Beef Stroganoff!

Beef Stroganoff is definitely one of our family favorites.  It's not exactly a southern dish per se, but it is a dish we have been making and enjoying in our southern family for a long time.  It's not a difficult recipe to prepare, but it does take time.  However, it is well worth it.  

A lot of recipes call for round steak and I have used round steak, but I prefer to use sirloin due to the reduced time it takes for the meat to get tender.  

If you do use round steak, use the top round and plan on simmering the meat for at least 45 minutes to an hour.  I also usually use canned cream of mushroom soup and a can of beef consomme in this, because it gives the best overall results.  I have made it without and I always go right back to using it...because it's better.

I find it funny when I get comments about using canned soups or mixes...usually from people who probably don't do a lot of cooking in the real world by the way...lol.   I am here to tell you that I do use canned soups and mixes of all kinds at one time or another, if they make something taste good.  I do not use convenience items when they compromise the taste of a recipe or the real, from scratch, is easy to make and much better.  I am not an ingredients snob, however.  

I am from the south, where we eat meat from cans and 'cheese' that is so processed it is shelf stable and will probably be good that way for years...lol.  And in some recipes there is just no substitute for Velveeta.   I buy a big ole 2lb. hunk of it about once a month.  I knew a southern family that loved it so much they named one of their kids Velveeta! 

So, if you are put off by a can of cream of mushroom soup in a recipe or a taco mix, you might be in the wrong place or you can leave it out if you want.  Whatever floats your boat.  I won't judge you for not using it, don't judge me for using it.  

 I rarely get these comments, because 99.9% of the folks who read my blog are reading it because they eat and cook a whole lot like me and my family or they are here to learn some new recipes or cooking tips and not to be a fake food critic.  

Now that we got that out of the way, here is what you will need to make this luscious beef stroganoff:

2-3 lbs. of sirloin steak or top round

1 cup flour seasoned with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1 Tbs. minced garlic

3 Tbs. oil (I use Canola)

2 Tbs. butter

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can beef consomme or beef broth ( I prefer the consomme)

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 cup water

2 cups sour cream

parsley for garnishing

wide egg noodles or rice

Cut the beef in strips about 2 1/2 inches long.  Dredge in the seasoned flour.

Brown the beef in the butter and oil combination. Remove to a plate and saute the onion, garlic and mushrooms.  Add the beef back to skillet. Add the mushroom soup, beef consomme, water and Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to almost a boil, just to bubbling and then turn down to simmer and cover.  Simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring often to be sure it doesn't stick.  Using a nonstick skillet is best for this because it does have  a tendency to stick if you don't stir it every now and then. 

Add the sour cream to the sauce at the very end.  You need to temper the sour cream before adding it by adding a little of the hot mixture to it and mixing it in to bring the temperature up.  If you don't temper it and add it cold to the hot mixture the sour cream will 'break' and will not mix in smoothly.  Warm it back up, but do not let it boil or get too hot. It should be nice and smooth and creamy. 

Serve over wide egg noodles or rice and garnish with chopped parsley. Served with a salad, bread and of course, sweet tea...you have an amazing dinner that will become a family favorite!







Steak Pizzaiola!

I would say that next to down home southern food, Italian food is probably my second favorite and always has been.  I think it's because Italian food and southern food have a lot in common.  You are probably wondering what the two possibly have in common, but both types of cuisine take what you have available, season it really well and make the most out of it.  Both cultures also usually had really big families to feed with limited resources and knew how to stretch what they had to make that work.   A big Italian family has a lot in common with a big southern family.   Steak Pizzaiola always makes me think of the episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond" when Marie won't give Raymond's wife her Steak Pizzaiola recipe because it's Raymond's favorite and she wants to be the only one who can make that for him. That mother is so much like my own mother in a lot of ways, it's crazy. My mother doesn't like the comparison...lol.

Now, I do not have one drop of Italian blood in my heritage (that I know of), but I do love to cook and eat Italian food.   This steak pizzaiola is a bit of my own creation, because I didn't grow up eating this, so if you are Italian or have an Italian mother or grandmother who cooks authentic Italian food, you might want to stop reading this now.  I am sure it's far from what they called steak pizzaiola, but it is really good and it is at least similar to the authentic.  Here is what you will need:

4-5 steaks or about 2 lb.  (use a good cut like a strip steak, sirloin, or chuck eye) 

1 jar or can marinara sauce

1 medium sweet onion cut in rings (I used Vidalia)

1 green pepper cut in strips

1 cup sliced white mushrooms or a small can

1 Tbs. chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese

2 cups Mozzarella cheese

1 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

garlic powder

2 Tbs butter

olive oil

1 lb pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, or egg noodles work best)

Saute onions, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic in a tablespoon of butter and a little olive oil until they are just crisp tender.  Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Use a pan that is safe for the oven because you will be running this in the oven at the end.

Add the rest of the butter and a little more olive oil to the pan, sprinkle the steak with salt, pepper, and a little garlic salt and cook them on each side for about 6-7 minutes.  Add the onions, peppers and mushrooms back to the pan on top of the steaks.   If you don't think your steaks are going to be tender enough or they are extra thick, you can cut them thin across the grain at this point and they will be really fork tender when this is done.  I used sirlion and they are better if you cut them thin across the grain before adding the sauce and cheese   A cut like a New York strip won't need this step though.

Pour the marinara sauce over the steaks. Add the fresh basil, oregano, and sugar.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes on medium low heat.  Top with the onions, peppers, and mushrooms.

Sprinkle the Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese over all.  Run the pan in the oven preheated to 450 degrees until the cheese has melted and browned.





It will nice and brown an bubbly when it comes out of the oven.  Cook the pasta according to package directions and serve the steak pizzaiola over it.

Steak Pizzaiola!