Stout Beef Stroganoff

My mother-in-law called Friday morning to see if we had any stout beer. My husband brings home all different kinds of beer, mostly IPA's but occasionally some stout beer. She had found a recipe for beef stroganoff in the newspaper that called for 3/4 cup of stout beer. It's not inexpensive and she didn't want a 6-pack of stout beer that she wouldn't use or drink. Well, my husband said that he would buy a 6-pack so that he would have 5 beers and she would have one for the recipe. However, she also had a book that she wanted to show to him so she stopped and bought the 6-pack and brought it and the book over to our house.
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Yesterday afternoon we called to see how the recipe turned out and my mother-in-law said it was very good. My husband decided that since we had the stout beer he would make the stroganoff for dinner. The store didn't have any sirloin steak so he substituted some good quality stew beef and it turned out very good. The sauce is wonderful on the egg noodles but next time we will make it with sirloin steak strips as the stew beef was a bit on the tough side. He also roasted brussels sprouts with garlic for a side dish. We have them a lot as they are delicious when they are roasted - crisp on the outside and soft in the inside, plus we love garlic!

Stout Beef Stroganoff

Adapted from recipe in the Let’s Eat Section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 2010-01-13

The flavor of stout adds depth to beef stroganoff

Salt

½ pound egg noodles

About 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 pound sirloin steak, cut into strips 2 inches long and ¼ inch thick

Ground black pepper

1 large onion, chopped

1 pound white button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced

¾ cup (½ bottle) stout beer (Guinness)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

½ cup sour cream, at room temperature

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles until they are al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, set a large skillet over medium-high heat and film the bottom with canola oil. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper to taste. Sear the meat in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Transfer browned meat to a plate.

3. Lower the heat to medium and add another teaspoon of oil to the pan, if necessary. Cook onions with a pinch of salt until they become translucent and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they have release all of their juices and turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Return the heat to medium-high to evaporate the juices.

4. Pour in the beer, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the browned bits. Return the meat to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and let the stroganoff simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced and the meat is cooked through.

5. Stir in mustard and sour cream. Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve over egg noodles.

Per serving: 630 calories; 27g fat; 10g saturated fat; 155mg cholesterol; 42g protein; 52g carbohydrate; 6g sugar; 2g fiber; 260mg sodium; 80mg calcium.

For Sher

Last April when Sher's cousins came for dinner she made some stuffed shells with lamb, feta and spinach. I thought that they sounded delicious and planned on making them. Well, time passed and I hadn't made them yet so today I made them in memory of Sher. I brought home the groceries and while I was unloading them, Willow apparently wanted to make sure that she was involved in WCB this weekend. She jumped up on the table and dashed into the grocery bag. I know that she likes bags but she has never jumped on the kitchen table to get in one before! Plus, it's Weekend Cat Blogging so I should have a cat picture posted. Thank you, Willow! Anyway, the shells really were delicious! Per Sher's comment on that post, I did add some golden raisins and she was right - they added a sweetness that was "great with the richness of the lamb and the tangy feta cheese." Thank you, Sher, for another wonderful recipe!

Pasta Shells Stuffed With Lamb, Feta Cheese, And Spinach

(Williams-Sonoma Complete Pasta Book)

1-1/4 pound ground lamb
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
8 ounces spinach stemmed and coarsely chopped (or use defrosted chopped spinach squeezed dry)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3-1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
18 jumbo pasta shells
3 Tablespoons roasted pine nuts

Cook the lamb in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up until it's no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and add garlic and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted--about 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Then add the lemon zest and feta cheese and toss to mix. Add salt and pepper if necessary.

Cook the shells according to package direction in well salted water until almost al dente. Drain carefully and run cold water over them.Fill each pasta shell with the filling and place in a baking pan. You can keep it in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, until you're reading to bake it. When ready to bake, top with half of the spiced red sauce and the pine nuts. Bake until heated through, but not browned. Serve on individual plates and top with more sauce.

Spiced Red Sauce

1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and bring to a boil. stir and set aside until ready to use it on the shells.

For all the other cat activities this weekend, be sure to check out:

The Friday Ark at The Modulator

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Weekend Cat Blogging is being hosted by Kashim & Othello

at Momma Astrid's Food Blog

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Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is at Pet's Garden Blog

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Carnival of the Cats is being hosted by Amar and Luna at Catsynth

Punxsutawney Pasta Fazool for Groundhog Day!

I always make this for Groundhog Day.
It's very good and easy,
hence the excitement leading up to Groundhog Day!
Will he see his shadow or not?????

Punxsutawney Pasta Fazool

Yield: 6 servings

1/2 pound lean ground pork or ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style chopped tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup uncooked small pasta

Crumble meat into a large saucepan; cook until browned, stirring to break up
large bits. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.

Stir in broth, tomatoes and their liquid, beans, oregano, red pepper, salt,
fennel seed and black pepper. Bring to a rolling boil, then stir in pasta.
Reduce heat to a simmer; cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until pasta is tender.

Graphic by D's Designs