Friday Night Dinner: Beef Stroganoff

For Friday Night Dinner I made Beef Stroganoff, this recipe comes from one of my favorite books for classic recipes "The American Century Cookbook" by Jean Anderson. You might recognize Jean Anderson, as she did the "The New Doubleday Cookbook" and several other quality cookbooks. This book is really a great reference for learning more about certain recipes as she incorporates information on the origin of recipes and how some got to be really popular. The Beef Stroganoff recipe is no exception, as on pg 124 is the recipe and on page 125 is information about its origins. Its a great cookbook, at a really reasonable price, however before I purchased it, I checked it out at the Library several times.

Beef Stroganoff from "The American Century Cookbook"

Makes 4 Servings

11/2 Lbs of beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 2x1/2x1/2 inch strips
1/2 t salt (or to taste)
1/2 t of black pepper
1 lg yellow onion
1/2 stick of butter
1 C of beef broth
2 t of Dijon mustard
1/3 C of sour cream (at room temp)

1. Spread tenderloin on wax-paper-lined counter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well to mix. Cover with onion slices and toss well again. Cover loosely with wax paper and let marinate 1 hr. (I have to admit I skip this step)

2 Melt 2 T of butter in large heavy skillet over moderately low heat and blend in flour. Add broth and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth -- about 3 minutes; blend in bustard and set off heat.

3. In second large heavy skillet, melt remaining 2 T of butter over moderately high heat. And tenderloin and onion and brown well--8 to 10 minutes.

4. Add browned tenderloin--but not onion--to first skillet, set over low heat and simmer, stirring now and then, 10 minutes.

5. Off heat, smooth in sour cream. Taste for salt and pepper adjust as needed, and serve with noodles.

Quick Low Fat Tip:
Now it calls for Beef Tenderloin, but a good Sirloin Steak will work and save a little on the pocket book. I usually use the thin cut and the cut up in a nice size. I also use low fat sour cream, and reduced sodium beef broth. It dose make a nice sized 4 serving for 4 adults toss with bag of "No-Yolks", good with a side of green veggies, peas or green beans.

Also you'll notice there isn't the traditional mushrooms or "cream of mushroom soup" (yuck!). As Jean Anderson explains on pg 125, the original Russian dish did not include mushrooms. They didn't make their first appearance until "The Joy of Cooking" (1943) cookbook.