Thursdays Are For Cooking!
Considering that I still have the 1953 BH&G cookbook, from Them There Olden Times, when people knew how to cook good food without “special stoves” or microwaves, anything I can find archived online that comes from those bygone days is worth keeping.
In doing a little searching, I found a site that has archived all the Better Homes & Gardens issues back to its first publications in 1922, and another that is providing archived recipes from those back issues.
In this case, it’s beef stroganoff from 1975, and while I know the Crockpot/slow cookers were available then, just doing it the old-fashioned way, in the oven or a stockpot, was still good. So here’s the Better Homes & Gardens archived 1975 recipe for Beef Stroganoff, in its full glory.
The website that has archived recipes from Those Olden Times is here: https://www.cheflindseyfarr.com/2013/05/beef-stroganoff/
Sometimes, what’s old is the best thing you can get your fork into.
Beef Stroganoff – Better Homes & Gardens 1975 Heritage Recipe
Better Homes & Gardens Heritage Cookbook 1975 ed.
1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1 3 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained (or use 2 to 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms)
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 10.5 oz can condensed beef broth (I boiled down 2.5 cups reduced sodium beef broth)
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons dry white wine [Details below]
Hot buttered noodles – Egg noodles make this dish really amazing! – Chef Farr’s recommendation
- Reduce your beef broth if necessary. Mix 1 tablespoon flour and ½ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Pat sirloin strips dry and coat them with flour mixture. In a skillet brown beef strips quickly in 2 tablespoons butter. Be careful not to crowd the pan or the meat will steam and not brown. Remove browned beef from pan and keep warm.
- Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to pan with more butter if necessary. Cook until onion is crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes. Add tablespoons of butter to pan; blend in 3 tablespoons flour. Add tomato paste then stir in broth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Be sure to cook down the sauce until it is no longer runny. This time will depend on how much you cooked down the beef broth. I got distracted (shock) and cooked mine down to ¾ cup. Oops. It tasted just as good!
- Return meat to skillet. Stir in sour cream and white wine; cook slowly over low heat until heated through. Do not let it boil!
For those who like to cook under pressure…
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
▢ 2 pounds stew meat
▢ salt and pepper, to taste
▢ 1 cup sliced mushrooms
▢ 3 teaspoons minced garlic
▢ 3 tablespoons butter
▢ 2 tablespoons flour
▢ 3 cups beef broth
▢ 4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
▢ 10 ounces egg noodles
▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
▢ 2 tablespoons corn starch + 1/4 cup beef broth or cold water optional
Instructions
Set pressure cooker to SAUTE. Add butter, garlic, and mushrooms. Once butter is completely melted, sprinkle in flour and stir to coat the mushrooms.
Add 3 cups beef broth, worcestershire sauce, and the stew meat. Cover, turn steam valve to the sealed position, and set to PRESSURE COOK (or MANUAL) for 15 minutes.
Do a quick release (turn to VENTING position and remove lid once float valve drops). Stir in egg noodles and set to PRESSURE COOK (or MANUAL) for 3 minutes. Do another quick release.
Stir in sour cream, taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve OR for a thicker stroganoff sauce, set pressure cooker to SOUP setting, whisk together 1/4 cup broth and corn starch, and stir into the stroganoff. Once sauce comes to a boil and has thickened, serve.
Couple of side notes:
1) “Stew meat” generally comes from the shoulder of the cow. It is basically chuck meat that is cubed or cut into strips. You can get a hunk o’ chuck and cut it yourself saving some money.
2) The pressure cooker has a tendency to make tough pieces of meat very tender. You do not have to use expensive cuts to make the meat tender and able to be cut with a fork.
This recipe was one of the first I made in my pressure cooker and loved it so much that I always keep “stew” or “chuck” meat in the freezer. It’s that daggone good. (It also helps that it cooks fast and in one pot.)
Chuck, or shoulder roasts come from a working part of the critter, and are tough, but have great flavor. This cut is my go-to for pot roasts, beef stew and the like.
Worth the effort, I use it to grind my own burger.
As implied it makes for great grilled hamburgers, and also chili and spaghetti. Saves a couple bucks and I know what’s in it.
Sho ’nuff blast from the past Mi’Lady. You very seldom see REAL beef stroganoff any more. Most folks make it from the boxed mix and grounded beef beast. That’s some nasty stuff IMO.
Mama made this recipe, both in a stock pot, skillet, and/or a crockett pot…using very thinly sliced beef. She would also use the same basic recipe with porked or bird beast. Feeding 6-9 or more young’uns when times were hard, she would get very creative. And her cookbooks went back into the ancient days of the 40s/50s.
Tanks and don’t forget the skillet of buttermilked cornpone to go with it. Cold as it’s gotten, I’m on speaking terms with my oven again. Got rambunctious on evening past and popped a Mrs. Smith’s Lattice Top Dutch Apple Cinnamon Pie in there. It shorely be dam am was right tasty. You see Only Army Mom, tell her I saved her a slab…and a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream to go on top. Unless, of course, she would prefer a slice of SkyJumpers good Cheese…I gots that too. We can walk the puppies tomorrow, supposed to get up into the mid ’50s.
I haven’t looked for the buttermilk cornbread recipe, KoB, but I know there’s a real one out there somewhere from Bygone Days, and I will find it. And when I do, it will show up here.
Have I already submitted my recipe for “fancy” beef stroganoff using filet mignon and fancy mushrooms? I may have.
Post it again, anyway!
Here you go. It was a favorite anniversary dinner.
Sea Dragon’s Special Beef Stroganoff
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces filet mignon, cut into 1 inch cubes
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
4 ounces sliced exotic mushrooms
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup dry red wine
4 ounces pasta
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
In a small saucepan combine the porcini mushrooms and the beef broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer, reserve the liquid, and chop the mushrooms.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper, and add it to the pan. Sear meat quickly on all sides and transfer to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the garlic, thyme, tomato paste and flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Add the red wine, reserved broth, 1 1/2 cups water, the chopped porcini mushrooms and the pasta to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just al dente. Add additional water if necessary to keep pasta submerged.
Stir in the sour cream, Dijon and lemon juice. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir in the beef and any beef juices, and simmer until the meat is heated, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, garnish with parsley.
Yields 2-4 servings.
This definitely pairs well with a subtle red Tuscan and some fresh bread w/butter.
Ex, Sea Dragon and GC’s recipes are labors of love. Hug the chef!
Thanks, y’all.
Always.
I enjoy the “….is for cooking threads.”
By that I mean that we all are contributing “real” food recipes. No micro greens or anything like that. Food that looks good, tastes great and fills up the belly with warmth both temperature and emotion wise.
I look for these threads all the time now and appreciate the fact that y’all have never said “don’t take away from our OP” or anything like that.
Thanks for allowing me to participate.
From City Slickers:
Cookie, “The food’s brown, hot, and plenty of it”.
“Thanks for allowing me to participate.”
Belay that. I appreciate the time and care you take with your comments. Doesn’t mean I’ve stopped trying to stump the chef and his pressure cooker, though.
*grin*
loves me some stroken-off!
Wonder iffn anyone’s used venison stead of beefcowwww?
(hammered btws)
Ask and ye shall receive (three different cooking methods): Wild Game Stroganoff with Mushrooms Ingredients 3 lbs stew meat venison, moose, elk, bison, beef or pork olive oil or butter Salt and pepper to taste 3-4 cups diced onion 4-6 garlic cloves roughly chopped 1/2 cup dried mushrooms, crumbled OR 3 cups diced fresh mushrooms 1 c broth 1 c white wine 1/2 cup tomato paste 2 tbsp worchestshire sauce 2 tbsp yellow mustard 1 tsp salt Pepper to taste 2/3 cup sour cream Instructions Instant Pot Directions Turn onto onto saute, and melt some butter or olive oil just to cover the bottom of the pot. If the meat is really wet, pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat in batches, putting meat in a bowl or plate to wait while you brown next batches. When all the meat is browned, saute the onions until theyre a little browned. Add in garlic, give a stir and then add in your broth and wine, stir, scraping the bottom, to get all those good browned bits! Add back in your meat, as well as mushrooms, tomato paste, worchestshire, mustard, salt and pepper. Put the lid on, set the valve to sealing, Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. When cooking time is done, let it sit for 20-30 minutes for pressure to naturally release. Release pressure with the valve. Take lid off. If you’re going to eat it all right now, add in all the sour cream. If you plan to freeze some, take out half for freezing, add half the sour cream to the instant pot and stir it around. Taste for salt and pepper, serve on top of mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles. Keeps 3-4 days in fridge, or freeze without sour cream and when ready to eat, thaw, simmer and add in sour cream before serving. Slow Cooker Directions Put a heavy bottomed pot or pan over medium heat. If the meat is really wet, pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Add oil or butter… Read more »