1960′s Decadent Beef Stroganoff

Cook egg noodles according to package instructions. You can either time them to be ready when the meat is done or make them a little early. They’ll be okay to sit for a bit.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add 1/2 of the garlic and all of the onions. Cook over medium high heat until slightly translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms and continue to cook until soft and lightly browned.

When mushrooms are tender add the cognac and stir to deglaze the pan. Cook until liquid is absorbed. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Remove the mixture to a separate pan.

Season meat with salt, pepper and paprika. Add meat to the hot pan (you might want to do this in two batches) and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Because the meat is so tender this only takes a minute or so. Remove the first batch of meat to a plate and repeat with the second batch.

In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup of broth with flour and set aside.

Stir ketchup into the remaining broth then add it into the pan with the meat. Cover and cook slowly for 5 minutes—just to absorb flavors.

Add broth/flour mixture to pan and stir until blended. Add mushrooms and onions. Turn heat to high and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Now for my favorite ingredient and the one that makes this stroganoff, not stew—the sour cream. Reduce heat to low and stir in the sour cream and heat through.

Put your noodles onto serving plates. Spoon the beef stroganoff over the noodles, garnish with the parsley, turn on Mad Men and … Enjoy!

This truly is a retro-recipe from a 1960’s cookbook. I modified it a bit by adding the cognac and replacing butter with the olive oil.