Table for Two - Grunt (Leftover Pork or Turkey Stroganoff)

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I toyed with the idea of doing a retrospective this morning. I had planned to use the Remains of the Day recipe series as a theme for today's feature, but I just wasn't in the mood for encore performances and wanted to try something new. What I came up with is a recipe that fits into two categories. While it's definitely a candidate for the Remains of the Day series, it also slips very nicely into the on-going Table for Two recipe collection that we feature here. The recipe was developed by Kevin Weeks, and despite its rather inelegant name, I think you'll find its a wonderful meal for two people. It's also a great way to use up leftovers. While the recipe is scaled to feed two, ingredients can be doubled or tripled to feed a gang should that better fit your needs. I do hope you'll give this very simple recipe a try. If you have moist pork or turkey leftovers, I guarantee you'll be delighted. Here is how this leftover stroganoff is made.

Mushroom Stroganoff

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Last week I received a box of beautiful, uniformly humongous, mushrooms from To-Jo Mushrooms, a company that sells mushrooms of all types for home delivery on their website, FreshMushrooms.com. In addition to the wonderful assortment of affordable mushrooms, the site also features a collection of recipes that will appeal to any serious cook. I loved their recipes and will  feature many of their creations before the year is out, but I've wanted to try a meatless stroganoff for the longest time. The size of the mushrooms I received made them a perfect substitute for the beef or chicken normally found in stroganoff, so, my dreamed of Mushroom Stroganoff became the order of the day. Here is how it came together.

I quartered the mushrooms before putting them in a skillet to dry roast and lightly brown. Once they had some color I added salt, butter and some aromatics to give them flavor and sauteed them until they released their juices. I then deglazed the plan with a healthy splash of Madeira for additional flavor and richness. A more detailed explanation on the process can be found in the recipe below. Though meatless, this is a terrific stroganoff. Goat cheese gives it a richness and unique flavor that I think you will really enjoy. This is an easy dish to make, but there is some wait time involved, so be sure to read the recipe so you understand the time requirements before you roll up your sleeves and start.

This is the finished dish. Much of the flavor in this stroganoff comes from a mushroom broth that's created by soaking dried Shitake mushrooms in boiling water. I usually let the mushrooms sit in water for an hour before using them and their broth. I also suggest making this dish with broad flat noodles that are cooked slightly longer than would normally be the case. For best results the noodles should be soft, but not mushy. The dish is served as though it was a casserole. The mushrooms, sauce and noodles are combined before serving and presenting at the table. This is a beige dish, so make sure you serve it with a lovely green salad or a steamed green vegetable. Keep the sides simple because the goat cheese makes this a rich dish. Here's how this version of stroganoff is made.

Mushroom Stroganoff...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Alton Brown

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced dried Shitake mushrooms
3 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 pounds large stuffing mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Madeira wine
1-1/4 teaspoon beef or vegetable bouillon base
1-1/2 cups strained mushroom broth
8 ounces sour cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, plus more for garnish
12 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
Garnish: Chives or green onion tops

Directions:
1) About 1 hour before starting to cook, place shitake mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 1 hour.
2) Strain both and rapidly boil down to 1-1/2 cups. Set aside for the moment.
3) Set 4 quarts of water to boil over high heat. Cover with lid ajar.
4) Melt butter in a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Increase heat to high, add mushrooms and saute until they darken in color. Sprinkle with salt, and continue cooking until they soften and give off their liquid, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add scallions and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
5) Sprinkle in flour and stir to combine. Cook until flour disappears and fond on bottom of pan turns dark brown, about 1 minute. Deglaze with Madeira. Stir in beef base and mushroom broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in re-hydrated Shitake mushrooms
and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, and then add sour cream, goat cheese and black pepper. Stir to combine, and then partially cover and bring to a simmer to warm through, 2 to 4 minutes.
6) While mushrooms simmer, add noodles to already boiling water and cook until soft but not mushy.
7) Drain noodles, add to pan containing mushrooms and stir to combine. Garnish with chives or green onion tops and a grind or two of freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately. Yield: 5 to 6 servings.

Disclosure: I received 3 pounds of large mushrooms from Fresh Mushrooms/To-Jo Mushroom. I received no other compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

      

One Year Ago Today: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Two Years Ago Today: Fresh Salmon Quiche

Three Years Ago: Banana Mousse

Four Years Ago Today: Chocolate Soup

Beef Stroganoff

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have no holiday treats to share with you tonight. Unexpected company forced me to put the butter and sugar aside for the evening and come up with something more substantial, like a real meal - for a change. The steak I had planned for dinner wasn't large enough to feed four of us, so I had to extend it some fashion and this stroganoff was what I came up with. These days, I rarely make this dish. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with it. There was a time I actually enjoyed it, but like many women my age, I ate a a lot of it back in the day. Stroganoff, a dish of Russian origin, was all the rage in the fifties and the sixties and you could find versions of it made with types of beef that ranged from tenderloin to hamburger. It was a hostess favorite, so if you weren't serving it, you could be sure someone else was. Stroganoff is quite easy to make and it can be delicious if you use a cut of beef that is both tender and flavorful. Several years ago, I discovered that thin strips of flatiron steak were perfect for dishes like this. The beef used in stroganoff is not truly browned and it should be cooked only until it changes color. The chefs in the imperial Russia were not big on browning, so a classic rendering of the dish can look awfully beige. While I have not included it in the recipe below, the addition of a tablespoon of tomato paste can add some color to the dish and make it look more appealing. It seems that stoganoff is making a bit of a comeback and some of the newer recipes have you pile French fried onions or shoestring potatoes on top of the meat. While very early versions of the dish were served with a side of shoestring potatoes, I prefer to serve it over buttered noodles. This is a nice recipe. If you have never had stroganoff, I hope you'll give this version a try. Here's how the dish is made.

Beef Stroganoff...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Sauce
1 (14.5-oz.) can reduced sodium beef broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup sour cream
Beef and Mushrooms
1-1/2 pounds thinly sliced flatiron or sirloin steak
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
Optioanl: 2 tablespoons brandy or dry sherry wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
8 ounces cooked and buttered egg noodles

Directions:
1) To make sauce: Place beef broth in a small pan, bring to a boil and simmer until broth is reduced by half.  In a separate pan,  heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and dry mustard, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually add broth, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil; cook until thick, about 2 minutes. Stir in sour cream, remove from heat, and set aside.
2) To make beef and mushrooms: Heat remaining butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly season beef with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate. Add onions to same skillet, and cook until soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes longer. Deglaze pan with brandy or sherry, if using. Reduce heat to low, return beef to pan and add reserved sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and heat through. Cover to keep warm.
3) Meanwhile, cook egg noodles per package instructions. Drain. Toss with butter. Spoon stroganoff onto a serving platter, and surround with egg noodles. Garnish with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Cranberry Glazed Pork Skewers

Two Years Ago Today: Coconut Macaroons

Three Years Ago Today: Transylvanian Goulash - Slow Cooking at Its Best

Chicken Stroganoff

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When you travel with a group of strangers, you quickly learn about food preferences and the group's tolerance for new foods or flavors. Most people are adventurous, but I will never forget one traveler who quite unwittingly left me flabbergasted. I nearly choked when she complained, in tones far from sotto voce, that they served too much Chinese food in China. We were, of course, at a banquet in China, and whether your instinct is to laugh or cry, it was, pure and simple, one of life's "died and gone to heaven" moments. When we were in India, the people who planned our meals worked really hard to see that wouldn't happen. Western food was always included in the menu and the one dish that appeared every evening was Chicken Stroganoff. It apparently was viewed as a dish that would please both Eastern and Western sensibilities. Now, Beef Stroganoff was an enormously popular dish in the 60's and 70's, and most of us who cooked and entertained during that time had enough of it back then to last a lifetime. For that reason, I queued patiently for the exotic curries, daals and the gorgeous breads that are the hallmarks of the Indian table. There were, however, people who preferred the stroganoff and more Western fare. The Silver Fox liked the stroganoff, so once we were home I decided to make a version of it that we could both enjoy and that I could use in a pinch when had unexpected company. This is a 30 minute meal that is suitable for family, close friends and very informal gatherings. It won't make your reputation as a cook, neither will it break it. It is very easy to make and the only caution I have to share with you regards the sauce. If you make it with sour cream don't let it boil. It will curdle. I serve this dish with buttered parsley noodles or rice. Like all beige dishes, it cries for a side of bright green or red vegetables. This makes a nice meal. Those of you who try it will be pleased. Here's the recipe.

Chicken Stroganoff...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more if needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup minced shallots
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup Marsala
1 (10.5-oz.) can condensed chicken broth, undiluted
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon, plus 6-8 sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
Optional: 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Directions:
1) Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in large saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until they're a light golden color, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until softened. Turn heat to medium-high, add the chicken pieces, and cook, stirring, until golden on the outside and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a plate.
2) Return pan to burner. Turn heat to high and pour in Marsala, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, stir, boil until the liquid begins to look syrupy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and pour any juices that have accumulated on the plate underneath the chicken back into the pan. Add mustard and minced tarragon and simmer for 3 minutes.
3) Turn off heat and whisk in creme fraiche or sour cream, stirring until smooth. Turn heat to low, taste and salt/pepper more if necessary. If you would like a thicker sauce add cornstarch mixture to pan and cook until thickened.
4) Add chicken mixture to pan and gently heat over low heat until the stroganoff is warmed through; do not let boil. Serve immediately over noodles or rice. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chicken Stroganoff - Chicho's Kitchen
Kickin' Chicken Stroganoff - Ma, What's for Dinner
Not Your Mother's Fattening Stroganoff - Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right
Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff - Angie's Big Love of Food
Chicken Stroganoff with Peas and Mashed Potatoes - The Food Pornographer
Chicken Stroganoff - The Seattle Times
Classic Chicken Stroganoff with a Twist - Skinny Kitchen
Chicken Stroganoff - Mr. Food
Smokey Chicken Stroganoff - Anne's Food
Easy Chicken Stroganoff - Blissfully Domestic