Velvety Beef Stroganoff

This is a combination of both my husband's and my mother's excellent recipes, and has a wonderful sauce for oodles of noodles or cooked rice. The secret of the "velvety beef" is in the preparation of the meat! :) The texture is quite a bit different from what you might be used to, so you might want to try it both ways. In any case, the stroganoff is delicious either with or without the special meat preparation. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs beef, sliced thinly
• 2  tablespoons baking soda
• 1⁄4 cup  room temperature water
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 3  tablespoons butter
• 1  large onion, chopped
• 2 -3  garlic cloves, crushed (more if you like garlic)
• 1⁄2 lb mushroom, sliced thin (Julie prefers crimini, baby portabellos! (or more)
• 2  tablespoons flour
• 1  cup hot water
• 2  teaspoons beef bouillon powder or 2  teaspoons beef bouillon cubes
• 2  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  cup white wine
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  good quality paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 1⁄2 cups sour cream
•  cooked noodles or  cooked rice, for serving

Directions

1. Slice beef very thinly across the grain and place in ceramic or glass bowl.
2. Mix together the baking soda and 1/4 cup water, then pour it over the beef. Stir well and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter into oil and sauté onions on low heat for about 10 minutes until golden. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes (add a little wine for moisture if needed).
4. Remove the sliced beef from the bowl and rinse it well under running cold water in a colander; let drain.
5. Add well-drained beef to the cooked mushroom mixture and sauté another 10 minutes. Please note that when you add the beef it will make the sauce foam - this is to be expected and will subside somewhat.
6. Sprinkle flour in and stir until everything is coated.
7. Dissolve the granulated bouillon (or two cubes) in the 1 cup hot water, and add this plus the Worcestershire, bay leaf, wine, paprika, and white pepper to the meat mixture.
8. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, tasting it periodically until any "floury" taste is gone.
9. When you are close to serving, take it off the heat and add the sour cream, careful not to curdle, and stir well. Remove the bay leaf.
10. Serve with cooked noodles or rice (or for those eating lowcarb, lots of sautéed mushrooms).
11. The stroganoff can also be made with venison for a tasty variation! Various cuts of beef can be used - use whatever you have, but make sure to slice it thinly across the grain - steaks, roast, tenderloin (I usually end up with approximately 1-inch strips that are about 3 or 4 inches long).
12. The "secret" in this recipe that makes it so special is treatment of the meat with the baking soda. It ensures a wonderfully tender and velvety beef (you can use the same process with your Mongolian Beef recipe to get the same texture that the restaurants achieve).