We continue exploring the world through food and this week we have landed in Russia, to experience its delicious Stroganoff.

Russia, a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area. Russia boasts the largest forest, longest railway, and Moscow’s Kremlin, the biggest active medieval fortress in the world. 

Stroganoff

For many years it was thought that Stroganoff was first created by a French chef working for the wealthy Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov. Although, recent discoveries point to the dish having roots in much older Russian recipes. For example 20 years earlier in Elena Molokhovets’s classic Russian cookbook A Gift to Young Housewives we can find the first known recipe for Govyadina po-stroganovsky or Beef Stroganoff. Over the years it has been served on a bed of rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes. 

Ingredients

• 800 grams roast beef cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 200 grams cremini mushrooms sliced
• 1 kg potatoes peeled and cut into small pieces
• 3 garlic cloves peeled 
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3 ½  tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper 
• 2 medium white onions thinly diced
• 250 ml white wine  
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil (olive oil is also fine)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 125 ml milk
• 400 ml heavy cream
• 3 tbsp parsley (for garnish)

Method 

Stroganoff 

1. Heat sunflower oil and 1 teaspoon sea salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the beef cubes and cook until outsides are browned (about 3 minutes).
3. Remove beef cubes from the pot leaving juices.
4. Add the diced onions and 1 tsp sea salt and black pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes or until tender.
5. Add mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Add beef back into the pot (along with the juices) at the same time adding thyme and white wine reducing the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
7.  Add half of the cream and cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer for another 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
8. Add the other half of cream and simmer for another 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Garlic mashed potatoes

1. While the Stroganoff is simmering, put potatoes and garlic in a pot with water and add a ½  teaspoon of sea salt. Turn the heat to high, and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer, and cover. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can easily poke through the potatoes with a fork.
2. Drain the potatoes and garlic into a colander.
3. Add milk and butter and 1 tsp of sea salt to the empty pot on low heat until butter is melted. 
4. Add boiled potatoes and garlic to the pot and mash well. 

Little hands can

2-4-year-olds 

• Wash parsley and mushrooms
• Tear leaves off parsley stem
• Garnish plates with parsley
• Peel Garlic

5-7-year-olds

• Wash parsley and mushrooms
• Tear leaves off parsley stem
• Garnish plates with parsley
• Measure wine (under adult supervision)
• Cut mushrooms (under adult supervision)
• Peel Garlic
• Measure Milk, cream and butter
• Add cream to pot and stir

7-year-olds plus

• Wash parsley and mushrooms
• Tear leaves off parsley stem
• Garnish plates with parsley
• Measure wine (under adult supervision)
• Cut mushrooms (under adult supervision)
• Peel garlic (under adult supervision)
• Measure milk, cream and butter
• Add cream to pot and stir (under adult supervision) 
• Dice onions (under adult supervision)
• Peel and cut potatoes (under adult supervision)

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