Friday, July 22, 2011

Beef...it's what's for dinner

Mmmm...beef. It's not something we eat a lot of here as it's on the expensive side.  I don't like seafood though, so unfortunately my poor husband is stuck with mostly chicken until summer when grill season hits and he has sausages to add some variety to his meals. 

Tonight I made Beef Stroganoff. It's something I learned from my mom and I think it's great. It's best in the fall when it's cooler, but when you want beef it's one of the least expensive options. 

What you need: (serves 4)
400-500g beef (fleisch)
1 container of sour cream (sauer-halbrahm)
2 Tbls flour
1 Tbls tomato paste
1/2 c cold water
1 cube of beef bouillon
1/8 tsp pepper
6 oz of tagliatelle (fettuccine) 
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms 
1/2 c chopped onion (or onion flakes)
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbls parsley (optional, to sprinkle on the top)

|I buy the thin sliced beef anyway, but if you splurge on the thicker cut you may need to partially freeze it to be able to slice it thinly. 

Combine sour cream, flour and tomato paste. Stir in the water, bouillon (I chop the cube up to make it easier to mix) and pepper. Set this aside. If you have time earlier in the day, you can keep it in the fridge until needed. 

Cook the tagliatelle and drain well. 

Put a little olive oil in a skillet and add the thinly sliced (bite sized) beef. Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes. (my stove isn't great so this takes longer for me). When the beef is done, remove it and keep it warm on a plate.
(This time I kept the beef in the pan as I added everything else)

Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic - cook until onion is tender. 

Add the sour cream mixture and cook until bubbly and slightly thickened. Return the meat to the pan and cook until all is heated through. 

Serve over the tagliatelle (fettuccine) and sprinkle with parsley.