A Healthier Beef Stroganoff

It was during the “ultimate comfort food era,” the 1950’s, when Beef Stroganoff migrated from its origin in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to the United States.  Sautéed pieces of beef were served in a sauce with “smetana” or sour cream, and mushrooms.  

The story goes that a culinary competition was held in the 1890’s, during Czarist times, when a daring chef concocted this savory dish.  The chef was employed by a high-ranking noble family, the Stroganov’s.  They were wealthy beyond belief with, at one time, having 155,000 serfs on the 6.5 million acres the family owned. 

The creative chef named the dish in honor of his patron, Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov and took away first prize.  A spin on the Beef Storganoff story is that it was created specifically for the Count because he had lost his teeth and was unable to chew a steak.

This version is a delicious dish that really took us by surprise.  The recipe is from The New American Heart Association Cookbook.  It is packed with delectable flavors and I will be making this Beef Stroganoff again!!!

Here's the recipe:

Lighter Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 pound beef tenderloin, boneless round steak, or boneless sirloin

½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound button mushrooms, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups fat-free, no-salt-added beef broth

2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon dried dillweed

1/3 cup fat-free or light sour cream

Method:

Discard all visible fat from meat and slice into thin strips about 2-inches long; sprinkle with pepper.

Pour oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook mushrooms for 2-3 minutes, or until tender; transfer to a plate.

Cook onion in same skillet for 3-4 minutes, or until brown; add to the mushrooms.

Put meat in skillet and brown on all sides until rare, about 3 minutes; add to mushrooms.

Put flour in skillet; gradually pour in broth, whisking constantly.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until thickened, whisking constantly.

Reduce heat to low.

Whisk in remaining ingredients except the sour cream.

Stir in the mushroom mixture.

Cook for 15 minutes.

Put sour cream in a small bowl.

Stir in a small amount of meat mixture and add to the skillet.

Cook for 5 minutes, or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Serve over noodles or rice.

It’s DELICIOUS!!!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and delicious easy recipes! 

Homemade Gravlax

I can't believe how hands-off easy gravlax is to make!

Gravlax is expensive to buy but I learned it is very easy to make after reading Stephen's post about it. Check it out here @theobsessivechef. If you love salmon and haven't done this before, you should try it. Gravlax is not to be confused with lox, which is smoked, not just cured.

You only need a very fresh filet of salmon, some salt, a little sugar and dill; weighting it down and refrigerating it for 2-3 days, turning it every 12 hours. However, it takes a whole lot of patience for the time it takes to cure. The salmon turns into a silky smooth delicious delicacy. Since I'm a pepper addict, the only thing different I did to Stephan’s recipe was add a heaping tablespoon of coarse ground black pepper. In regards to weighting it down: my bacon press, which I never use for bacon, was perfect for the job.

After the gravlax is cured in the refrigerator, rinse it well under cold water and it is ready to enjoy after slicing. I found that slicing gravlax can be a challenge. Since Bill is the one who slices the turkey, roasts, etc., I handed over this task to him. It takes a very sharp knife with a long, thin blade and slicing the salmon against the grain, toward you, to achieve paper-thin slices. If some of the slices don't look great, it's OK ~ it's still delicious!

Gravlax is wonderful served as an appetizer on pumpernickel cocktail bread which has been swiped with cream cheese with chives; spicy mustard, dill butter or a little horseradish sauce. It works for breakfast with cream cheese and bagels or serving it with scrambled eggs and creamed potatoes. Maybe even top it with capers or a tomato slice.

By the way, gravlax means “buried salmon” in Swedish. It refers to the medieval custom of the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian fishermen using a special technique to cure their salmon. They salted and fermented it, burying it in the sand or wooden barrels for a few days or many months in the winter as a method of preserving the fish. The burial produced a smooth buttery aromatic delicacy. I like Stephen's way of doing it better. Thanks Stephen for the recipe!

The cure

Pressed

Ready to slice

Here is Stephen's recipe:

Homemade Gravlax

 1 lb. skin-on salmon filet
2 tbsp kosher salt (or 1 ½ tbsp table salt)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dried dill

Line a glass (or non-reactive) loaf pan with plastic wrap. In a small bowl stir together the salt, sugar and dill.

Cut the salmon into 2 equal-size pieces. Put one piece skin side down in the loaf pan. Scatter half of the curing mix over it. Lay the second piece, skin side up, on piece number one, with the thick side over the thinner side of it. Nestle it together in other words. Sprinkle on the remaining curing mix. Wrap the plastic tightly around the salmon and weight it down with some jars or cans. Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Turn the salmon every 12 hours.

It’s done. Rinse the salmon pieces well under cold water and dry them with paper towels. Wrap in fresh plastic and store in the fridge. It will keep for a number of days, although in our house it don’t last long. To serve, slice against the grain very thinly. Put it on eggs, bruschetta, blanched potato slices, or whatever.

What a great delicious reward for something so effortless!

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Baked Dijon Catfish

"The catfish, is a plenty good enough fish for anyone," according to that master story-teller, Mark Twain.

All you need is a river with plenty of catfish and it seems like most any state in the country could supply that.  Actually, catfish is the largest family of freshwater fish in the United States and most of it that we eat now is farm-raised.  It’s not necessarily the most popular fish but it’s one that is around from homes to restaurants to campfires by the river banks.

Catfish is a great fish that I have fixed in a variety of ways.  I really like it fried but who needs the odor it leaves from deep-frying and all of those calories also?  I was surprised upon coming across a recipe for baked catfish a good while back.  I tried it and we really enjoyed it.  Actually, it’s not the original recipe as I changed a few things and don’t even know now what the original was.

This became my favorite catfish recipe.  It is a wonderful alternative to fried catfish that is easy with the Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese delivering a great tangy finish to the fish.  It’s not a “fishy” fish ~ it’s mouthwatering good!

Here’s the recipe:

Baked Dijon Catfish

Ingredients:

4 catfish filets

Salt and pepper, to taste

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

½ cup corn meal

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Olive oil

Method:

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven.

Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Place catfish in dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Combine the bread crumbs and corn meal in a small bowl.

Add the butter, mustard, cheese, garlic powder, dill and parsley.

Mix well.

Spread the mixture onto the top of each filet.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake until fish is done and starts to flake, about 15-20 minutes.

Place under broiler for additional browning, if desired.

Serve immediately.

ENJOY!!!