It's dishes like this that completely bewilder Jeff.
After nearly 26 years of marriage, he's still in awe at the concept of taking a few basic ingredients and transforming them into a piping hot, rich, creamy delicious meal, like this beef stroganoff.
I laugh. It isn't difficult. Just follow the steps and have faith!
Beef stroganoff brings to mind a comedic (and potentially tragic) evening I spent with Jeff shortly after we transitioned into "empty nesters."
It was fall 2012 and mushrooms were abundant in the Italian grocery stores.
I made a batch of beef stroganoff and we were enjoying the heck out of it as we dined peacefully al fresco with a delicious bottle of wine.
We finished our first serving (and most of the wine) and were headed back inside to reload our plates when we realized we had allowed our self-locking front door to close.
Jeff: "You didn't bring the key?"
Bridget: "I thought YOU had it."
So there we were -- outside with empty plates, no keys, no cell phones, no way out of our securely-gated yard, and no way back in the house . . .
. . . unless we broke into the window above the kitchen sink -- two floors up from the backyard (three floors up from the driveway).
Let's be honest here. Naples, Italy has its share of petty crime.
Many houses have multiple security features. In addition to self-locking doors, our house had sturdy shutters over all windows easily accessible from the ground.
Unfortunately, we had all those shutters locked.
Out of options, Jeff did his best Spiderman impression and scaled the house up to the kitchen window.
Holding onto the ledge, he broke the window with some garden tool and climbed in.
Thankfully, Jeff was (is) slim enough to get through that tiny window.
All I could think of as I stood below was how I was going to break Jeff's fall should he lose his grip on that ledge.
No doubt, it would have been disastrous.
As fate would have it, the window he broke was directly in line with, you guessed it, the beef stroganoff. Drat!
So, keep track of your keys when dining al fresco, folks! Enjoy!
4 servings
15 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound beef tenderloin (flank steak can also be used, but tenderloin is preferred)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- ½ pound mushrooms, sliced (I use crimini or baby portobello)
- ½ teaspoon dry tarragon
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 pound wide egg noodles, cooked al dente
- ½ cup minced parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice steak across grain into thin slices -- 1 inch wide, 2 inches long (it might be easier to slice if steak is slightly frozen)
- Generously season with salt and pepper
- Heat half of the butter in large skillet over medium-high heat
- Quickly brown steak
- Remove browned steak to a plate and set aside
- Add onions to the same skillet and cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove the onions to the same plate with the steak.
- Add the remaining butter to the skillet and cook the mushrooms for about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle tarragon over mushrooms.
- Reduce heat to low. Add sour cream.
- Cook on low for 2 minutes
- Add beef and onions.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt/pepper if needed
- Serve over wide egg noodles tossed with parsley
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