Creamy mushroom sauce. Tender slices of beef. Hot noodles. It all translates to stroganoff, a comforting winter dish that was once commonplace.

That classic dish has an illustrious history. Most food historians agree the name originated with a 19th century Russian nobleman, Count Pavel Stroganoff, a dignitary in the court of Alexander III in St. Petersburg at the end of the 18th century. His chef, Charles Briere, submitted the recipe to L’Art Culinaire in 1891. It may have been an old family recipe that became famous through the count’s love of entertaining and gourmet cookery, writes Anne Volokh in The Art of Russian Cuisine [Macmillan: New York] 1983 (p. 266).

In Russia and Eastern Europe, mushrooms and sour cream are two common staples used in peasant cuisine. Therefore, it is almost certain that this or similar fare predates the noble count. Larousse Gastronomique notes that similar dishes were known since the 18th century and maybe earlier. A comparable recipe can be found in the Molokhovets cookbook (1871). In fact, a similar recipe for a beef ragout with a sour cream mushroom sauce (savanyu vetrece) was known in 15th century Hungary and mentioned as a part of the dinners of King Matthias. (The Cuisine of Hungary, George Lang [Atheneum:New York] 1982 (p. 272)

The first mention in English cookbooks was in Ambrose Heath’s Good Food (1932). By the 1940s, stroganoff was common at elegant dinner parties throughout the United States. By the 1960s, it became quite trendy. Soon all major cookbooks included a recipe for the dish: Good Housekeeping Cook Book, 1955; James Beard Cookbook, 1961; Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1968; Alice’s Restaurant Cookbook, 1969.

But that was also when canned, processed food began to replace fresh. As the food industry boomed, quality ingredients were replaced by factory products. Mushrooms and sour cream gave way to cream of mushroom soup. Sauteed steak was swapped for ground beef. Tomatoes (mostly in the form of tomato soup) were added to the American version.

What had been a delicious dish of fresh ingredients became a gray, gross mess on a plate. And almost as quickly as it had achieved popularity, stroganoff went out of favor. Hardly anyone eats it anymore.

But stroganoff deserves another try. Noodles with the creamy sauce are a great comfort food on cold, dark winter nights. Adding veggies makes it lean and healthy.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 lb. beef tenderloin or steak

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 Tablespoon butter

2 onions

1 lb. portabella mushrooms

3/4 cup beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 Tablespoon flour

3/4 cup creme fraiche, sour cream or plain Greek style yogurt

Fresh minced parsley or dill, for garnish

Directions:

Cut a tender piece of raw beef into small cubes (or ask the butcher to cut the steak into thin strips). Be sure to cut across the grain, or the meat will be tough. If the meat is partially frozen and you use a sharp knife the job will be easier.

Sprinkle with salt, pepper and ground allspice.

Heat butter in skillet over high heat; add meat and fry just a minute per side until nicely browned. You want to sear both sides of the meat quickly. It’s best not to crowd the meat in the pan, and use tongs to turn the meat rather than a fork, Remove and set aside.

Peel and dice the onions, and add to the same skillet. Cook on low heat 10 minutes. Clean mushrooms; chop, add and cook until soft, 10 minutes more. Add beef broth, wine, mustard, Worcestershire, and tomato paste. Simmer 30 minutes. Test meat for doneness; if not done, add and cook just until meat is tender.

If the sauce is too thin, pour some of the liquid into another saucepan, and thicken with flour to form gravy.

Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Garnish with fresh minced chopped parsley or dill.

Serve over whole grain pasta or brown rice. Serves four to six.

Crockpot version:

After you brown the meat and saute onions & mushrooms briefly, put everything in a crockpot except for sour cream and parsley or dill. Use less liquid – just 1/3 cup broth and 1/4 cup wine. Cook on low four to six hours. You can also use cheaper cuts of meat since they will become tender in the crockpot.

Place a dollop of sour cream in each serving bowl and garnish with parsley or dill at serving time.

Veggie Stroganoff

Omit the sour cream for a hearty, healthy, and filling vegan meal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry black beans

2 teaspoons olive oil or other cooking oil

1 large onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 oz. portabella mushrooms or white mushrooms

3 potatoes

1 large carrot

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 cups water or broth

1 small can diced tomatoes

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup creme fraiche, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Whole grain pasta or brown rice

Directions:

Soak beans overnight; drain. Alternately, bring to a boil, cook a couple minutes, turn off heat and let sit about an hour; then drain. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook five minutes on low. Add mushrooms and cook another five minutes while you wash and cut up potatoes, carrot celery and garlic. Add vegetables to skillet and cook three to four minutes more.

Add water and soaked beans; simmer 30 minutes. Check for doneness of beans; add tomatoes and cook five minutes more. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in creme fraiche, if using. Serve. Serves two to three. Serve over whole grain pasta or brown rice.

Serves three to four.

Crock Pot version:

Pre-boil carrots and potatoes for about 15 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes, to crockpot with soaked beans and all other ingredients except baby spinach and crme fraiche. Cook on high for 4 hours. Put spinach in during last five minutes of cooking -?it just needs to wilt. Remove from heat and stir in creme fraiche, if using. Serve over whole grain pasta or brown rice.

Kale and Sweet Potato Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1/2 cup black beans

2 teaspoons olive oil, butter, etc.

1 onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

8 oz. mushrooms

1 carrot

1 sweet potato

1 white potato

1 cup water or broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup chopped kale (ours was from the freezer)

1 cup diced cooked meat (optional) (I used meat from a beef soup bone)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 or 2 teaspoons flour

Directions:

Soak beans overnight. Or bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit one hour.

Peel & dice the onion. Heat oil in bottom of large pot with a tight lid. Add onion. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook on low five minutes.

Clean and slice mushrooms; add to the onion and cook five minutes more.

Peel or scrub vegetables (carrot, sweet potato, white potato) and add to the skillet. Toss with the onions a couple minutes, then add broth, wine, and reserved beans.Simmer about 30 minutes. Add more liquid if needed.

Add kale and meat and cook about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

In a cup, mix sour cream with flour, then add a half cup of liquid from the pot. Stir well, then stir back into the pot.

Serve hot. Serves four.

Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: cooking and writing. She can be reached at www.wordsaremyworld.com or on Facebook as Author

Yvona Fast.