Beef Stroganoff

This is a really tasty beef stroganoff recipe. It originally called for white wine, but we used red and I think it was very yummy! The meat was nice and tender. I am not a fan of tough bits of meat that you have to chew, and chew and CHEW but the marinating step eliminates that!

Beef Stroganoff
(recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

1 1/4 lbs sirloin steaks, or tips ( trimmed of excess fat and cut lengthwise with grain into 4 equal pieces)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 lb white mushrooms, quartered
2 teaspoons hot water
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onions, finely chopped
table salt
2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. red wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves (optional, for garnish)

Using fork, poke each piece of steak 10-12 times. Place in baking dish; rub both sides evenly with soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.(I put my meat in the soy sauce and then we went to the store. It was nice and tender by the time we got home!)

While meat marinates, combine water, dry mustard, sugar, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl until smooth paste forms; set aside.

Pat steak pieces dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Heat oil in 12" skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place steak pieces in skillet and cook until browned on all sides and internal temperature registers 125 to 130 degrees, 6-9 minutes, reducing heat if fond begins to burn. Transfer meat to large plate and set aside while cooking sauce.



The original recipe calls for microwaving the mushrooms before adding them, but I thought that was strange. So I sauteed them in the pan with the onions. Add mushrooms, onion, and 1/2 tsp salt to skillet and cook until vegetables begin to brown and dark bits form on bottom of pan, 6-8 minutes.



Add tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until onions and mushrooms are coated, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup wine, beef broth and mustard paste and bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce has reduced slightly and begun to thicken, 4-6 minutes.



While sauce is reducing, cut steak pieces across grain into 1/4" thick slices (my meat was already in pieces.) Stir in meat and any accumulated juices into thickened sauce and cook until beef has warmed through, 1-2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let any bubbles subside. Stir in sour cream and remaining tablespoons wine; season to taste with salt and pepper.



Sprinkle with parsley to garnish. Serve over hot egg noodles.

We also had a tasty green salad with our dinner.



Enjoy!

Succulent Pot Roast

This is another recipe that I got from my mom. It's one of my husband's favorite things that I make, and anyone who likes meat and potatoes should LOVE it!

I usually use a chuck roast of beef and trim the excess fat off of it. Then I brown it in a little olive oil in a separate pan and then place the meat and juices in the crock pot.



Deglaze the pan if there are browned bits in it. I cut up a couple peeled carrots in chunks and also a stalk or two of celery. I add anywhere from half to a full onion depending on the size of the onion. I add 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of beef broth and 1 can or bottle of beer. This is one I had left in our pantry. People bring beer to our house and we don't drink much of it so I just save it for things like chili and pot roast.



I also generally put in some salt, fresh ground pepper and any other spices I'm feeling like at the moment, maybe some crushed red pepper flakes, dried parsley or basil. You can do whatever makes you happy!



I cook it for 6-8 hours on high until the meat is super tender and falling apart. You can cook it for less time if you don't want it that soft.

When it is done I move the meat and veggies to a plate. I stir some cornstarch into some cold water and thicken the gravy in the crock pot. You don't have to use all of the liquid, I usually end up with too much gravy, so you can take some out before you thicken it. Let that sit for a few minutes and mash up some potatoes! I always serve the veggies and meat over yummy mashed potatoes.

Hamburger Soup

This is a really simple soup that my mom used to make a lot when I was young. She shared the recipe with me and I like making it on chilly fall and winter nights. We definitely have plenty of those here! Since you can kind of play around with it the amounts aren't exact. But you can make it however your family will like it!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 12-16oz bag of mixed veggies, thawed (size depends on brand, I use a mix that includes carrots, peas, corn, green beans and lima beans.)
1 can diced tomatoes
water and/or beef broth
ketchup and/or chili sauce
elbow macaroni
salt and pepper to taste

shredded cheddar cheese (for topping)

Brown the beef in a large pot. Drain off the fat. Add chopped onion and stir until cooked. Add mixed veggies and tomatoes. Then add water and/or beef broth until you it reaches a very soupy consistency. You want there to be extra liquid because the macaroni soaks up quite a bit when it cooks. I like lots of pasta in mine. Season the broth with ketchup and/or chili sauce and pepper (and salt if your broth wasn't salty.) Simmer until the veggies are some and the flavors are melded, about 20 minutes. Then add 1/2 to 1 cup of elbow macaroni and continue simmering until the mac is cooked. Serve topped with cheddar cheese and enjoy!



I also made some 30 Minute Rolls, which turned out to take about an hour. But they were still tasty and didn't require kneading or anything so that was nice!