Opinion – Recipes from Marcão: Stroganoff is a holiday classic: learn a better version

We start 2023 with a holiday cooking classic: stroganoff.

You may already know many stroganoff recipes, but this one is a little different.

Stroganoff is a food of Russian pedigree, with French ambitions. The original version looks very little like what you eat in Brazil. It takes sour cream, pickles and other elements foreign to our repertoire.

The dish is basically a fillet mince with a creamy sauce, something of universal appeal. It has been adapted to the preferences of the inhabitants of various countries. We Brazilians adopt stroganoff with passion, devotion, ketchup, yellow mustard and straw potatoes.

I think the tosqueira crosses the line a little with this ketchup thing. But I also don’t think it makes sense to cling to the purism of a Russian recipe just because it’s “authentic” or “original.” So I decided to stay somewhere in between.

I swapped the ketchup for tomato paste and the American-style yellow mustard for French-style mustard. I added a bit of paprika, which is present in many recipes and which gives it a flavor reminiscent of Eastern Europe.

I also changed the technique a bit. I chose to brown the meat in steaks, in a hot frying pan, before cutting it into strips. If you try to brown the already minced meat, it will release a lot of water and cook before starting to fry. And then there won’t be that bottom of the pan that gives the stroganoff a sensational taste.

The default meat is filet mignon, but you can choose a quick-cooking one. I made it with ancho steak (part of the sirloin steak). Make with pork or chicken if you like. My son, by the way, came to tell me that he preferred chicken after the food was already served.

As a side dish, I suggest the Brazilian classic: rice and fries (thick, thin or straw, whatever).

Here the air fryer is an important ally to keep the kitchen minimally free of oil. She can “fry” the potato in the hot wind – the result is not identical, but I like it a lot.

Or else you can do what I did: cheat. I bought the fries at the bar on the corner and, five minutes before serving, I used the air fryer at maximum temperature to revive them. It works so well that it seems like a miracle!

BEEF AND CREAM

Yield: 4 servings
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 400 g filet mignon, ribeye, rump, pork tenderloin or chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 100 g fresh mushrooms (paris, portobello or eryngui), sliced
• 1 thinly sliced ​​onion
• 100 ml of white wine
• 50 ml brandy or whiskey
• 1 tablespoon dijon or ancienne mustard
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• Salt, black pepper and parsley to taste

Way of doing

1. Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat for 5 minutes.

2. Add the oil and brown the meat in one piece on all sides. Book the meat.

3. Add butter and mushrooms to skillet. Give for a few minutes, until they lose some water. Reserve.

4. Add the onion. When it softens and becomes transparent, add the drinks, mustard, tomato paste and paprika.

5. Cut the meat into strips. Return the meat and mushrooms to the skillet.

6. Add the cream, cook until thickened and season with salt and pepper.