Beef Stroganoff

This is a recipe I originally got from one of the best cooks I've ever known, Pat Swain. Unfortunately, Pat passed away last year but I like to think that what she taught me sticks around as a bit of her legacy. With that said, here's how I do Beef Stroganoff:

Step 1: Ingredients

A cut of beef. You can use London Broil, Chuck Roast, Stew Beef, really, whatever's cheapest.
Salt
Olive Oil
Pepper
Sage
Mustard Powder
Garlic Powder
White Wine
Flour
Chicken or Beef or Veal Stock
Egg Noodles

Now, with most Beef Stroganoff recipes, you're supposed to add mushrooms but I despise them, so I don't. If I could find powdered mushroom, I would use it because I like the flavor but I absolutely loathe the texture of mushrooms. Loathe.

Step 2: Cut the Beef like so

Step 3: Spice the Beef

Put a two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and turn the heat on medium high to high and while you're waiting on it to heat up, give your beef a good sprinkling of salt and pepper and then give it a teaspoon or so of the sage.

Step 4: Brown the Beef

Just before the oil starts to smoke, toss the beef in the pan. Stir it around and you'll notice that it soaks up the oil and starts to immediately brown, this is a good thing. Stir it for a minute or two until you've got a nice brown and some dried brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Step 5: Pay Attention

Keep the heat on pretty high and you'll notice that the juices start to leak out of the meat. Again, this is a very good thing. Stir it around a bit because you don't want to actually burn anything. Once the juices start to lessen a bit and bubble away:

Step 6: Flour

Sprinkle about a handful of flour on top of your beef, then stir it around. You should notice that the flour immediately soaks up the juices and the pan starts to go dry. When you start to see brown stuff clinging to the bottom of the pan:

Step 7: Wine and Stock

Deglaze the pan with white wine or stock. Pour in about half a cup to a cup of white wine. If you have a thing against wine or you don't have any, use chicken stock. Scrape at the bottom of the pan with your spoon to mix in all of that wonderful browned stuff in the wine or stock. Stir it around for a minute or two, then turn your head down to between medium low and low. Cover it with a lid and let it sit for, at minimum, 20 - 25 minutes. The meat will be far more tender if you let it sit for about an hour but if you don't have time, you don't have time.

Step 8: Add Sour Cream, Creme Fraiche or Plain Greek Yogurt

Just before you serve it, add a big dollop of Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche. If you're like my husband and lactose intolerant, a phenomenal substitute is Greek Gods' Plain Yogurt. You get a lot of the intended flavor but no lactose.

Here we are with the finished product in the pan:

Beef Stroganoff over Egg Noodles garnished with fresh Oregano: