Cold Weather Comfort Food
November 6, 2003

Beef stroganoff is the food equivalent of your favorite winter sweater, a hearty comfort meal that’s always first choice for brisk November evenings. I like it for busy nights when my gang eats in shifts, or when I want to treat my friends to something that is at once casual and special. It is a perennial family favorite; even a picky eater like my daughter, Tuckie, would eat this stew everyday if it were offered. The rich flavor comes from the caramelized onions, mushrooms and sherry. You must cook the onions on medium heat until they are nicely browned and shiny, this is the signal that they have released their natural sugars. Caramelization takes 15-20 minutes, with a little stirring. The next step is to deglaze the pan by pouring one third cup of a good quality sherry into the pan over heat. Using a wooden spatula, scrape up all the browned bits; these gems are loaded with color and flavor. By repeating this process with the mushrooms and the meat, you’ll be utilizing a simple technique that is a chef’s secret for building complex flavor into a basic sauce; the extra effort will take your cooking to the next level of flavor and sophistication. (A nice vegetarian alternative is to substitute chunky cut portabella mushrooms for the meat.)

Tuckie’s Beef Stroganoff
Use a large non-stick sauté pan:

• 1 large yellow onion, diced. Heat pan on medium heat, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and cook onion until caramelized. Deglaze with 1/3 cup of good sherry. Scrape every molecule into a glass bowl, reserve.
• 1 pound sliced mushrooms. Repeat step one. Add to reserved onions.
• 1 pound sirloin steak cut into bite sized chunks. Heat the pan to medium–hi and sear the meat 2 minutes, moving chunks vigorously in the pan and scraping up browned bits. Deglaze with 1/3 cup sherry, let it simmer on medium heat.
• Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1/3 cup Dijon mustard, and 3 tablespoons of crème fraiche or full fat sour cream. Stir well.
• Add 4 minced garlic cloves and the reserved onions and mushrooms
• Stir and simmer for 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour mixture into a covered casserole dish. Keeps well for up to three days at this point.
• 1 pound of extra-wide egg noodles
• To serve, heat in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve over cooked noodles. Serves six.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008