Beef Stroganov

The origins of Beef Stroganov (or Beef Stroganoff) are quite well known: the original recipe was the winner of a cooking contest in St. Petersburg in 1890. According to legend, the chef named his creation after the Napoleonic-era Russian general, Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov. The recipe does not appear especially Russian to me. It has something of a resemblance to a gussied-up paprikash. Escoffier does not list it; neither does Saulnier. Julia Child characterizes it as a variant of a beef saute made with sour cream rather than heavy cream. Dione Lucas has a complete recipe for it in pretty conventional form among her beef sautes.

My recipe is fairly simple and just a tiny bit different. True story about my recipe: I was once invited to some friends’ house for dinner. The hostess served beef stroganov. When I tasted it I immediately recognized the recipe: it was my own (the hostess had once dated a former roommate of mine, X). In the kitchen I asked her, “Did you get this recipe from X?”. Yes, she had. “He left out an ingredient”, I said.

Beef Stroganov

Serves 4

Vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
1 lb. beef filet (round steak may be used if the beef is good and you’re very careful)
1 lb. mushroom, cleaned and sliced, stems removed
½ cup good sour cream (use real sour cream—Breakstone’s is the best)
1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
Pinch sugar
Salt & pepper

1. Saute the onion in the oil over medium heat until they’re just transparent.
2. Add the beef and barely brown it.
3. Add the mushrooms and cover. Cook until the mushrooms are just done, about 5 minutes.
4. Mix the sour cream, mustard, and sugar.
5. Reduce the heat on the beef and add the sour cream mixture.
6. Heat the stroganov until the sour cream is barely warmed. Do not boil! The sour cream will curdle.
7. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

You may serve this over noodles or rice but you’ll want to eat it straight from the pot it’s so good.

I’ve added this recipe to my master list of recipes.