Mason-Dixon Recipes

Beef Stroganoff

My father would often work all night and sleep during the day, so for us, dinner might be pancakes, and breakfast might be beef stroganoff.

         — Ahmet Zappa

Beef Stroganoff is a Russian dish that may have been around for generations, deeply rooted in the large and important Stroganov family. It largely became popular through the efforts of Count Pavel Stroganov, a military commander and statesman under Alexander I during the early 1800s, who was known for his culinary skills and love of entertaining. Most likely he was using an old family recipe.

The first mention of the recipe in print was in a Russian cookbook by Elena Molokhovet in 1871, which was basically beef cubes prepared with mustard and boullion and finished with sour cream. Then, following the fall of Tsarist Russia, the recipe made its way to China before World War II, and then eventually to the United States—brought by Russian and Chinese immigrants as well as returning U.S. Servicemen. It achieved its greatest popularity in the 1950s. Today, it consists of beef fillet with mushroom, onion, and sour cream served over rice or pasta. The dish can also be made with ground beef instead of beef strips as a less expensive alternative.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef
1 10-oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 8-oz pkg egg noodles
1¹/₄ cups sour cream
1¹/₂ tbsp wondra flour
1 tsp salt
¹/₄ tsp paprika
¹/₄ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Brown meat and drain. Stir in flour, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Add the soup and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add sour cream, stirring well.

Prepare egg noodles according to package instructions. Serve beeF mixture over egg noodles.

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