Beef Stroganoff
i was inspired by my Mum’s beef stroganoff recipe from the 1960s. It was probably the only dish she ever made with added sour cream, and I recall enjoying it immensely. Unfortunately her recipe uses a package of dried mushroom soup mix, so without hesitation I relegated it to the annals of history.
Further research led me to Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion and her sidebar idea for simple beef stroganoff. Traditionally an oven braised dish, Stephanie suggests a quick alternative using fillet steak and fresh mushrooms for a quick pan sauté.
Using Stephanie’s method and her core ingredients, I tasted and tweaked until I had a flavour that reminded me of the dish my Mum used to make all those years ago.
This is a great dish if you are short of time. It took just 30 minutes from when I first opened the fridge door until I served our delicious dinner, a good half of which was spent preparing the side dishes. Cooking the stroganoff took about 5 minutes.
The quantity below is for 2-3 serves.
2 tablespoons of butter
500g tail end eye fillet of beef, trimmed of all membrane then cut into thin strips
6 medium (90g) Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sweet ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 tablespoon porcini mushroom powder*
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon tomato concentrate
1/2 teaspoon Sweet Hungarian paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
1/3 cup sour cream*
Chopped parsley
2 tablespoons spring onion greens, sliced
* to make porcini powder simply blitz some dried porcini mushrooms in your food processor or spice mill. Sieve the powder to remove the larger pieces. Save them to add to gravy or risotto
* I used lactose free cream with 1 teaspoon lemon juice added
Heat a large sauté pan, add the butter and when it starts to sizzle throw in the sliced mushrooms and cook until well coloured. Add the beef to the mushrooms and cook over a high heat until well browned. Add the tomato, garlic, porcini powder, mustard, tomato concentrate and paprika. As soon as the tomato collapses, add the sour cream, stir to combine. Season to taste with black pepper and sea salt. Scatter over the spring onion greens and parsley. Serve immediately with steamed potatoes and greens.
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21 comments on “Beef Stroganoff”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
One of my favorite dishes. When first married this was a dish I thought was so exotic to serve company. Love your recipe. Sue.
Womenlivinglifeafter50.com
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Thanks Sue, yes, I hear you. Ingredients like sour cream, even cultivated mushrooms were considered luxury items here in the seventies, how things have changed!
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I was thinking how good this looked but that I probably shouldn’t make it since my husband is lactose-intolerant. Then I saw your reference to lactose-free cream, which I didn’t even know existed! I’ll definitely try this. Thank you!
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Lactose free milk cream and yoghurt are readily available in Australia. There are some circumstances when I find it unavoidable to eat regular dairy products. I carry chewable lactase tablets in my handbag to aid my digestive system in coping with the lactose. It’s not the perfect solution, but definitely helps. Thanks for commenting on the beef stroganoff. It’s quick, easy, and quite delicious!
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Beef stroganoff was one of the handful of Western dishes that my mom made for us when I was little and it was one my all time favorite childhood foods! For the longest time, this was what I requested for my birthday treat. Yours looks fantastic and I’m so happy to find this recipe post. I’ve gotta treat myself! 🙂
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Yes we all should treat ourselves from time to time. If we give give give we can end up empty!! Happy stroganoffing!!
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I haven’t made Beef Stroganoff in FOREVER and the kids adore it too. This recipe looks interesting AND I just happen to have some dried porcini powder. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it but now I know. I’m not too sure about that tomato though. I’ve never seen stroganoff with a tomato in it.
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Beef stroganoff is amazing and yours is making my mouth water!
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Thanks, it’s quick and simple to make, give it a try!
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Looks wonderful! And I love that you’ve been recreating your mum’s recipes lately.
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Thanks. Sadly many of the recipes I wouldn’t consider making in their original form, too much reliance on commercial products, but that was domestic cuisine in the 60s. They are working out very well making them with fresh ingredients, we’re enjoying lots of trips down memory lane. There are more to come still.
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Wow, your beef stroganoff looks amazing, and I love the ingredients and your method. Your photographs are amazing too. Very Nice!
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Thank you Fae, I really value your comments!
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Lovely photo. I can make a chicken version of your stroganoff. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
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Thanks, it would be really nice with chicken. I’m not a big beef fan but the other half loved it! What is it with men and red meat? I had an accident with my DSLR, it’s away getting fixed. I took the photo with my little Canon G15. It’s a fantastic for a little camera when the light is low!
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Looks really good! I’ve only made this once, but I remember it. I made it for my mom when I went to visit her about a year ago. A successful lunch I must say 🙂 thanks for sharing. I want to make this again now!
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Thanks, it’s well worth a second outing!
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Hi, Sandra. Great looking dish and wonderful recipe. I love stroganoff. There are so many variations on the original Russian recipe. Have you ever tried the Finnish version with diced, brined pickles? It is an unusual flavor combination but very good.
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Thanks Richard. I’ve never tried stroganoff with pickle, are you talking pickled cucumbers? I can see how it would work though.
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PERFECT timing. I was thinking about beef stroganoff yesterday! My boys haven’t tried it yet and I know they’ll just love it. Pinned to try later.
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Thanks, it’s hard not to like!
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