine
350 g. of parboiled beef brisket cut into 1/2″ x 1/2″ x 3″ strips
1 c. of cream
2 tbsps. of lemon (or kalamansi) juice
2 shallots (sibuyas tagalog), peeled and thinly sliced
2 pimientoes, cored, seeds removed and chopped coarsely
1-1/2 c. of thickly sliced fresh button mushrooms
1/2 c. of butter
salt and pepper
parsley for garnish

Cooking procedure :

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 1/4 c. of butter and about 2 teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley. Toss until the butter melts, every noodle coated with butter and the parsley evenly distributed. Set aside and keep warm.

While the pasta cooks, make the sour cream. Pour the cream in a ceramic or glass bowl. Pour in two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. Let stand without stirring the cream or moving the bowl for about 15 minutes or until curdled.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. When hot, add the shallots and pimientoes, and cook over medium-low heat until soft. Turn up the heat to medium and add the mushrooms. Cook for about a minute and a half. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the beef strips to the pan. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat to medium. Pour in the sour cream. Toss and simmer, covered, for five minutes.

Add the pasta to the beef mixture and toss well. Serve with bread and butter on the side.