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. 

Hearty Onion Soup

This is a wonderful, easy to make onion soup.  After the first time I made it, I bought large rolls to use as soup bowls. It's great for a chilly day!

What you need for 4 medium bread bowls or 3 large ones.
50 g flour
4 onions, sliced thinly for the soup
2 onions to saute and put on top
bratbutter (I use regular butter when I don't have any)
2 large rolls/small round loaves of bread
1 liter vegetable bouillon (2 cubes)
shredded Gruyere cheese (slicing some works fine as well)

1. Heat the flour in a pan (I've found a wok works great when making this. If you half it, a saucepan should be fine.

2. Take flour off stove and coat the sliced onions (use more or less onions depending on how well you like onions).
3. Put the about 25g of bratbutter in the pan and then toss the floured onions to coat.
4. Add the vegetable bouillon (Since I use the cubes with water I put it in a pot to boil and can then add the boiling water to the onions). If bouillon is cold, bring mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. While the broth is simmering, if using the bread bowls, slice the tops off.  Pull the bread out, leaving at least 1/2 an inch of bread on the inside (1/4 of an inch for smaller rolls). Using a brush (or your fingers if you don't have one) spread some olive oil on the inside bottom and outside bottom of the bread. Put on a baking sheet and cook at 180 for 10-15 minutes.  I put it in the oven cold when I get the broth boiling and take it out when it is done and it is always perfect.

 6. Slice the other 2 onions finely. Put a small frying pan on the stove with some butter. When hot and butter is melted, saute the onions until they are crisp. This does not take long, so only do it a few minutes before the soup is ready.

Tonight I made a salad to go along with the soup, so I also cut up some of the bread tops to put on top of the salad.  For the salad, I used mixed greens, some roast onion (from the spice section) and shredded Gruyere.

After placing the soup in the (bread) bowl, add the sauteed onions and some sliced (or shredded) Gruyere. Add a grilled sliced piece of the bread bowl as well for some added interest. En guete!