What to do with top sirloin? Stroganoff(ish)!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog.  Today Cathy is writing and Kirk and ed are doing something else.  It is a beautiful day.

 

Hi.  Top sirloin is on sale this week at Vons. Most people don't know what to do with top sirloin, since it can be tough and because it is a lean cut of meat.  It does have flavor and can be tender if sliced and cooked properly. 

     

   The main thing to remember is to cut AGAINST the grain, which ends up making your pieces less chewy.

 

Now.  Stroganoff.  A traditional Russian dish, made for Army Generals.  A *very* long time ago.  Kind of a delicacy for them using  meat (albeit cheap meat) cooked in a delightful, rich sauce.  A sour cream based sauce.

 

This is a simple recipe. Very few ingredients.

 

 

 These other two ingredients are optional: 

 

 

 

 

 

You will also need butter, salt, pepper, tarragon and nutmeg.

 

That's it.

 

 

 Slice about a pound of the top sirloin into 1/2 inch thick pieces (so they will cook evenly.

 

 

Put into pan with about 3 Tbs melted butter on low heat.  You want the meat to cook but not burn.  You don't want the butter to burn.  Salt and pepper the meat. Remove from the pan.

 

 

Chop the onion and put into the pan that has some butter and juice from the meat in it.  I have to chop into *very* large pieces because I married someone who refuses to eat onions, picks out even the most minute specks of diced ones, yet knows when I make a dish without onions, because "it doesn't taste right".  I've adapted.

 

Put the onions in the bowl with the meat-on the side.

 

Add more butter to the pan.  You can turn up the heat to medium.

 

 

Put in about 3/4 lb quartered mushrooms. It is almost always less expensive to buy these in bulk lately. 

 

I quarter mushrooms, instead of slicing, so they stay larger and don't turn to mush when cooking, since mushrooms  lose water when heated. 

 

While the mushrooms are cooking, season with tarragon and nutmeg. 

 

Let them cook. It may take about ten minutes.

 

Lower the heat again.  You will now make sauce. 

 

Add about one cup of sour cream (or you can use yogurt or even Imo, the sour cream substitute).  The sour cream should *not* bubble or boil,  just kind of melt in with the mushroom juice and butter.   I also toss in a few Tablespoons of tomato sauce if it does not seem thin (or saucy) enough.

 

 

Add the meat and onions back in and warm everything through.

 

 

 

 

You can serve this over egg noodles, or rice or by itself.

 

I like it with pickled beets and some rye bread.  

 

 

Cathy's Stroganoff

 

1 lb top sirloin, cut into 1/2 inch strips

3/4 lb mushrooms, quartered

1 C sour cream

{Optional: one small onion, tomato sauce, noodles}

Butter, salt, pepper, tarragon and nutmeg. 

 

Cook sirloin strips in butter on low.  Season with salt and pepper.  Do not burn butter or brown the meat.  Remove from pan.

 

Cook coarsely chopped onions in pan.  Remove.

 

Add butter to pan, increasing heat slightly.  Add quartered mushrooms. Season with tarragon and nutmeg. Lower heat when cooked.

 

Add sour cream to mushrooms.  Add tomato sauce to make sour cream thinner.

 

Add meat and onions back into pan to warm through. 

 

Serve over noodles or rice.

 

 

Comments

[Amy]

Yum! I started making stroganoff for my mom with boneless skinless chicken breast, which sounds weird, but works well. I use tomato paste instead of sauce, because chicken is juicier, I guess, so it doesn't thin the sour cream so much it won't coat. So, if anyone has a picky, non red meat eating family member, give it a try. (Doesn't every family have someone who won't eat something?)

[sawyer]

delicious. i learned a new thing today, thanks! by the way, did you make those beets yourself?

[ed (from Yuma)]

You know this is also close to a paprikash - just cover the meat with good paprika before browning. I tend to stew the meat longer in broth (so I opt for paste instead of sauce, like Amy).

Anyway, thanks for another simple and good recipe.

[cathy]

Amy and ed- Thanks for the great ideas. I was always not using the whole can of tomato paste and stopped buying them because I ended up with waste and just this week discovered they sell tomato paste in tubes. I don't know where I have been.
Glad to have helped, Sawyer. Yes, I pickle (and grow) beets. Two ways: cook beets and use leftover pickle juice from jars, or a simple recipe: 2 C white vinegar, 1/2 C raw sugar, 6 whole cloves and 1/2 Tsp white peppercorns. Different flavors, but both easy and excellent.

[Carol]

The Mister loves beef stroganoff but hasn't "perfected" his recipe yet. I'm passing this along so he can make it. :-)

Before I discovered tomato paste in a tube, I used to freeze leftover tomato paste by tablespoon size dollops. Put them on a plate, stick in the freezer, when frozen, put them in a freezer bag and that way you'll have tablespoon amounts all ready. A pain but saved me from throwing out half cans of paste.

[ddhac]

I have to try your recipe someday!

By the way, I watched Good Eats the other night, and Alton said the same thing about top sirloin! :-) I found that Costco has a very good deal, $2.99/lbl, but you have to buy a huge package!

Thanks for posting!

[cathy]

Oh, Carol...I thought I had all the helpful hints and had never heard that one. Makes sense, though...I will remember, since yesterday I found three cans of paste I had not used... I hope your Mister can combine what he likes from my recipe with what he likes.
Welcome to the comment side of the blog, ddhac. I haven't seen an episode of Good Eats since before Thanksgiving-I've been busy with stuff. I do learn a lot from that show though. The bulk pack of top sirloin was on sale for $2.99/lb at Vons, but early in the morning, around 7, the smaller packs of meat and fish have markdowns (you can see where the 30% off sticker was removed).

[Darlene]

Looks delicious! I like the idea about cutting the onions into big pieces. I too cook for someone that greatly dislikes onions.

[Cathy]

It's been years of accomodating, Darlene. I see you'll be getting married soon. Just so you know: nobody changes. I always thought he'd come around to liking onions...but unless covered in crispy batter or at the bottom of a soup bowl with a layer of cheese on top, The Mister still won't touch those wonderful vegetables. More for me! (I get both raw and grilled at In-N-Out)