Beef Stroganoff - I Shall See You Again Very Soon

A pack of leftover sour cream, thank you. Without you being sitting in the fridge for days, I couldn't have thought about making beef stroganoff. 

The regular pasta dishes in my household are either tomato or olive oil based. So that extra pack of sour cream changed the usual scene, and my tummy was very happy with the result.

Beef stroganoff -

Ingredients (for 4 to 6 portions)?

• 1 pack/400 grams egg pasta (can be substitute with tagliatelle)
• 380 grams steak quality beef (cut into thicker slices)
• 12 medium to large button mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 1 pack/200 grams sour cream
• 1 can beef broth or onion soup
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Some salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper
• Some chopped scallion (optional)

How?

Cut the beef into thick slices and season with salt and pepper. Peel and slice the onion. Peel and roughly chop the garlic cloves. Halve or quarter the button mushrooms. Chop the scallion.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add some salt. Cook the pasta till almost reaches desired texture. Once ready, drain and set the pasta aside for later use. However, if you time it well, the pasta should be ready when the sauce is ready.

Take another big pot or cookware, add in butter and olive oil. Turn to medium high heat and wait till the oil gets hot. Add in the beef slices and sear till semi-cooked through. Remove from the pot.

Continue to use the same pot, drizzle some more olive oil if needed. Transfer the onion slices over. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Give it a quick stir and cook till the onion turns translucent. Add in garlic and sear for about one more minute. 

Sprinkle in the flour and kind of "stir-frying" it along with the onion and garlic in the pot. Pour in one can of beef broth or onion soup and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk the mixture to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook till the meat turns tender or just wait till all the flavors combined, this can take up to 20 to 30 minutes depending on the cut of beef used.

Add in button mushrooms and cook for about one minute or less. Do not overcook the button mushrooms otherwise they can start to shrink even by 2/3 of the original size. 

Mix in the sour cream then lastly mix in cooked pasta. Continue to cook till the pasta reaches desired texture.

Plate and garnish with chopped scallion. 

It's not as thick and creamy as Alfredo pasta, but rather like a denser sauce with a hint of milkiness. The Worcestershire sauce does most of the job, providing sweet and savory notes for this beef stroganoff.

What else can you do with sour cream? The most obvious answers popped up right away - cheesecake, baked potatoes, and dips. However, after tasting this beef stroganoff, I think all the leftover sour cream will turn into pasta sauce in my kitchen from now on.


Other pasta recipes:

• Thai style fettuccine with chicken and spinach
• Squid ink pasta 2.0 - with prawns, crab meat, and spicy sausages
• A lighter option - casarecce pasta with bacon chunks and smoked salmon
• Surf & turf pasta finished with generous amount of grated bottarga