Winter Repertoire

So I suppose it's safe to say that I suck at this consistency thing.  I can't even really blame the job - apparently I'm just lazy at posting stuff, and it generally takes federal snow days to make me do it.  As we enter Day Four of Snowmageddon 2010, it occurs to me that I should really share the recipe for the dinner I made on Friday, as the snow began to really pile up outside.  It's a newer addition to my winter repertoire, but it is really, really comforting, as winter food should be.  Think of it like metaphorically wrapping up in a beefy, sour-creamy duvet.  Or taking a warm bath in salt and egg noodles.  What?  I think those things sound awesome.  Does this dish sound sort of tacky?  Yes.  But it's like all the best things about the 1950s, simmered in one aromatic saucepan.

Hamburger Stroganoff
Adapted from Cooking Light, November 2008

• 8 oz uncooked egg noodles (about half a large package)
• Approx 1 tsp olive oil - use regular, not extra virgin, unless that's all you have
• 1 pound lean ground beef (I use 90% lean)
• 1 largeish white or yellow onion, chopped up
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (8 oz.) package mushrooms - cremini are best, but you can use white button too, sliced
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup mushroom broth (we use Better Than Boullion Mushroom Base - 1 teaspoon plus 1 cup boiling water = awesome.  But you can also use 1 cup beef broth)
• 1 tsp kosher salt (approx - salt to your taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste - this is fairly peppery, which we like)
• 1/2 cup light sour cream - you could also use full-fat, but you might want to reduce amount to 1/3 cup if so because the fat dulls the other flavors to some extent.  Don't use fat-free, which is just awful.  
• 1 Tbsp sherry - we use cream sherry, which is what we happened to grab at the store, and it works fine, but the original recipe calls for dry sherry, so by all means use that if you've got it.

Procedure:

1. Prep all your ingredients - chop your onion, mince your garlic, slice your mushrooms, prepare your cup of broth (if you are using the kind of base that needs to be constituted in boiling water).
2. Put a large pot of very salty water on to boil for the egg noodles, then continue with the recipe.  Whenever the water finally boils, pause to add the egg noodles to the pot and give it a good stir so they don't stick.  Boil until you like the consistency of the noodles, testing them occasionally.  When they're done, kill the heat, drain in a colander, then return to the pot to wait until you're done with the sauce.
3. For the meat sauce:  Pour a dollop of olive oil into a large skillet or saucepan, ideally one with high sides, and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. If it's a larger pan, go ahead and use more oil.  Heat the pan over medium-high.
4. Add your ground beef and stir occasionally until it is no longer pink, breaking up chunks as it cooks.  While it is cooking, sprinkle about half the salt over the meat and stir it in.
5. Once the meat is no longer pink, but before it gets at all dry, stir in the chopped onion and garlic, the rest of the salt, and the pepper.  Once that has cooked a minute or two, stir in the sliced mushrooms.
6. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, the mushrooms are dark and silky, and the liquid it's all given off has started to reduce (approx 6 minutes, depending on your heat).
7. Sprinkle the flour over the pan and stir it in, which should make the mixture look just a bit thicker and more viscous.  If there's still a lot of liquid, you can add a pinch more flour. 
8. After the flour is absorbed, stir in your broth, and bring to a boil.  Then lower the heat slightly and let it simmer another minute or so, until it reduces to a slightly thicker consistency. 
9. Taste the meat mixture at this point and add more salt and pepper if you desire.  Then turn off the heat and sprinkle the sherry over the contents of the pan.  Last, stir in the sour cream.  
10. Serve bowls of egg noodles with the creamy meat sauce ladled over the top. 

Note:  the sherry we use is a bottle of Harvey's Bristol Cream, which is a "cream sherry," but there is nothing "creamy" about it, actually.  It's a fortified wine just like dry sherry, but supposedly "cream" means it's slightly sweeter.  It also works really well in bisques and the like.  You could actually make this recipe without sherry altogether and it will still be really good, the taste will just be slightly less complex.  Me though, I really love that distinctive something that sherry adds.  (I think my palate probably became attuned to the taste of sherry from my vast experience eating lobster bisque, with which I am slightly obsessed).