What's Laird Drinking Now?
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"Beef Stroganoff" our way:
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Beef Stroganoff is a Russian classic dating back centuries, although its exact origins are the subject of some debate. Over the years it has been served all over the world and in its travels the recipe has been bastardized, either to suit local tastes or because some of the ingredients were not available. For instance many versions served in America include tomato, when the original sauce has none. We made a sauce that is different enough from the original that a culinary purist might claim it is not Stroganoff at all. It was however, delicious, and I'll call it that for lack of another name.
Stacey thought that Beef Stroganoff sounded good, what with the cooler weather and all. I agreed and she stopped at the market to pick up the supplies. While browsing for the ground beef she saw short ribs and thought they would be a delicious alternative, she was right. The short ribs require a bit more involved preparation so this recipe is in two parts.
For the ribs:
8 boneless beef short ribs
1 medium onion cut into ½ inch chunks
1/3 bottle dry white wine
¾ cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp olive oil
All the ingredients go into a Dutch oven with the lid on for two hours at 375 degrees or until the ribs are fork tender and come apart easily. Reserve the ribs on a plate far away from your dog. Reserve the onion separately and discard the rest.
For the sauce:
1 medium onion minced
4 ounces tomato paste
12 ounces baby portabella mushrooms (white would do just fine)
4 ounces dry red wine
10 ounces canned tomato chopped
7-10 sprigs fresh thyme
10 ounces sour cream
Sauté onion in Dutch oven over medium high heat until translucent, stirring often. Add tomato paste and cook until paste turns a brick color, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms and stir through to coat (approximately 1 ½ mins.) Pour in red wine and reduce until slightly thickened. Add the tomatoes, reserved onions, and fresh thyme. Stir through and simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand. Shred the beef ribs and add to sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook off your pasta (we used egg noodles but any variety you like will do). Just before straining the pasta add the sour cream to the sauce and stir to incorporate. Add strained pasta and stir until noodles are well dressed. We served this with a bit of freshly grated nutmeg and it was a really nice addition. This is really tasty right away, but even better the next day as leftovers. We may have bent the rules for classic Stroganoff, or made a separate dish entirely, but it was lots of fun and is now a new classic in our kitchen.
Categories: Cuisine
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6 Comments
Susie, the original definitely had no tomato; I like it with them included. Aparently, the original was served over potatoes and not noodles. We will have to try a noodle alternative ourselves.
Meeker, this was the first time I have ever made short ribs without browning them. My hope was for a softer texture. As it turned out they still got a bit of a crust from the top as they were not submerged. Kind of worked out well, not really soft, but not a real set crust. Normally I am all for the browning and our Dutch oven does a great job. I just thought with the sauce and noodle preparation I'd go another way. It really did turn out well and I would do it again, if only with this dish.
Laird, what sort of dutch oven do you have? Le Crueset? I have a small le crueset, and a large knock-off. . . . but they both seem to work equally well.
Susie says...
I tried the potato thing once, but it didn't work for me. Of course, since it is a Russian dish, potatoes make perfect sense.
Susie, I have a Le Cruset Dutch oven. It rocks! I have not used others, so I cannot speak to their performance. If you have a large one that works well for you then by all means use it. Ours was a gift and it has been one of the best gifts we have ever been given. We use it constantly and it is well seasoned. I know there are many other options as well as knockoffs. I do not know all the differences, except to state that the Le Cruset ovens are made from individual sand cast molds. Each one is destroyed after casting, so each one is somewhat unique. Whether or not that makes them better is up for debate. They use high quality porcelain and each one is designed to last for generations. My guess is that maybe the knockoffs are not made to last as long, but maybe it is brand name that you get with the extra tariff. The research into this question would have to be carried on by future generations. I intend to cook with mine as long as I cook. In short, I love mine, but if yours gets the job done really well; why spend the extra $ to find out?
Laird, what sort of dutch oven do you have? Le Crueset? I have a small le crueset, and a large knock-off. . . . but they both seem to work equally well.
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