Beef Stroganoff

Tags

beef stew, beef stroganoff, classic Russian dish, egg noodles with stew, mushroom stew, porcini mushrooms, Sochi Olympics, stew

I love the Olympics! LOVE! Ever since I was a young child, I remember thinking how special they were. Was it because they only happened every four years? Or was it because it seemed like the whole wide world had their eye on this one special event, together, united. Wasn’t it the Beijing Olympics whose theme was “One World, One Dream”? Perhaps this is why I always seem to shed a few tears as I watch the Olympics. Including the Opening Ceremony! It never fails. For this one moment, the world comes together as one, ignoring all boundaries, regardless of race, religion, social class or political stance. Yes, we support our country, but we also unite, in search of that one outstanding performance. We’re all waiting with baited breath for that elite athlete to do the unthinkable, no matter what country they represent. I remember during the Summer Olympics two years ago, my cousins were visiting from Italy. They knew the exact day of the men’s 100 and 200 metre race. That day, everyone was running in and out of the cottage, glancing at the TV screen, making sure not to miss the event. We all wanted to see that one man, just as the entire world did as well, Usain Bolt. Oh, and what a day that was! And of course, I cried. My girls don’t get it. “But mama, they won! Why are you crying?” So in honour of the Opening Ceremony this Friday of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, how about a classic Russian dish to celebrate the occasion.

Seeing as I have quite the stash of dried porcini mushrooms, I thought I’d add some to this dish, along with its soaking liquid. An extra depth of flavour wouldn’t hurt this one bit. If you haven’t got them on-hand, no worries. You can do without.

Instead of using just cream and making it super rich, I lightened it up a tad with some thick yogurt. The egg noodles could be any variety. Egg tagliatelle or linguine would work beautifully. I chose what I knew my girls would like best.

Beef Stroganoff 

large handful of dried porcini mushrooms, about 1 oz.

2 lb. of stewing beef

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons of butter

salt & pepper

1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of Hungarian Paprika

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

2 or 3 Bay leaves

3 cups of beef stock, or 4 if not using dried Porcini mushrooms

Porcini liquid, about 1 cup

½ cup of red wine

½ lb. of button mushrooms, cut in ½

½ cup of thick yogurt

½ cup of 35% cream

½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 lb. of egg noodles

sour cream for serving, optional

Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in hot water for about 15 minutes. Chop the porcini and reserve the liquid.

The stewing beef usually comes in pieces that are way too big, and not always evenly cut. Cut them in half, perhaps even more, so that you have pieces that are more or less 1 to 1½ inches all around. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large casserole over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and butter. When hot, brown the meat in 2 batches, for about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove and transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the porcini and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the beef pieces and any juices in the plate. Add the paprika and stir.

Add the porcini liquid, beef stock, wine, tomato paste, dijon and bay leaves. Give it a good stir, bring to a simmer and cover. Let it cook for 2½ to 3 hours, until the beef pieces are nice and tender. Mine was ready after 2½ hours. At that point, add the button mushrooms and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and yogurt. Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.

Cook the egg noodles. When ready, strain and return to its cooking pot. Add some butter to the noodles, stir, and set aside until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, add some noodles to a dish or bowl and ladle the beef stroganoff over the top. If you like, you can add a dollop of sour cream and garnish with additional fresh parsley. Priyatnogo appetite! That’s Bon Appetit in Russian. I think! Go Team Canada!

My Dad’s Risotto con Porcini

Tags

mushroom risotto, porcini mushroom risotto, porcini mushrooms, risotto, risotto con porcini, vegetarian risotto

Having been pretty much raised by my dad, most of what I know about Neopolitan food comes from him. My mom passed away when I was 8 years old, which left my father to raise 3 children on his own. Having lived most of his life being cared for by either his own mother or his wife, he suddenly found himself on the other side of the table. Not knowing much about cooking, he had no choice but to jump in blindly and make sure we were fed. And fed we were!

He was an amazing cook. Truly. I can clearly remember his oh, so delicious stuffed peppers, which to this day I cannot seem to recreate. Perhaps I’m chasing a futile memory. And his lasagne. He would wake up early Sunday morning to make his tomato sauce. Then he would patiently roll tiny little meatballs to fill his lasagne with. Out of this world! I’m not sure how he managed to make such delicious food and I was too young to realize at the time what an undertaking this must have been for him. Fortunately, he was able to retire in his early 40’s to take care of me. I say fortunately, but it did come at a price. Having left Italy after World War II to work in the coal mines of Belgium, he was able to receive a substantial Belgian pension all because of his sick lungs.

One of my favourite dishes that my dad made was his Risotto con funghi Porcini. Porcini mushroom risotto. I’m not sure how he came to make such a delicious Northern Italian dish, but oh man it was good! So much so that I would request that dish as my birthday meal time and time again. It was the last birthday meal he made for me, when I was pregnant with my first, before he passed away. In my mind, I never imagined my dad not being there. I took it for granted that he would always make his risotto for me and therefore I never learned how he made it. Lucky for me though, my hubby did. Hubby would sit at the kitchen table and watch my father make his risotto. He watched and took notes of everything my dad did, timing his every move. And I am ever so thankful. It was hubby who took over with the making of this favourite dish of mine. There were many birthdays that I requested this dish and hubby came through every time. Funny thing is, I never made this dish myself. I can’t explain why. It’s my comfort dish. And I think it was all the more comforting because it was made by my dad, and then my hubby. Last night, I finally came around and decided to have a go at it. And you wouldn’t believe what hubby said. “Wow! It’s better than the one I make. Your dad would be really proud!”.

My Dad’s Risotto con Porcini

4 or 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

2 or 3 shallots, minced

Dry porcini mushrooms, a small handful

2 cups of Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice

½ cup or so of white wine

6 to 7 cups of chicken stock, warm

1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, maybe a little more

Salt & pepper to taste

A few notes on the ingredients. You can use frozen porcini if they’re available, although I found them to be nowhere as flavourful as the dried porcini. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh porcini where you live, by all means use them.

I mentioned 6 to 7 cups of warm chicken stock. Because I use the soaking water of the porcini mushrooms, which I encourage you to do seeing as all the mushroom flavour is in there, I really only needed about 6 cups of stock. My theory when it comes to cooking with wine: use one good enough that you would drink. Trust me when I say there’s nothing better than having a glass of wine while making this risotto as you pretty much need to hover over it and constantly be stirring. It’s really not that bad if you’re sipping a good wine! My dad made his own wine and therefore used his, which was a heavy-bodied wine. I use whatever white wine I have on-hand, which this time around happened to be a BC Chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley, Mission Hill.

Begin by soaking the dry porcini mushrooms in a small bowl with about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of warm water. Let soak for about 15 minutes and then chop the mushrooms, reserving the mushroom water.

In a medium-sized pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and shallots. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and then add the rice, stirring, ensuring that it gets coated with oil.

After about 3 minutes, add the white wine and stir. Wait until it has been absorbed by the rice, and then add the mushroom water. Once that has been absorbed, begin to add the warm chicken stock, ½ cup at a time. My ladle holds about ½ of liquid so it worked out perfectly. As you add your ½ cup of stock, you do need to keep stirring. I mean you need to constantly keep stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to add ½ cup of stock at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice mixture is creamy and al dente. This will happen after about 6 cups of stock, but do check it after 5 ½ cups.

Once it’s done, al dente, remove from heat and stir in the parmesan. Check for salt and season with pepper. Serve immediately, sprinkled with freshly grated parmigiano over the top. Oh, so cheesy-creamy yummy! Mmmm!