Cooking with Chef Jo: Mistake Beef Stroganoff

This week, I happened upon a happy solution to a mistake. The mistake- I thought the leftover raw ground beef in a Ziplock bag was a roast I split. There's only two of us here so I usually split a pound of beef. We were having a was spell so I was using the microwave to cook it. After I cooked it, I realized my mistake. Actually, I found the roast beef while pulling vegetables to go with the roast. Upon realizing my mistake, I rushed to the microwave, but it was a solid mass of well done ground beef. Not knowing what to do with this I stuck it the refrigerator until inspiration hit me as it usually does.

Beef Stroganoff!! Ding! Ding! Ding! Just slice the block  of cooked ground beef as I would with any other meat.

Now my original recipe of Stroganoff calls for a tender steak or sirloin tips cut into thin strips because this recipe comes together quick once the prep work is done.. A tougher steak takes longer cooking times, or a marinade to make it tender. As soon as the meat, onions and mushrooms are done, it's done. About the same time it takes to cook egg noodles (about 5-6 minutes). My sour cream is at room temperature so I just add it when I turn off the burner. It heats up as the pan cools to eating temperature not boiling hot.

I pulled the beef block out of the refrigerator and set to slice it. I was so aggravated when I   accidentally cooked it that I put the whole oven dish in the refrigerator. I'm lucky that or the other (glass dish with lid nor glass shelf) didn't shatter going from hot to cold. Now if had been the freezer, the dish would have shattered for sure tempered glass or not. The juices had jellied and fats solidified around this block of meat. I carefully scrapped this off. The small pieces of fat could go into the dogs' dinner bowls, but the juices would go into the Stroganoff for added flavor. It turned out so well, I thought I would share it with y'all. Now on to the recipe.

Mistake Beef Stroganoff
Serves 2

What you'll need

See how the ground beef resembles steak?

1/2 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 small onion diced
4 oz can mushrooms, undrained*
1/2 c milk
4 oz sour cream*
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 TBS sweet paprika
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/ 4 salt

                                                                    1/2 TBS butter

                                                                     1 cup wide egg noodles*
                                                                     2 tsp salt
                                                                      water
                                                                      Oregano or parsley, finely chopped

                                                 

A skillet, saucepan, microwave, and something to stir with.

Notes*- I can my own mushrooms. They are a combination of mushrooms (white button, cremini, portabella, and oyster). I cook them with butter prior to pressure canning them in 4 oz jars.
I make my own whole wheat pasta. Heck, I even mill my own flour.
I make with buttermilk and heavy cream.

Putting it all together

•  The night before, cover ground beef in microwave safe container. Because of the fat in ground beef, I do not recommend plastic. I use Pyrex. Microwave for 5 minutes. When cool, place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
•  Place water in saucepan with the salt. When water boils, add your pasta and cook as directed. For me, 6 minutes. I like firm noodles. They are cooked but not limp.
• In a skillet, melt 1/2 TBS butter while the the butter is melting, drain the mushrooms into a bowl. Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.
• Add slices of cooked ground beef and jellied broth.
• Add salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir well and cook until the ground beef pieces are heated through.
• In the mushroom water, add the cornstarch. Stir well and add it to the beef mixture.
• Stir sour cream and milk, and add it to the skillet.
• Stir well and turn off the heat.
• Drain the pasta. Do not rinse! You want the pasta tacky to grab the sauce.

Service- Place a serving of needles in a shallow bowl or plate. Spoon meat mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle chopped oregano on top. Serve with a green salad and crusty bread.

While most recipes do not call for garlic, nor paprika, nor (God forbid) Oregano, I find this version more flavorful. They add extra notes of savoriness what is normally a bland entree.
Enjoy!

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo

Cooking with Chef Jo: Chicken with Mock Alfredo Sauce Over Egg Noodles

This is one of my pantry staple recipe. My go-to recipe when I've forgotten to take something out of freezer. When we had the big, chest freezer full of meats, I'd pull a week's worth of meat each Sunday.

Now, I'm not doing the shopping, I'm left to create with whatever meat is in the marked down bin. Mel buys enough for a week's worth of meals which ends up costing more to the tune of $500 a month.

Compared to me. I used to shop for the month, keep an eye out for bargains, and my bottom line. My budget was $300 a month buying in bulk if possible. If I spent under that amount, I stockpiled things like paper goods, extra meat, or hoard the cash away it away for my trips to Amish country for grain goods like flour, wheat, oatmeal, corn meal, clearjel, and sugar. I will spend approximately $400 per trip, and two tanks of gas, but I'd buy enough for a year or more. I always bought non GMO, and heritage, and/or organic where possible.

Now that I've explained all of that, variety is the spice of life. Good tasty meals are a must for me. So to get that option, I'm pulling from my precanned stores to get it. With that in mind, I decided to share my Chicken with Mock Alfredo Sauce over Noodles with y;all.

All this is from my stores building, but I'll add regular equivalents for y'all non-canning nor non food storage folks.

Chicken Mock* Alfredo Sauce over Egg Noodles
Serves 4
What you'll need

1 pint of of canned, grilled chicken*, or 1 lb of cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 pint cream of mushroom soup, undiluted,* or 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, if using store bought cream of mushroom soup add 1 small tin of drained stems and pieces mushrooms, or use 4 TBS rehydrated dried mushrooms, chopped.
1 small onions, small dice
2 stalks of celery, small diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
                                           1/4 cup milk
                                            2 TBS butter
                                            1 lb wide egg noodles*
                                            2 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dried oregano
                                            Salt and pepper to taste

Notes*- Regular Alfredo sauce calls for heavy cream, parsley and twice as much Parmesan cheese. This is a lighter version, but just as tasty.
I parcook my chicken over charcoal, dice it into 2" pieces. I then fill the hot jars with 1 cup of chicken bone broth and 1/2 tsp salt before adding my chicken pieces, and pressure can them.
When I make my cream of mushroom soup, I dice my mushrooms, cook them in butter before I add them to my soup base so there are chunks of mushrooms and half and half in my version of cream of mushroom soup.
My mushroom soup is thick like store bought canned soup.
I make my own whole wheat noodles, dry, and store them for three to six months worth at a time.

Putting it all together

• Place onions, celery and garlic with 1 TBS of butter in a 2 qt sauce pan. Cook until onions are translucent (fully cooked).
• Add drained canned chicken, reserve the liquid.
• Add cream of mushroom soup. 
• Add the oregano.
• Turn your burner down to low.Stirring occasionally.
• Cook your egg noodles to al dente. They will be slightly firm to bite into. Simply subtract recommended cooking time by two minutes.
• Add the Parmesan cheese into the chicken mixture. Stir well and turn off the heat. 
• If too thick like custard, stir in some of the reserved chicken liquid. You want it to coat the back of the spoon. The mixture will continue to thicken as the cheese melts and cools.
• Drain the pasta. place the remaining TBS of butter to the hot pot. Add the drained pasta into the butter. Toss the pasta to coat it in butter.
• When the cheese is melted (slightly stringy), the chicken sauce is done.

Service- there are two schools of thought when it comes to serving pasta dishes. The first one is dish the pasta into servings and top with the sauce. The other one calls for mixing the pasta and sauce together, then serving. To each their own preference. I like it both ways. With the first choice, each element holds their own flavors and combine on your taste buds. The second is a more harmonious blending of all flavors.

Top each plate with more Parmesan cheese and oregano, and serve. I love to serve this dish with English peas or green beans, and a garden salad with a homemade Italian vinaigrette.

As for the leftover chicken bone broth, I'll save it for part of the liquid to cook rice, or give it as a treat to the cats, or pour it over th evening meal for the dogs as an extra protein boost for the animals.

Enjoy!

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo