The Best Beef Stroganoff – From the Canning Pantry

Beef stroganoff is a well loved classic dinner, one that many have grown to love since early childhood. With the last of winter’s chill leaving the air, it’s the perfect time to enjoy some comfort food. Rich creamy sauce, umami flavor of mushrooms and soft egg noodles leave you full, warm and maybe a bit nostalgic.

Beef Stroganoff also makes great use of an easy home canned good – Mushrooms! If you want to learn to can your own mushrooms take a look at my video or blog showing how to clean, prep and process your own at home for the pantry shelves!

History of Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff hails from Eastern Europe and is a classic dish with a distinctive sauce finished with sour cream. The first published recipe comes from the A Gift to Young Housewives published in 1871 which contains a much simpler version of today’s recipe. Containing beef cubes marinated in allspice and salt, the sauce was a simple roux with mustard and broth and just a touch of sour cream.

Recipes vary widely through the following years. Tomato based sauces, the sour cream served on the side, and the substitution of thin slices of beef over cubes can be seen around the world depending on the region. Beef Stroganoff is home cooking at its most comforting, leading to its rise in popularity from Eastern Russia to China and eventually to become an American staple.

Over the years classic Beef Stroganoff has evolved to include the now quintessential mushrooms, and additional fortifying flavors with white wine and aromatics. Traditionally served with crispy potato straws, the wide egg noodle variation was popularized by Americans post World War II, after the dish became a household staple in the 1950’s.

Modern Day Beef Stroganoff

The addition of dry white wine and onions deepen this dishes flavor. Aromatics help to round the whole thing out and lift the dish so it doesn’t feel too heavy.

When it comes to choice of meat, recipes range from chuck and sirloin steak or thinly sliced flank steak. In my recipe, I use a couple of chuck steaks. This a cut that we don’t particularly like as an actual steak but still has great flavor. I prefer cubing my meat over thinly slicing. Mostly because I don’t think you can get a good char on meat that thin, without completely over cooking it. Bite size chunks can be seared in a hot pan and still remain tender and juicy.

Cooking Mushrooms

Lets take a moment to talk about how to get restaurant worthy sautéed mushrooms. Making perfect mushrooms isn’t hard, but it does take patience and time. To make truly delicious mushrooms and really concentrate that umami flavor it take up to 10-15 minutes. Don’t rush the process!

Mushrooms have a lot of water in them and it takes time to evaporate it all out. I try not to overcrowd the pan, too much moisture will steam the mushrooms. When I’m using my home canned mushrooms, I drain them well first. Then using a paper towel or clean tea towel I’ll pat and press them dry. If I use fresh mushrooms, I wash them and pat them dry before slicing.

First melt you the butter in the pan and then add your mushrooms. Keep on a medium high heat and wait. Seriously just let them be. Stir occasionally and let the flavor develop. Eventually the mushrooms will darken and start to brown and will become compact flavor bombs for your sauce.

The Best Beef Stroganoff – From the Canning Pantry

Recipe by Grow Preserve EatCourse: Dinner, Weeknight MealsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Make use of home canned mushrooms with this Classic Beef Stroganoff Recipe. Warm, creamy and comforting, Beef Stroganoff is the perfect dinner to beat the winter chill.

Ingredients

• 12 -15 oz. Wide Egg Noodles

• 1lb. Chuck Steak

• 5 Tbsp. Butter (divided)

• 2 – 8oz Jars canned mushrooms (or 1lb fresh)

• 1 Lg. Yellow Onion

• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme (1 tsp. dried)

• 2 Cloves Garlic

• 1/2 C Dry White Wine

• 3 Tbsp. Flour

• 1.5 C Beef Stock

• 1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

• 1 tsp. Worchester Sauce

• 1/2 C Sour Cream

• 1 tsp. Salt (or to taste)

• 1/2 tsp. Fresh cracked Pepper

Directions

• In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook noodles until el dente before straining and setting aside.
• Place a heavy bottom pan onto high heat (if not using non-stick or cast iron add a tablespoon of oil). Cube the chuck steak into bite size pieces and place in hot pan. Turn occasionally to evenly brown all sides. Remove from pan and place into small bowl and set aside. Reduce heat on pan to medium.
• Prep canned mushrooms by draining excess water with a sieve and firmly patting dry with a paper towel. If using fresh mushrooms, wash, dry and then slice them.
• Slice onion in half and then into strips, crush garlic cloves or finely mince. Prepare fresh thyme by stripping the leaves from the stems.
• In the same heavy bottom pan as before add 1 Tbsp. butter and allow to melt before adding the canned or fresh mushrooms. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes or until mushrooms are evenly browned.
• Add the onions, garlic, and thyme to the pan and sauté until soft.
• Deglaze with 1/2 cup of dry white wine and reduce until most of the liquid is gone.
• Add 3 Tbsp. of butter and allow to melt before sprinkle 3 Tbsp. Flour over the pan. Stir to combine and allow to cook for one minute.
• Add Beef broth slowly while stirring until sauce warms through and thickens.
• Add mustard, Worchester sauce, salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and add the sour cream, mixing until incorporated.
• Spoon over the drained noodle and serve!