Braised Beef Stroganoff

It’s still cold and rainy here in Northern California…at least sporadically. The weather can’t decide if it’s spring or still winter. We like the cold, though, and the comforting food that comes with it.

Beef stroganoff is one of our favorite comfort foods. There’s an excellent restaurant in town called Empress Tavern that serves beef stroganoff in a way we’ve never experienced it. Instead of using traditional strips of steak, they use a piece of braised (we think) beef on top of stroganoff noodles. The noodles are coated in a silky sauce and the beef is so tender it falls apart at the sight of a fork. We love their take on it so much we worked hard to try to recreate it here. Although it’s not the same, it’s close and boy is it delicious!

Priyatnogo Appetita!

Braised Beef Stroganoff

For the beef:

• 3 pound chuck roast, trimmed and cut into six equal pieces
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cups beef broth

For the sauce:

• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 4 Tbsp butter, divided
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 Tbsp cognac (optional)
• 1/3 cup crème fraiche
• 2 Tbsp flour

You will also need:

• 12 oz papparadelle pasta
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

To make the beef:

Preheat oven to 325.

Mix together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Coat the pieces of beef with the flour mixture. In a dutch oven, or other oven-safe pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Brown the beef on all sides until it has a nice crust. In a bowl, mix together the beef stock, brown sugar, garlic, and bay leaves. Add beef stock mixture to pot and bring to a boil. Cover and place in oven. Cook for 2 ½ hours.

(You can also make this in a slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low).

To make the sauce:

About 30 minutes before the beef is done, melt 2 Tbsp butter in large skillet over medium high heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add the sliced mushrooms and stir to coat with butter. Stir frequently until all liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are a deep golden brown. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat and add shallots, stirring frequently until they are translucent, about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Add the cognac, (if using) and stir for about 2 minutes longer. Add the beef stock and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a separate pot according to package directions until just al dente (1-2 minutes less than package directions).

In a small bowl, whisk the 2 Tbsp flour into 1/3 cup of water. Whisk the flour and water mixture into the sauce in the skillet and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring often.  Add the crème fraiche and the cooked mushrooms and stir to combine.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Divide pasta among six plates and top with a piece of the braised beef. Sprinkle with parsley and chives. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.