Mushroom stroganoff
Stroganoff is a russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sour cream sauce. Mushroom stroganoff is a vegeterian version of this traditonal beef recipe.
This is an easy recipe to do when you are short of time or when you are running out of vegetables, off course you need to have mushrooms though ;) This is one of those dishes that will leave even the meat lover's drooling for more. The earthy flavour of mushrooms and the creamy sauce is a perfect combination with some savoury muffins or even basmati rice. Usually Stroganoff is done in a sour cream based gravy, but since I am not a huge fan of sour cream, I used béchamel sauce instead. Here is the recipe using both the methods; try the one which suits you.
What you'll need :
1 medium onion chopped very finely 2 cloves garlic 500 gms button mushrooms (or a combination of variety of mushrooms) 1 stk butter Salt, pepper to taste 1 tablespoon paprika ½ tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg 1½ cups sour cream (for method 1) 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (optional for method 1)
How to:
Clean and quarter the mushrooms along with the stalks.
In a medium heated nonstick pan, add the onions and garlic to 1/2 stk butter. Add a few drops of olive oil to stop butter from burning. Once the onions turn transparent (do not let them brown) add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. As the mushroom cooks, it starts releases water. Had it been a different recipe, I would have discarded the released water, but for this the liquid itself gives the nice earthly flavour to the dish. Add the Dijon, paparika, pepper, some nutmeg and mustard and allow to cook for just 3-4 minutes
Method 1 :
Remove from heat and add the sour cream stirring the mixture. Now on a slow heat, continuously stir the mixture for about 5 minutes. High heat will curdle the mixture. Turn off the heat and sprinkle some fresh herbs
Method 2 :
Since I am not a huge fan of sour cream, I made a cup of béchamel sauce and added it to the mushroom mixture. On a slow heat, continuously stir the mixture for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle some fresh herbs
