Sometime during the start of the 19th century a Russian envoy by the name of Stroganoff visited the French court and in his honor was cooked a special dish. He enjoyed that dish so much he took it with him back to Russia and it became associated with him and them ever since. Another story has it the opposite that a wealthy Russian by the name of Stroganoff commissioned a French chef who subsequently came to Russia and cooked the dish for him. Regardless of the real origin, the actual recipe did not appear until about 1871 in a Russian cookbook.
To make matters even more interesting is the recipe has morphed into numerous versions with most not even resembling the original. Thus Beef Stroganoff is one of those dishes that gained not only in popularity since then, it’s also become a dish that’s changed over that period of time.
Take for instance the beef used. I’ve seen everything from rump to sirloin to loin to rib and even chuck called for. I remember way back in college cooking Hamburger Helper Stroganoff with ground beef!! So regardless of the recipe I present here, feel free to make it your way, it’s versatile enough to be delicious prepared numerous ways.
Given that, I decided to prepare mine somewhat out of the box by utilizing beef short rib meat. I thought about smoking a chuck rib plate and using the meat in the classical sauce, but decided a heavy bark and strong smoke taste might not blend well with a cream sauce. So instead, I pre-cooked the ribs via the sous vide process and added that to the separately cooked sauce.
This is really a very easy recipe yet it produces a rich, velvety result that surpasses the initial ingredients in texture and taste. So let’s get to cooking a Stroganoff!!
The Meat
As I stated I decided to do the short rib meat via the sous vide and light smoke process to get a fully tenderized result with only a light kiss of smoky finish. I prepared them the way I usually do SV ribs, that being by seasoning, bagging and placing them in a 144* bath for 48 hours. I did this a couple days in advance of the cook, ice bathed the meat when finished and placed it in my refrigerator for the weekend cook.
It's not the purpose of this recipe write-up to discuss the pros and cons of sous vide cooking in this manner, it’s simply the method and result I like for short ribs. If you’re interested in seeing various ways SV short ribs can be cooked with multiple results, here’s a link to the Chef Step’s experiment with various sous vide temperatures and times specifically for short ribs along with those results;
https://www.chefsteps.com/activities...-ribs-your-way
The meat at this point was fully cooked. To re-heat I fired up my pellet cooker to 350*. I made a paste consisting of thyme, rosemary, chopped garlic and olive oil and rubbed it all over the pre-cooked rib plate. I placed it in the smoker with some hickory pellets, monitoring the internal temperature shooting for a re-heat of about 140*. Once up to temp I pulled it and let it rest for about 30 minutes while I prepared the sauce. Total smoking time was approximately 45 minutes.
The meat easily fell off the bone and was chopped into bite size pieces. I set it aside while continuing to make the sauce.
The Sauce
Ingredients
1 pound either cremini or white button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 cloves chopped garlic
2-3 ounces each of butter and olive oil for the sauté
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc wine
1 cup beef stock
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives for garnish
1 pound of Tagliatelle (or egg noodles if desired)
Method
1) Preheat a pan on medium high and add the butter and olive oil. Saute the shallots until softened then add the garlic and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce by half.
2) Add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and turn golden brown. Sprinkle and incorporate the flour into the mix. Add the beef stock and the tomato paste and continue to simmer for about 6-8 minutes allowing the sauce to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
3) Add the whipping cream. Stir to fully incorporate into the sauce. Continue to simmer for about 5 more minutes.
4) Finally add the sour cream and the mustard, stirring to incorporate. To avoid curdling the sour cream temper it in a separate bowl by adding some of the cooked sauce to the sour cream and stir prior to placing back into the heated sauce.
5) Continue to simmer on low. Add the chopped rib meat to the sauce and allow to heat through.
6) When fully incorporated, add the chopped cilantro or parsley and stir. Salt and pepper again to taste.
7) To boiling water add the Tagliatelle and cook for about 10 minutes until al dente. Allow to drain and add to a large platter.
8) Pour the sauce with the meat over the top of the pasta. Garnish with the chopped chives for a pop of color and oniony taste and texture. Serve rustic style with crusty bread.
What appears to be an elegant and velvety tasting dish is really fairly easy to make. Prep time exceeds cooking time. Try this with a variety of meats, each lending a different finish to the dish. Vary the ingredients and make it your own. Enjoy !!!
Troutman releases you to join your regularly scheduled program !!
To make matters even more interesting is the recipe has morphed into numerous versions with most not even resembling the original. Thus Beef Stroganoff is one of those dishes that gained not only in popularity since then, it’s also become a dish that’s changed over that period of time.
Take for instance the beef used. I’ve seen everything from rump to sirloin to loin to rib and even chuck called for. I remember way back in college cooking Hamburger Helper Stroganoff with ground beef!! So regardless of the recipe I present here, feel free to make it your way, it’s versatile enough to be delicious prepared numerous ways.
Given that, I decided to prepare mine somewhat out of the box by utilizing beef short rib meat. I thought about smoking a chuck rib plate and using the meat in the classical sauce, but decided a heavy bark and strong smoke taste might not blend well with a cream sauce. So instead, I pre-cooked the ribs via the sous vide process and added that to the separately cooked sauce.
This is really a very easy recipe yet it produces a rich, velvety result that surpasses the initial ingredients in texture and taste. So let’s get to cooking a Stroganoff!!
The Meat
As I stated I decided to do the short rib meat via the sous vide and light smoke process to get a fully tenderized result with only a light kiss of smoky finish. I prepared them the way I usually do SV ribs, that being by seasoning, bagging and placing them in a 144* bath for 48 hours. I did this a couple days in advance of the cook, ice bathed the meat when finished and placed it in my refrigerator for the weekend cook.
It's not the purpose of this recipe write-up to discuss the pros and cons of sous vide cooking in this manner, it’s simply the method and result I like for short ribs. If you’re interested in seeing various ways SV short ribs can be cooked with multiple results, here’s a link to the Chef Step’s experiment with various sous vide temperatures and times specifically for short ribs along with those results;
https://www.chefsteps.com/activities...-ribs-your-way
The meat at this point was fully cooked. To re-heat I fired up my pellet cooker to 350*. I made a paste consisting of thyme, rosemary, chopped garlic and olive oil and rubbed it all over the pre-cooked rib plate. I placed it in the smoker with some hickory pellets, monitoring the internal temperature shooting for a re-heat of about 140*. Once up to temp I pulled it and let it rest for about 30 minutes while I prepared the sauce. Total smoking time was approximately 45 minutes.
The meat easily fell off the bone and was chopped into bite size pieces. I set it aside while continuing to make the sauce.
The Sauce
Ingredients
1 pound either cremini or white button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 cloves chopped garlic
2-3 ounces each of butter and olive oil for the sauté
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc wine
1 cup beef stock
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives for garnish
1 pound of Tagliatelle (or egg noodles if desired)
Method
1) Preheat a pan on medium high and add the butter and olive oil. Saute the shallots until softened then add the garlic and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce by half.
2) Add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and turn golden brown. Sprinkle and incorporate the flour into the mix. Add the beef stock and the tomato paste and continue to simmer for about 6-8 minutes allowing the sauce to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
3) Add the whipping cream. Stir to fully incorporate into the sauce. Continue to simmer for about 5 more minutes.
4) Finally add the sour cream and the mustard, stirring to incorporate. To avoid curdling the sour cream temper it in a separate bowl by adding some of the cooked sauce to the sour cream and stir prior to placing back into the heated sauce.
5) Continue to simmer on low. Add the chopped rib meat to the sauce and allow to heat through.
6) When fully incorporated, add the chopped cilantro or parsley and stir. Salt and pepper again to taste.
7) To boiling water add the Tagliatelle and cook for about 10 minutes until al dente. Allow to drain and add to a large platter.
8) Pour the sauce with the meat over the top of the pasta. Garnish with the chopped chives for a pop of color and oniony taste and texture. Serve rustic style with crusty bread.
What appears to be an elegant and velvety tasting dish is really fairly easy to make. Prep time exceeds cooking time. Try this with a variety of meats, each lending a different finish to the dish. Vary the ingredients and make it your own. Enjoy !!!
Troutman releases you to join your regularly scheduled program !!
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