Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is a great recipe if you're looking for a rich and delicious meal, and aren't concerned about counting calories. (The cup of sour cream says it all!) This is specifically a recipe for Beef Stroganoff, but you can always substitute for chicken. Just remember - you won't want to simmer the chicken for the hour that we recommend. Add the chicken about 30 minutes in so it retains its form. For this beef recipe we recommend Stewing Beef - it's a cheaper cut of meat but full of flavour, and after a nice long braise it comes out really tender.

Serves: 5

Ingredients

4 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 lb. Sliced Mushrooms

A bunch of Stewing Beef

2 tbsp Paprika

1 tbsp fresh Dill (optional - but recommended.)

3 tbsp Tomato Paste

3 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup Sour Cream

1 Package Broad Egg Noodles

Preparation

• Chop the onions, mushrooms and garlic into small pieces. (Keep them separate.) I like the mushrooms chopped into bigger chunks so they don't disappear on cooking, but you can experiment until you find out how you like 'em. Chop the beef into bite sized pieces.
• Heat your dutch oven to medium-high and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Throw in your beef cubes. The goal is to brown the cubes evenly on all sides, it doesn't have to be fully cooked because it'll simmer for quite a while in the next stage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once browned, remove the beef and set aside.
• Prepare a pot with 3 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.
• In the dutch oven add 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté your onions and mushrooms over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent (about 4 or 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and paprika, stir thoroughly and cook for an additional 3 or 4 minutes.
• Pour 1 cup of the chicken stock into the mixture and with a wooden spoon scrape up the caramelized tomato paste from the bottom of the dutch oven.
• Dump the cooked beef into the pot with the remaining chicken stock. Bring it up just to a point where's it's about to boil then reduce to low heat. Let this simmer for about an hour. (The meat should be tender at the end of this hour, but, you can always cook it longer (The longer you cook it, the more tender it becomes).
• Final preparation...Add the sour cream and dill to this mixture and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve on top of the egg noodles. Toss a little dill on top to make it look pretty. Or, just chow down.

CHEFS NOTE: To prevent curdling, have the sour cream come to room temperature before use. Mix a little of the hot broth into the sour cream, then stir the sour cream into the bulk of the mixture. Reheat gently, but do not bring to a boil or the cream will curdle.