Amped-Up Beef Stroganoff: Ideal dish for Valentine’s Day
PRIMED to romance your certain someone on Valentine’s Day? Nothing says “I love you” more persuasively than a home-cooked meal. This one-pot noodle dish, a variation on Beef Stroganoff, is the ideal messenger.
We’re gonna treat it with a little more respect in this recipe for Amped-Up Beef Stroganoff. To start, the basics remain unchanged — thin slices of beef fillet topped with a sauce of fresh mushrooms and sour cream, all of it ladled over noodles. But the umami has been beefed up — and the taste intensified — with dried mushrooms, tomato paste and Dijon mustard. Also, the noodles are cooked in the sauce, which makes them that much more delicious.
Ideally, your steak of choice will be beef fillet — it is Valentine’s Day, after all — but if you don’t want to splurge, you can swap in less expensive cuts. And if you can’t find dried porcini, you’ll be fine with dried shiitakes or a mix of dried mushrooms. In truth, any dried mushroom packs a one-two punch, contributing not only itself, but also the savory liquid generated when it’s rehydrated. That mushroom liqueur makes a lip-smacking base for any sauce.
Amped-up beef stroganoff
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini, rinsed
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces filet mignon cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or onion
4 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons thyme
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 cup dry red wine
4 ounces egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Chopped parsley for garnish
In a small saucepan combine the porcini mushrooms and the beef broth and bring the mixture just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mushrooms steep for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine strainer, reserving it, and chop the mushrooms.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium- high heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Sear the meat quickly on all sides and transfer it to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallot to the skillet and cook stirring until softened; add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Add the garlic, thyme, tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Add the red wine, reserved broth, 1 1/2 cups water, the chopped porcini (or shiitakes) and the noodles to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just al dente, about 10 minutes, adding additional water if necessary to keep the noodles partly submerged. Stir in the sour cream, Dijon and lemon juice; adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the beef and beef juices and simmer just until the meat is heated, about 1 minute. Serve right away, sprinkled with the parsley. (AP)
