Poor Boy Stroganoff

Back in November, I won a cookbook! Kate, over at Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails was purging her cookbook collection, and decided to share her books with us. And I won! Shortly thereafter, Kate had an accident, but I heard she's recovering. Get well soon, Kate!

Kate's sister mailed out the cookbook, and Americas Best Lost Recipes joined my collection. Kate's requirement is for winners to choose, prepare and blog about a recipe from the cookbook. After some deliberation, because I really wanted to make some doughnuts but didn't feel like I had time, I finally decided on this beef stroganoff.

The egg noodles I used require 18-28 minutes to cook, so I didn't think they'd be "nearly tender" in 5 to 7 minutes. I boiled them for about 18 minutes. Everything else went as planned, and it was easy to put together.

Delicious! We will definitely have this again, although it's not very photogenic. Smile, Stroganoff!



Poor Boy Stroganoff

Carole Weinberger, Orlando, Florida
Serves 6

Classic Beef Stroganoff, which dates back to the 1890s and a Russian count of the same name (only spelled Stroganov), is essentially a fancy stew made with filet mignon, mushrooms, onions, and sour cream. This version, which is made with ground beef, won't break the bank and is good for everyday meals. Rather than serving the stew over egg noodles, the noodles, beef and sauce are layered into a baking dish, topped with a little cheese, and baked as a hearty casserole.

Salt
8 ounces egg noodles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped fine
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce (I used 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 1/4 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the noodles and cook until nearly tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and set aside in a colander.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef, breaking up any large clumps with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a paper-towel lined plate.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan, add the onion, and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 7 minutes.

Add the flour and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, broth and beef and bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the sour cream.

Spread one-third of the sauce over the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish and top with half the noodles. Repeat with half of the remaining sauce and the remaining noodles. Finish with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top and bake until the filling is hot and the top is browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve.