Beef stroganoff is a Russian mixture of sauteed beef in a sour cream sauce. It dates back to the 1800s and is popular in many countries, including Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Lebanon, Iran, Europe and North America, although the exact ingredients tend to vary from place to place.
The name possibly came from a member of a big family, like Count Pavel Stroganov, a diplomat, or Alexander Grigorievich Stroganoff. The first known recipe for this dish involves lightly floured cubes of beef, bouillon, mustard, and sour cream.
There are no mushrooms or onions in the traditional dish and the beef is in cubes not strips. Tomato paste and onions feature in a 1912 version of stroganoff and this is served with potato straws, which are a traditional Russian side dish.
The recipe was popular in Chinese restaurants and hotels after Imperial Russia fell, before World War II. This recipe was introduced to the United States by Chinese and Russian immigrants, and also US servicemen in China. This is probably why beef stroganoff was so popular in the 1950s. Next, the recipe made its way to Hong Kong and from there to the UK, Australia and other countries.
Modern Stroganoff Recipes
The modern way to make this meal involves using strips of beef, as well as mushrooms, onion and a sour cream sauce. The dish is served with noodles or rice. Red wine features in some recipes and white wine in others. This recipe is found in Nordic countries and there is a dish called sausage stroganoff in Sweden, which is made using locally produced sausages. Beef stroganoff is also served there and this is a basic food service dish because it is easy to make lots of it at once.
Portuguese and Brazilians also enjoy this meal and heavy whipping cream is used there instead of sour cream. You can also get chicken stroganoff in Brazil, which is served with potato straws and white rice. It is also served sometimes as a topping for baked potatoes, on pizzas or as a crepe filling. There are actually fast food chains dedicated to this food in Brazilian shopping malls. There are a lot of variations and optional ingredients including ketchup, canned corn, wine and more.
The following recipe makes enough to serve four people and you can serve it hot over buttered noodles or fluffy white rice. This is so easy to make and the flavor is amazing.
What You Will Need:
1 1/2 lbs top round steak, in strips
1/4 cup wine
1 cube beef bouillon
1/2 chopped onion
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
10 3/4 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 minced clove garlic
8 oz canned mushrooms
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Salt and black pepper
How To Make It:
Add the beef to the crockpot and season it with salt and pepper. Add the soup, mushrooms, onion, and bouillon. Mix the flour with the wine and add the resulting paste to the crockpot. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and water. Cook for seven or eight hours on low. Stir in the parsley and sour cream an hour before serving.
