Beef stroganoff was apparently created for the wealthy Russian Stroganov family in the 19th Century. It's based on a French beef and mustard recipe, which was adapted by the Stroganov's chef to include Russian sour cream.
Today there are numerous recipes for stroganoff, some of which include beef stock (and flour to thicken) and some simply rely on the brandy and cream to create the sauce.
I've made both versions, but prefer to use a bit of stock (and brandy!) otherwise I find the dish a little dry.
The cuts of beef also vary, with some recipes suggesting a slow cooking method to allow for cheaper cuts of beef. However, the general preference is for fillet steak, but as it's so expensive, I've opted for rump steak, which I think works just as well.
Serves 4
Butter
Olive oil
1 large onion
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
250g chestnut mushrooms
500g rump steak (or fillet or sirloin)
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of flour
50ml of Brandy (or white wine)
50-75ml beef stock
1 tablespoon of Dijon or English mustard
75ml of sour cream (or to taste)
Seasoning
Lemon
Flat leaf parsley
- Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and let it come up to room temperature.
- Peel and cut the onion in half, before finely slicing.
- Peel and grate the garlic, or crush it directly into the pan in step 9.
- Cut the mushrooms into slices about 0.5cm thick.
- Remove the fatty edge of the steaks, and cut the meat into 0.5 - 1cm slices.
- Melt a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil in the bottom of a frying pan, over a low to medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté until it starts to soften.
- Turn up the heat, add another knob of butter and drizzle of oil and once the butter has melted, throw in the mushrooms.
- Sauté the mushrooms, until they start to brown. Once they have some colour, lower the heat and after a couple of minutes, stir in the garlic and paprika, being careful not to burn the garlic. Season well.
- Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan over a medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, throw in the steak strips and fry quickly for a few minutes, until the steak is starting to brown.
- Reduce the heat and stir in the mushroom and onion mix, followed by the flour.
- Now add the brandy and after a couple of minutes, pour in the stock.
- Add the mustard. Season and then stir well.
- After a few minutes, stir through the sour cream.
- Remove from the heat and add a squeeze of lemon.
- Top with finely chopped parsley and serve with fluffy basmati rice.
