Experimental Cooking: Stroganoff Variant

[deusinnomen]

This was a bit of an experiment with last night's dinner to add a little pep and texture to an old classic.

Beef Stroganoff with Tomaotes

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 15 ounces low-sodium beef broth
• 15 ounces tomatoes, diced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pint half and half
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 3/4 to 1 pound medium-length egg noodles

In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown the ground beef and drain off the excess fat. Add the garlic, onion and mushrooms to the beef, stir until well mixed then pour the Worcestershire sauce over the mixture. Simmer until the sauce has been absorbed and boiled down, then add the sherry, beef broth and tomatoes. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and reduced in volume by at least half. Add the mushroom soup, half and half and paprika, stir well and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. While this is simmering, prepare the egg noodles per the package directions. Once the egg noodles are finished, drain the noodles then combine the noodles with the sauce in a large serving bowl. Allow to cool for five minutes prior to serving to allow the sauce thicken.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Notes: This is a fairly saucy mix with the proportions I used. You can add more bulk to the stroganoff by increasing the ground beef to a pound-and-a-half or by adding more vegetables. Overall, the tomatoes bring a refreshing coloring to a normally bland-appearing dish.