Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff  (from http://guiltykitchen.com/2011/01/11/beef-stroganoff/)

Yield: 2-3 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

13 oz beef steak (hanger, skirt, strip, rib eye, sirloin...) sliced VERY thin. (mine was already cooked but it would be better raw)

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 small onions (or one small onion and two  small shallots), sliced into strips or diced

12 oz crimini or button mushrooms, quartered  (I used sliced brown button mushrooms)

1 clove garlic, minced or grated

sea or kosher salt to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 tbsp paprika

1 cup beef stock (I used water)
1/2 cup red wine (I used apothic red, it was good but it should be reduced to 1/4 - 1/3 c)

2/3 cup sour cream (full fat or light)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 small sour pickle, julienned (optional) (I did not use these)

1. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a heavy bottomed, deep sided sauté pan or Dutch oven.

2. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5-10 minutes or until they are slightly golden in colour. Sprinkle with flour and stir to combine. Pour in stock and redwine, add 1/2 tsp salt, stirring to ensure there are no lumps. Allow flour to cook for 2-4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside. (Save yourself from dirtying two pans by completely removing onions from pan and setting in a bowl or other dish.)

3.  Season sliced beef with salt, pepper and paprika.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in pan on high heat. Add mushrooms and brown for about 2-3 minutes. Add meat and sear for two minutes.
5. Add onion/stock mix to mushrooms. Stir in sour cream and Worcestershire, and remove from heat.
6. Serve over fresh pasta (recipe follows) or store bought egg noodles cooked to package directions (al dente). Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and julienned pickles if desired.

Fresh Egg Pasta

Yield: 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 3-5 minutes

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup semolina flour
4 large eggs

1. Remove all jewelery on the hands and wrists! Believe me, you don’t want to have them anywhere near this stuff.
2. In a bowl, mix the two flours until well combined. Pour out onto a clean, dry surface and form a well by making a depression in the pile.

3. Crack the eggs into the well and dig in with your hands, mixing the egg into the flour.

4. Continue mixing until you have so much egg and flour stuck to your hands you can’t stand it anymore. Scrape off your hands, go wash them and return to the business at hand. Continue to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.

5. Form into a ball, cover in a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes- 2 hours.

6. When ready to roll out, flour the surface to be rolled on very well. Also rub some flour on the dough and continue to do so well you roll it out. Cut the dough into two pieces and either run through a pasta machine until thin or roll out with a rolling pin until quite thin (Even your kids can help!). The preferred shape for this dish is long and about 1 cm in width. I use a pizza cutter to slice it, but a knife works equally well.

7. Lay the pasta, once cut, onto a broom handle laying across the kitchen or somewhere else you can hang your pasta. This prevents it from sticking together and becoming unusable. (Wash the handle first!)

8. Bring a large pot 2/3 full of water to a boil, add 1-2 tsp of salt and add pasta. Boil for 3-5 minutes for al dente. Check the pasta by fishing a piece out and biting it. Is it to the desired consistency? If so drain and serve!