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! 

Mom's Shrimp-stuffed Mushrooms

I have had my fair share of stuffed mushrooms and these are some of the best! There is no party food quite like stuffed mushrooms. Even those who aren’t mushroom aficionados are surprised how good they are when they try a stuffed mushroom cap at a party. They are always a huge hit at parties and with the Super Bowl being a week from today, they would be just perfect. 

This is another of Mom’s great recipes.  Mushrooms were one of her favorite foods, right up there with strawberries and we were served mushrooms of different versions often.  These mushroom caps are stuffed with a heavenly mixture of shrimp and cheese, and then baked until they are a sizzling, golden color.  They are easy to make too!

Shrimp-stuffed Mushrooms are a great tasty morsel that would be perfect for almost any occasion.  OK, maybe not breakfast, but they would fill the bill at brunch, as an appetizer before a formal dinner or a cook-out in your back yard.  I bet you won’t be able to eat just one!

Shrimp-stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1½ tablespoon finely minced onion

2 tablespoons butter

½ cup finely chopped shrimp

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

3 tablespoons sherry, divided

2 teaspoons parsley flakes

Dash salt

12 large mushrooms

Small shrimp

Method:

Wipe mushrooms with paper towel and remove stems.

In medium skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender.

Remove from heat, stir in shrimp, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, crumbs, 2 tablespoons sherry, parsley and salt.

Stuff mushrooms caps with shrimp mixture.

Place on baking sheet.

Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sherry, 3 tablespoons Parmesan.

Broil 5”–6” from heat source for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

 Serve hot, garnished with shrimp and parsley.

Just pop ‘em in your mouth and swoon!  Yum!