Beef Stroganoff with Spatzle

 Contributing Chef- Abby Reibman- Author of The Desk and The Stove

Looking for an easy but impressive winter dish for your next dinner party? Try this simple dish of tender beef, paprika, mushrooms and shallots. Instead of sour cream, use crème fraiche and cognac or sherry for a more upscale version of a Russian classic.  Paired with a noodle dumpling called spätzle, commonly associated with the cuisines of southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland and paprika-famous Hungary, this tasty treat can be prepared ahead of time and reheated quickly to feed your hungry guests.  Even though beer or vodka might be the preferred beverage of choice, The Hostess Handbook suggests enjoying this dish with a bottle of a dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer.

Beef Stroganoff:

Ingredients:

Directions:

1- Season the stripped or diced steak with salt and pepper.  In a large sauté pan, sear off the steak in a mixture of butter and olive oil (approx. 3 min per side). Deglaze with some sherry or cognac. Set aside in bowl tented with foil.

2- Add more butter and olive oil to the pan and sauté the garlic, shallots and mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper and deglaze with the sherry or cognac.

3- Add in the tomato paste, crème fraiche, Dijon mustard, paprika and chopped herbs.  Mix thoroughly and simmer together for 5-7 min.

4- Add back in the meat and meat juices and stir to reheat and coat the meat with the sauce.  Serve over spätzle

spätzle:

Ingredients:

 Directions:

1-    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Turn down heat so that it’s barely simmering.  Set aside a medium bowl of ice water.

2-    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper and paprika.  In a blender, puree the egg, sour cream, and water.  Add this smooth mixture to the flour and stir to combine (the consistency should be slightly thicker than pancake batter; add more water or flour as necessary).

3-    Using a ladle, force the batter through a colander or food mill into the barely simmering salted water. Let the spätzle rise to the surface (approx. 1 min) and after 30 seconds, transfer them to the bowl of ice water using a small sieve.  This will ‘shock’ the dumplings and stop them from overcooking.  Continue until all of the batter has been used.

4-    Drain the spätzle from the ice water. And set aside.

5-    When you are getting ready to serve, heat up a medium saucepan with a bit of butter and pour in half of the spätzle.  Let sear for a 2-3 min until slightly golden brown on the bottom.  Add the rest of the spätzle with a splash of warm water to reheat throughout.  Serve with the Beef Stroganov.