Hubby makes an excellent Beef Stroganoff: rich, creamy and flavorful. Only problem is that his meat is always tough. (Please don’t tell him!) He sears it all first and then simmers for 1-2 hours. This recipe calls for 8 hours of simmering – and it made all of the difference. Next time I will make the meat this way, but let him make the sauce at the end, as it needed more salt, more sour cream, a packet of Stroganoff seasoning and maybe a tad of butter. I paired this with an awesome 2010 Rocca Cabernet Sauvignon. My edits are in italics below.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into thin slices – about 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches long. (I bought cut up stew beef and sliced it a bit more.)
- 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and halved, or quartered, if large. (I bought sliced.)
- Coarse salt and ground pepper (Regular salt was what I had, but I added more salt on my plate.)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2-cup reduced-fat sour cream (needed full fat, a stroganoff packet and maybe some butter.)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Cooked thin egg noodles, for serving
- Chopped fresh dill, for garnish (optional – didn’t bother)
Directions
- In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, toss beef, onion, and mushrooms with 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt and teaspoon pepper. Cover, and cook on low until meat is tender, about 8 hours or on high for 6 hours. (Yes, it will look dry but only for an hour!)
- In a 2-cup glass-measuring cup, whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Ladle 1 cup cooking liquid into measuring cup; whisk to combine. Pour into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, about 1 minute. With slow cooker turned off, stir in cornstarch mixture, then sour cream and mustard. Serve beef over noodles; sprinkle with dill, if desired.
Cook’s Note
If you decide to use an oven instead of the slow cooker, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Follow step 1, using a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid instead of the slow cooker. Add 2 cups water, and cover. Transfer to oven; cook until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Proceed to step 2.
