CHEF G.'S BIG TIME COMEBACK: Russian Cuisine For The Common Man

Hi folks, Chef G. here, and let me tell you I'm happier than a rattlesnake with a mouthful of field mice to be back with a new episode of The Chef G. Cooking Channel.  

Speaking of snakes, I should probably thank the reptillian Chef Gordo Ramses for filling in for me last week while I was recovering from food poisoning.  True, I SHOULD thank him, but I WON'T.  Far from thanking him, I CURSE him for telling the whole world about every embarrassing detail of my bout with stomach cramps, fever, barfing, and diarrhea.  And when I find out which one of my staffers leaked all that information to Chef Gordo, he or she will be given a scolding and a 10% cut in pay.

Anyway, I survived the ordeal and I'm ready to get back to my job.  It's the work for which I was put on this earth by the heavenly food gods.  (Um, that would be creating and cooking exquisite food recipes.)  

Today, I'll be sharing a dish I dug up from a secret vault hidden deep in the castle of the Stroganov family of Russian oligarchs.

I conducted a little research on that family and I learned I have a few things in common with them: 

• They became super rich in Tsarist Russia because they built a salt manufacturing empire.  In much the same way, I became super rich because I built a food blogging empire.
•  Given that the Stroganovs invested in the salt industry, it's obvious they liked the stuff.  I, too, really, really, really like salt.  It's easily my favorite spice.
•  The Stroganovs were patrons of the arts and fine foods.  I like art too.  And I like food. 
•  The Stroganovs have a famous dish named after them.  Likewise, I've named many of my dishes after myself.

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From Left to Right: Chef Rasputin G. and Count Boris Stroganov

According to Russian lore, the family's French chef created a dish with noodles, beef, onions, garlic, mushrooms, butter and creme fraiche, and he named it after the Stroganov family.  Unlike the Stroganov's, I don't have a French chef on staff.  I have French heritage though, so you know that I know what I'm doing.   My version of beef stroganoff has some of my own variations. I call this dish "Boeff Stro-G-Noff."

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It begins with the slicing and dicing of garlic and onions.

It continues with melting butter in a skillet.  When the butter is sizzling, throw the onions and garlic into the pan and stir frequently.  Oh man, that frying is the best smell in the world.  (For extra richness, add sliced mushrooms to the onions and garlic.  I didn't do that today because I was cooking for a couple of nieces who detest mushrooms.)

When the onions become translucent, remove the mixture from the pan and set aside.

Then put 1-1/2 pounds of lean ground beef into the same pan.  Break up the meat into small chunks, but not too small.  When most of the meat's redness is gone, add one cup of beef broth.  Add a healthy amount of salt--Stroganov salt if you can find it--and a tablespoon of soy sauce.  (I use soy sauce because I hate Worcestershire Sauce.)  Heat to boiling, reduce heat, and then simmer for 15 minutes.

Here is what the beef will look like when you move on to the next step.

Measure out a half-cup of flour.  Also, start boiling some water to cook up a batch of egg noodles.

Whisk the flour into another cup of beef broth.  When thoroughly mixed, add it to the ground beef.  Then grab the onion, garlic, butter mix that you had set aside and add it to the beef as well.  Bring it to a boil and stir constantly for one minute.

Stir in 12 oz. of sour cream.  The sour cream will produce creamy creaminess.  Ooooh, that creaminess is sublimely creamy . . . and tasty.

To serve, scoop the creamy creaminess over the egg noodles.  The flavor of this dish will make you wish you were a Russian.  On the other hand, there is Putin.