I was looking through the refrigerator to see what I was going to have for dinner recently, and I have to admit that there really wasn’t much in the fridge but I didn’t want to thaw something from the freezer. I had a little leftover ground beef from the tacos I had a few nights earlier and I figured I had better use that. So the question became: What can I do with the burger meat besides making a cheeseburger? I couldn’t get excited over another burger, but what else was there?
Looking through the cupboards, I noticed a can of beef broth and my mind starting working for a change. (Yah, don’t say it. My mind still works just fine and I’ll leave it at that.) Anyway, when my friend Wink had his knee replacement, I made him a batch of goulash and had purchased a package of egg noodles to go with the goulash. It was Hungarian beef goulash, not American goulash. At the last minute, though, I decided to make him mashed potatoes instead. So, there sat the noodles next to the beef broth, waiting to be used. Had I not had the egg noodles, I would have just used whatever pasta was in there; I always have rigatoni or some other pasta on hand.
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“You can make this using sirloin or beef, not ground,
as well as chicken or pork if that’s what you have.”
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I also had sour cream from the tacos along with five mushrooms left over from the cheeseburger. I always have onions and garlic. Therefore, I figured I’d make a faux beef stroganoff — kind of like Hamburger Helper, but with fresh ingredients and none of the additives.
It’s possible to come up with something interesting for dinner using whatever you have on hand. Of course, you can make this using sirloin or beef, not ground, as well as chicken or pork if that’s what you have. Also, if by chance the sauce doesn’t thicken as much as you like, there are two options: you can make a little roux (cooked flour and butter) or melt a little Swiss or provolone or whatever cheese you have on hand.
Is cheese traditional in stroganoff? No. Is it good? Yup. And, that’s what counts. Enjoy.
Faux Beef Stroganoff – For 2 meals
¾ pounds burger meat
5 mushrooms, sliced thick
¾ onion, sliced medium to thick
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T oil
4 T butter
2 T flour
1 can beef broth
3 T sour cream
2 oz, sherry (optional)
½ t thyme, basil or parsley (dry, if nothing fresh)
½ bag egg noodles
Salt and pepper
Get a heavy skillet hot on the stove and brown the beef in the oil, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Strain the oil and set the beef aside. Sauté the onions, mushrooms and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until soft. Add the sherry and let reduce almost until evaporated and dust with the flour, stirring it all in. Add the beef broth, stirring until smooth and bring to a low boil before turning down to a simmer. While this is simmering and thickening, boil the noodles and toss with enough of the remaining butter to coat them. Add the beef back into the mix, season with salt, pepper and whatever herbs you choose. Stir in the sour cream and serve over the noodles.
Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. To read archived copies of Smitty’s column, visit chefsmitty.com or TheTahoeWeekly.com. Contact him at tmmsmitty@gmail.com or (530) 412-3598.
