Beef Stroganoff

I have fond memories of beef stroganoff. Besides eating it as a kid, it was also one of the first things Joe ever cooked for me back in college. We weren't even dating yet, but I would go over to his place from time to time and eat dinner with him and his roommate.

All the versions of beef stroganoff I've ever had were made in a slow cooker, so I was very surprised when I came across this Mark Bittman recipe that boasted a cooking time of 30 minutes or less.

What the what?

Isn't this is a dish that's supposed to use a cut of tough meat that's cooked all day long until it's falling apart?

After reading the recipe, I realized the short cooking time is achieved because you start with a very tender cut of meat to begin with. Beef tenderloin is ideal here.

While I will always have a special place in my heart for the slow-cooked version, this recipe is great too, especially when you are short on time.

One other note; After I plated this dish, took something like 20 photos, and sat down to eat it, I realized that we forgot to add the sour cream! I was so upset that the picture wouldn't accurately reflect the dish because it wouldn't have a creamy-looking sauce, so I poured the contents of our bowls back into the pot, stirred in the sour cream, re-plated and took another 20 shots. It's times like this where I realize how lucky I am that my husband so patiently puts up with my obsessive food blogging bull-sh*t.

Real Beef Stroganoff
adapted from Mark Bittman - The Best Recipes in the World
serves 4

Notes:  Both the mushroom and tomatoes are optional here; the dish will be just fine with either or both. We opted to use the mushrooms but not the tomatoes, because that sounded more like the way we were used to having it.

3 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed and sliced, optional
1 1/2 to 2 pounds beef tenderloin or boneless sirloin, cut into 1 1/2 - 2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 plum tomatoes (canned are fine), chopped, or 1/2 cup good tomato sauce, optional
1 cup beef or chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/2 cup sour cream
Chopped fresh dill or parsley leaves for garnish

Put the butter into a large deep skillet or flameproof casserole with a lid and place over medium-high. When melted, add the onions., a little salt and pepper, and the mushrooms if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the onions are very soft but not brown.

Add the beef and cook, stirring, for about one minute.

Stir in the mustard, the tomatoes if using, and the stock. Adjust the heat to get the mixture to a steady simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the meat is tender.

Stir in the sour cream, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Garnish the the parsley or dill and serve over buttered noodles, rice, mashed potatoes, or just alongside some crusty bread.