2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean beef, cubed or sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup sherry or stout
1/4 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the caraway seed, mushrooms and onions and saute until onions are tender. Transfer the pan contents to a bowl.
2. Add the oil and remaining butter to the emptied skillet. Brown the beef throughly and remove from the pan.
3. Whisk the flour into the butter, oil and residual juices from the meat. Gradually add the sherry and beef stock to form a thick, smooth sauce.
4. Return the beef and vegetables to the pan and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for several minutes longer, stirring often, to coat with the sauce.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the sour cream. Season generously with salt and pepper.
6. Serve on top or mixed with egg noodles and dust lightly with paprika.

Makes 4 servings

Every time I make Beef Stroganoff I think Shannon likes it, and every time she eats it she says she doesn't like the seasoning, that she doesn't like the beef and doesn't really want to eat the noodles. More stroganoff for me, then; I love the stuff. The simple creamy sour cream and beef sauce combined with egg noodles is absolutely delicious.

Apparently there is a little confusion over what should actually be in a stroganoff. As long as there is beef, sour cream, mushrooms and some noodles, I think it's fair game. I like it with just a little bit of caraway and sprinkled with paprika, but I've seen quite a few pictures of stroganoffs that are brightly colored like butter chicken, presumably from much more paprika. I came across a few recipes that added sherry too, so I incorporated that. I didn't notice any taste difference from the sherry addition, so I would likely just leave it out next time.

However you cook it, beef stroganoff is essentially a meal in itself. It's not exactly ideal food for scorching summer weather, but that didn't stop me from making it when I had a craving. It rained today, isn't that close enough to harsh Canadian winters?