Mama Catt's Beef Stroganoff

Image courtesy of McCormick's. (I forgot to take a picture before we ate it!)

I tend to write recipes that reflect the rhythm and pattern of the way I cook. So instead of saying "3T butter," I will just list butter.  Many good cooks prepare food intuitively, instinctively.  Personally, I have always preferred recipes that explain how food should look, smell, taste or what it's texture should be like.  I find this more helpful than specifically measured ingredients. So all the amounts in my recipes are approximate and the cook should follow their own inclinations.  These are recipes, not formulas!

Mama's Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

Stew meat

2 cans or an equal portion of fresh mushrooms

Cooking Sherry

Flour

Butter

2 beef bouillon cubes or 2 T beef bouillon granules

Hot water

Marinade:  ½ C pineapple or pineapple/orange juice and ½ C buttermilk. 

Cover the meat with the marinade. Soak the meat in the marinade overnight, if possible, but at least an hour.

Saute the meat in butter in a cast iron skillet; preserve the marinade for later.

Dust the meat with a 2 T of flour in the skillet on low. 

In another skillet, brown the mushrooms in butter on a med-high heat.  When they are browning nicely in a hot pan, add ¼ cup sherry and cook down for about a minute.  

Add the mushrooms and sherry to the meat and sprinkle with a T or so more of flour.  

Dissolve the bouillon cubes in 1 C hot water. Add to the skillet.  Over a medium, or low to medium heat, add the marinade and cook until the sauce thickens.   

Add salt or pepper, a splash more sherry, or a couple of T of buttermilk, or some sour cream if you prefer.  Be careful not to use too much sour cream!

Serve over noodles.