A Better Beef Stroganoff
Michelle picked up an old copy of The Russian Tea Room Cookbook, written in the restaurant’s NYC heyday by then owner Faith Stewart Gordon. The Russian Tea Room is an iconic place on New York’s West 57th Street nearby Carnegie Hall. It’s proximity to the center of Manhattan made it the place to be seen for decades whether you were a politician, dealmaker or an actor. It’s been open, on and off with various owners and culinary highs and lows since the 1930s. I was there for dinner a few years ago and had an unforgettable time although I do not remember what I ordered, if that’s any indication of the place’s food. (I remember what I spent, though and I would go back again.) The Tea Room’s remarkable opulent, ornate, glitzy and gilded décor is worth a look: blood red banquettes, green walls, dark wood trim, a gold ceiling and gold accents on everything with an array of paintings and Russian baubles on the walls. It is a blend of Victorian Imperialism meeting art deco. Finery doesn’t stop with the table settings stemware and the silverware either.
Michelle and I made the Cookbook’s version of Beef Stroganoff and while it was ok, it lacked that sort of WOW factor I feel a meal needs. It was slightly grey too, not a deep rich brown which affects palatability. And the meat should be seared. Even with the whiteness of the sour cream any decent Stroganoff should be the color of buckskin. Their recipe called for a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a ½ cup white wine, which we omitted, but you can certainly use.
Please keep in mind that Beef Stroganoff became a 1950 & 60s American suburban standard and probably suffered greatly because of this. My mother, a native Russian, used to make Beef Stroganoff often, and never used a tomato base. She said tomato paste was for Hungarians and Stroganoff was a cream based dish. (When the dish was invented to please Russian Nobility gourmets, the vastness of Czar Alexander III Empire would have been influenced by many regional flavors and prejudices.) My mother served it over egg noodles and, as a kid; I remember liking it well enough.
Nevertheless, what follows is the recipe version Michelle and I made, based on what Michelle’s mother served her family for years. Like I said, Beef Stroganoff has become a staple dish even amongst the Italians. Well marbleized beef gives you an even distribution of fat, which cooks up tenderly and provides a full flavor profile, the same theory behind a great steak works here. Get a decent cut of beef if and if you want to impress the guests add a couple tablespoons of Cognac. Otherwise, on a Wednesday night, ground beef serves very well. Our version is delightfully tasty, easy to prepare, does not require many steps or pans and hints toward gourmet.
Serve it alongside a good crusty bread (you’ll need it for dipping in the sauce) and a green salad.
Ingredients:
2 – 2/12 lbs. Sirloin Steak or Beef Tenderloin (or ground beef)
1/2 lb. Sliced Mushrooms
1 Cup Minced Onion
¼ Cup Butter (or 2 Tbsp Olive Oil if you need to reduce fat content)
2 Cans Beef Consume
2 Small Garlic Cloves, smashed
2 Tsp. Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper (to taste)
1/3 Cup Flour
2 Cups Sour Cream
2 Cups Brown Rice or 1 Lb. Egg Noodles
Procedure:
Cook rice or noodles according to their directions. Drain the noodles well.
1. Cut meat into bite size chunks and season with salt & pepper.
2. In a skillet heat the butter or olive oil and cook mushrooms, onions and garlic until tender, stirring often. Remove from pan.
3. Brown the meat in the same pan. Do in batches: DON’T over crowd the pan you want a deep brown sear on the outside and a red interior. The meat will finish cooking later. Overcooking now will result in rubber chunks.
4. Reserve ¾ Cup of the Beef Consume. Add the remaining consume, and 1 tsp salt to the skillet with the meat. Combine and cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. (Wine and Dijon mustard would go in now– if using.)
5. Blend the ¾ cup of Consume with the flour, making a paste, and stir into the meat mixture. This thickens the sauce without putting lumps in the sauce.
6. Return the mushrooms and onions to the pan with the meat.
7. Heat to just a boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
8. Return to a simmer and add the sour cream. Heat through and plate over the rice or noodles.
Tip: Refrigerate left over noodles separate from the Stroganoff.