stroganoff
June 16, 2014 § 87 Comments
A ribbony Pappardelle pasta dish, lovely and creamy with a modest hint of mustard and dill.
Yes I realize it is grilling season and that is exactly why I picked up beef tenderloin at the market the other day. However, living in the Pacific Northwest leaves you with many options when it comes to seasonal cooking. Because of our mild weather we have the opportunity to grill in the winter (on Christmas day!) cook soups on the hottest days of summer (our average high last summer was 73°F), and make beef stroganoff on a cloudy and cool June afternoon.
Apparently this Russian dish became all the rage in the United States during the 50’s and was considered a gourmet dinner party favorite. In the spirit of vintage, perhaps this delicious rendering will inspire your next small gathering menu. After all, entertaining should be comfortable, simple, slow and meaningful.
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 1 and a 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, well trimmed and cut into 1 x 1 squares
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1 pound small crimini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 3/4 cup crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- small handful chopped fresh dill
- 16 ounces pappardelle pasta
- 1 tablespoon paprika
Pat meat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat until very hot. Working in batches, add meat in single layer and cook just until brown on outside, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped shallots and sauté until tender, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with pepper and sauté until liquid evaporates, about 12 minutes. Add wine and allow to evaporate a bit, then add beef stock. Simmer until liquid thickens and just coats mushrooms, about 15 minutes. Stir in crème fraîche and Dijon mustard. Add meat and any accumulated juices from baking sheet. Simmer over medium-low heat until meat is heated through but still medium-rare, about 2 minutes. Stir in chopped dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide noodles among plates. Top with beef and sauce. Sprinkle generously with paprika.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
Wonderful comforting dish, the ingredients you used to create your base is perfect. Love the thickness of the pappardelle noodles, one of my favorites. Great recipe!
Thank you Cheri. :) Pappardelle noodles are fast becoming my favorite noodle too. I just love the wide ribbons and the consistency seems to be a bit more heavenly than fettuccine, wouldn’t you say?
A classic, a timeless classic which I make often, as it’s one of my beloved husband’s favorite dishes ever!
Pappardelle noodles go perfectly with it…. and your photo is spectacular… very elegant!
Yes, I agree…timeless classic! I can see why your husband loves stroganoff. It’s so wonderfully creamy and I love the steak in it too, especially if a good tender cut is used. This was the first time I used dill and dijon in the recipe and it was fantastic. Thank you for your kind compliment regarding the photo. :)
Can i come live with you, not just for that delicious stroganoff, I’m jealous of the wonderful weather. Love temperate climate, 73 on average sounds pretty good to me as does grilling comfortably in the winter. Seriously, I love stroganoff, yours sounds amazing.
I know! For the past few years we find ourselves commenting on how mild the seasons have become here in Seattle. No snow or freezing temps in the winter and when we hear of 110 degrees in other parts of the US our gauge reads 75! It’s my kind of weather for sure. I lived in the high desert for years and it was always sunny and very dry. I’ll take cool and cloudy…just like a hefeweizen! :)
Oh me too. Cloudy and on the cool side us just great for me. NYC summers are horrible hot and humid and the winters can be brutal too give me your weather and I’d be a happy camper
This is one of my most favorite meals, Seana. You’ve done it up right, my love… It’s always a special treat for me, because I never really make it. you know… fuss budgets in the house and all… :-)
I love everything about this photo..you have the neatest things!
Wonderful post! Wonderful recipe… I just might have to make this, fuss budgets or not, because now I’m very hungry for Stroganoff!! Just perfect. <3 Hope all is well.. <3
Sorry to hear about fuss budgets! That’s no fun at all, and here you are writing such a beautiful blog with fuss budgets around. Phooey on them! :) I was just told “enough pasta” but guess what? I’m going to keep making pasta. (I will just make a smaller quantity for myself only) Hope all is well for you as well… xx
My grandmother says that the weather has learnt to be unpredictable as we all are…. for a certain point of view she’s right. We cannot do anything against the weather, except enjoying dish like yours! It looks very tasty!
You grandmother is right. I happen to love all kinds of weather and take it as it comes, even if that means change my dinner menu in the split of a moment. Hmmm, that a bit unpredictable isn’t it! :)
Love this dish.
Thank you Jovina. :)
Love this post! You are exactly right with our mild climate. I’ve only eaten this dish a few times, so thanks for the reminder. Have a great week.
You have a great week yourself Dave! I love the weather right now…it’s perfect!
Pappardelle is the PERFECT pasta for this. Do you know that I actually credit Hamburger Helper for turning me onto stroganoff? Thankfully, I’ve evolved from there, but that little gloved guy is responsible for my love affair to this day. Thanks for posting!
Hamburger Helper?! Oh wow! I have never even tried it, but we used to have neighbors who cooked it 3 or 4 times a week. We lived in an apartment building and our shared wall was our kitchens! You can only imagine where I’m going with this…. Cute branding though!
I LOVE stroganoff! I requested it every year for my birthday as a child. But my mom (having 6 kids to feed) made the hamburger version with “cream of” cans. As an adult, I make a no-can version. Your take looks delicious!
There were 6 kids in our family too! But never all living in the house at the same time. Actually I think this would be really nice using hamburger. I love stroganoff too! These egg pappardelle noodles were fantastic! Nice to hear from you. :)
Yummy but the pigeon or whatever is on the place mat startled me! :-)
Ha! Sorry to startle you. It’s a peacock! :)
Love stroganoff and haven’t had it in years. Thanks for bringing me back in touch with a childhood favorite. I’m going to make it later this week.
Hi Heike. This is a good one, you’ll love it. I bought the pappardelle at TJ’s (most likely you get your’s there too). First time I used dill and dijon in stroganoff and it’s fantastic. Let me know if you make it and what you think! Missed you today!
Your avian dinner guest looks hungry!
:) I thought the same thing when I first saw the photograph. She looks like she’s looking right at the stroganoff. At least I think it’s a “she” because of the strand of pearls around her neck…
Beef Stroganoff is popular in my house (I use Thomas Keller’s recipe), it’s a lot of work but goodness is it delicious! Yours looks just wonderful!
Thank you. I’ll have to look up Thomas Keller’s recipe. I certainly love stroganoff…
Can I come over, please?! I am always slayed by your recipes, Seana, I print them out and debate endlessly about which recipe I can make and when and who for. My husband is also a big fan. I love a good Stroganoff, but have never tried to make it myself, though now I really want to stew some beef in the 75 degree weather here. Funny, like you, I’ve been making “cold” weather food during this milder summer; lots of soups at my table lately. In fact, on the hottest days here (which happens never), all I want is a piping hot bowl of noodles. Thank you for the lovely recipe and what is that birdie in the background? It shocked me a little when my eyes focused and I saw that….
Wish you would come over Ngan! And bring along some of your delicious spring rolls. I’m still thinking about them. Thank you so much for your sweet comment. You know, for me, weather really doesn’t play into my cooking too much. It is more about my mood and what I feel like preparing. I really had every intention to grill the steak, but I just didn’t feel like lighting the charcoal and going through that whole rigmarole! And I really felt like fixing pappardelle noodles. Funny the peacock shocked you a little. It was part of my plan! :) It’s actually a print I have hanging in my kitchen. I get so many reactions from it. It a painting by Michael Sowa and I have always admired it. Some don’t admire it so much…but it’s fun!
This is my father’s favorite dish … he asks for it every Father’s Day.
Ooooh, that’s great! Did you have it yesterday on Father’s day? :)
I adore Beef Stroganoff Seana and was only just thinking of it last night (it was a dish that my Mum used to make quite a lot when we were growing up… for dinner parties and sometimes just for the family). I’ll be keen to try your recipe for sure! :) Funnily enough I’m also making fresh pasta today, for the first time in ages. Previous tries didn’t pan out too well, so fingers crossed for today’s effort!
Interesting you were just thinking about beef stroganoff last night. My mom never made it and now that I think about it I am so surprised she didn’t. This seems like a dish that would have been in her repertoire for sure. Finger’s are crossed your pasta turns out and hopefully we’ll be seeing the results in photographs! :)
I love that you show why people loved the dish in the first place (before ruined by mixes, shortcuts and such). Looks absolutely delicious.
Funny enough the store bought mixes for stroganoff never crossed my mind! Didn’t even realize Hamburger Helper had a stroganoff “flavor”. Egad! I’ll stick with my crème fraîche version for sure.
Wish I had these ingredients on hand to make this for dinner which needs to be ready pretty quick. It looks so inviting and delicious!! I’m putting it on my recipe to do list. thanks Seana!
Don’t you just love it Rhonda when you are catching up on your reader and you come across a recipe and happen to have all the ingredients on hand? Can’t tell you how many times this has happened. Wish you had everything you need to make this tonight. And hopefully you come back later and make it! :) Thank you!
Yep, I’d love to give it a try. I know your recipes always turn out well!!
First of all, GREAT recipe. Truly my kind of food. This must all melt in one’s mouth… Second, I love the background of your set up here. I do have this painting in my office. She is staring at me right now with her pearls! LOVE IT!
Well, you just made my day. :) I adore the white peacock!
Alright, that’s done it. I’m making stroganoff this week thanks to this post… that and duck thanks to cookinginsens… there is some damn fine food getting around blogland at the moment! Makes it hard not to become a fat bastard that’s for sure!
Smiley face
Couldn’t agree with you more about the fine food getting around right now. Now I have to go check out Rosemary’s duck post! Do post your stroganoff, I’d love to see your version. :)
Rodger that!
Wow, we are so agreeable!
:)
Your Stroganoff looks succulent :)
Thank you… :)
That Dill must add a delicious freshness to it, great idea!
Yes, and nice subtle flavor too, along with the dijon. :) Thank you Marie…
Pappardelle must be a favorite pasta of yours. It is a lovely noodle!
Yes it is. Thank you for stopping in Dolly. :)
Oh – I just love this old classic and am so happy for the beautiful reminder of it. Now it will no doubt show up soon on my chalkboard menu and everyone will thank you!
Am also smitten with pappardelle pasta. Big honking pasta you can really get into. ;)
Yay! I love it when I make the chalkboard menu. Someday you’ll have to post a photograph of your chalkboard menu. I would love to have a picture of it in my mind. :)
Your version looks fantastic but I will keep this tasty recipe for in Wintertime,…Ooh yes! x
Thank you. :)
X😀
I haven’t made a good stroganoff in years! Thanks for the inspiration. It was one of my favourite meals as a child, and I still love it. Yours looks gorgeous with the massive pappardelle ribbons and dill garnish. Happy to have an excuse to whip out the crème fraîche too. Yum! I always pick up new US words on your blog Seana. Have enjoyed consulting Mr Google for crimini mushrooms (Swiss Browns here in Aus) and beef tenderloin (eye fillet)!
Ahh, isn’t stroganoff one of the loveliest comforting meals you can imagine? Creamy, beefy and the massive pappardelle ribbons were the star of the show here. Well, the “eye fillet” was a close contender. Thank you for stopping in Saskia. It is always so wonderful to see your thoughtful comments.
This dish looks amazing! I love stroganoff served with pasta- so delicious!
Your stroganoff looks perfectly creamy and delish, Seana. Can I come over, too??? :D
Beautifully done. This photographs sooo well.
It is always a treat to visit your blog, Seana. You have very many creative and delectable dishes, one-after-another!
Aw Fae! It was so nice to see your presence here today. I appreciate your blog so much and it is truly wonderful to receive such a lovely comment from you. Thank you. :)
This is such a good combination of ingredients. Recipes like this will never age. And always as good as the first time you make it. Hmm, have I ever bothered to make it? I’ve made most of the classics at some stage. Just never seem to remember them all! Anyway, sounds like your summer highs are like where I am. And probably slightly warmer. Especially this year. Supposed to be nice this weekend so I’d better dust off the SPF 50 – if I can find it.
Hey thank you for stopping in! I think our weather patterns are the same, sun is coming out this weekend here too. Looking forward to a little sun, finally.
Stunning post Seana. I love the thick ribbons of pappardelle and this gorgeously creamy stroganoff recipe (I have not eaten stroganoff for YEARS! I don’t even know why!). Definitely giving it a go very soon. Perfect for this cold weather we’re getting in Aussieland. Oh, and I have to mention the backdrop – is it a placemat with a bird on it? A tablecloth? I love it in either case! x
Thank you so much Laura. The backdrop in the stroganoff photograph is actually a painting I have hanging on my kitchen wall. It’s a white peacock with a strand of white pearls around her neck. :) It’s one of my favorites!
love me some stroganoff :-) Was always my birthday dish of choice growing up, though don’t imagine my mom’s (a good cook, but not a great one) version looked like yours. For sure she didn’t use the creme fraiche and dill. Looks divine.
I hearing stroganoff was a popular birthday dish for folks as they were growing up! I love that. I don’t even think I was given a choice for a birthday dinner! :) or rather :( ?
Gosh, I remember those days. I still cook this now! A real classic combination. And also, when I was a veggie for some years, made minus the beef to make mushroom stroganoff, which is equally delicious.
I think if I didn’t use a very tender cut of beef I would just leave it out and have it be mushroom stroganoff. I can imagine how delicious and creamy! I didn’t grow up eating stroganoff, it is a new dish for me and I love it.
This looks amazing, I have never made stroganoff at home before, love to order it out. Guess I’ll be giving this a try!
Hey thank you for your comment! Nice to see you here today. :)
What a great way to satisfy a beef craving. Looks so good!
Funny you should say so. I definitely get beef cravings. I happen to have one today and had to run out to the market and picked up some steaks! :)
Have not heard of those noodles. Will definitely try them, and the dish look lovely ~
Hey there! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Looking forward to reading more about your running adventures and wonderful looking recipes!
The meat lovers in my family love this dish and occasionally I will make it but usually in the fall/winter. I have always served it with egg noodles but I like your idea using pappardelle :)
Yes, I heard stroganoff is typically served with egg noodles and I would like to try that too. I am curious if egg noodles are richer than the pappardelle. Thank you for visiting. :)
Both noodles are egg based and richer than many noodles. I think the main difference is the width and you can buy egg noodles in many different widths and even yolkless! I like to use pappardelle with a marinara sauce :)
I LOVE Stroganoff but have always used broad egg noodles … I will try the pappardelle now though … looks spectacular !! Thx for sharing !!
I can’t go near stroganoff–and this looks good! It’s like walking inexorably toward the edge of the cliff and the beautiful young woman hovering just beyond the lip keeps singing, calling you forward. Ken
Nice. It is quite seductive isn’t it! :)
My aunt visited the USSR during the cold war (she was with a small delegation, which was very rare) and brought back a stroganoff recipe, which I’ve been making ever since. It’s a bit different than yours, but your creme fraiche recipe sounds enchanting, and I think I’ll have to try it.
I made my stroganoff a couple years ago for friends, who professed to love stroganoff, and they appeared to be very polite about it – it wasn’t until later I realized that a lot of people have a completely different idea of what stroganoff is – a thick, white sauce with hamburger.
Stroganoff is served with different items depending on what area of the world its made in. The stroganoff my Aunt made was served to her in Russia over rice, of all things, so that’s how I serve mine, although I do like it over noodles, too.
How interesting to serve it on rice. I have never heard of that before. If you can imagine I have only had stroganoff twice in my life. Once made by a friend and it was sensational. I had to try and was very happy with this recipe. Although…not too frugal is it! Using tenderloin and creme fraiche is not cutting cost. I am in serious need of a grocery shopping makeover! Sometimes I leave the store in sticker shock. It’s a difficult task for me to shop economically although I would love to cut my grocery bill significantly. It’s unimaginable how expensive it is to shop for wholesome food for my family. Perhaps it is city living (Seattle) that makes food so expensive, like everything else! :)
I live in the twin cities and food is expensive here, too, but Seattle seems to be an especially pricey area to live in. We’re a little backwards here and anything beyond a “stock” grocery store ingredient has to be searched out and we pay dearly for it.
I’ve also noticed a sharp rise in pricing in general in the last year – guess the recession really IS over. Sometimes I just stop in the store without a plan and without a list and experience sticker shock – the bags are always fewer and lighter! And of course, I always have to go back, again for the item I went for originally and forgot to buy…ha ha!
Creme Fraiche can be fermented overnight, by the way, and is every bit as good, if not better than the store bought. My aunt’s recipe calls for actual cream, soured. She used to leave it out on the counter the day before, but as we learned more about food safety, I started to sour mine in the fridge with a little vinegar. That’s why I’m particularly keen to try the creme fraiche – grocery store sour cream just isn’t what it used to be…
And while tenderloin is, I think, the best cut for this, I usually take a few fillets out of the tenderloin and then use the scrappier tail for this, and I often make mine with Sirloin or even London Broil – I sear it in a very hot skillet so it gets some color and remove it when it’s very slightly pink in the center. I spread it out on a large plate so it doesn’t steam. By the time it goes back in it’s cooked the rest of the way through, slightly rested and is still tender. But if you go even a HAIR too far? Shoe leather…
The flavor seems a bit beefier, but it is NOT as silky as tenderloin.
Gosh, please forgive me for going on and on…lol!
:) You can go on and on! I really enjoy reading your comments! Nice idea about the creme fraiche. I’d be willing to try it for sure! I don’t buy it too often, but if I can save a few dollars I’m in. Also, I seem to destroy the less expensive cuts of meat! Shoe leather for sure. I just need to get a little more practice in and I’ll try your method with the searing. Tenderloin is so forgiving and yes…silky. I seem to justify the $20 per lb. price because we don’t eat much beef at all. At the most twice a month! Maybe that’s not being frugal at all! :) Very nice to hear from you!