Thanks to Mama for loving to cook with mushrooms, and to my Mom who loved to cook 1960’s style, I know about mushrooms and vaguely what Beef Stroganoff is. We pauvre Americani can make do with hamburger and mushroom soup to make a stroganoff, but thanks to persistent customer requests and the research of our webmaster Brad, we can present to you a kitchen-tested, authentic Russian version. Ours is sourced from Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman. We used, from a whole filet mignon, the meat from each end, and then saved the middle for steaks for special occasions later. Our beef was from Alexander’s Prime Meats in San Gabriel. The point is, you must use the best meat, or the recipe devolves to a Betty Crocker offering. This was a wonderful entrée with our 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. It would also be extraordinaire with any Mafalda blends.

2 pounds filet mignon, cut into thin strips
3 TB butter, unsalted
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, caps only, halved (use your favorite)
2 1/4 tsp. Flour
1/3 cup beef stock, or equivalent Better than Bullion
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 TB dill, fresh, chopped
1 1/2 TB parsley, fresh, chopped
Salt and pepper

This comes together pretty fast, so have your side dishes ready, and decide if you want to serve with rice or wide egg noodle. Rice would hold better and we enjoy that. This does not make an abundance of sauce. It’s more about the meat. This serves 4 well, maybe 6.

The idea is to brown the meat quickly without overcooking, but cooked almost to your taste: Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Add the meat a little at a time and quickly sear, stirring continuously, maybe 3-4 minutes for “medium” (We did 2 minutes for rare.) If the meat throws off too much liquid, drain it off and set aside. Remove the meat from the skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Melt the butter in a skillet large enough for all the ingredients over medium heat. Add the onion, sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat, add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring, until they have a deep color, about 20 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium-low, sprinkle in the flour. Stir and cook another minute.

Stir in the stock, or equivalent in beef juices from the sauté step, heavy cream, sour cream, and mustard. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Do not overheat to a boil and ruin the creams.

Add the meat to the skillet, stir to coat with the sauce, heat for about a minute (warm enough to serve). Stir in the dill, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.