Russia

World of Food
Apr 6, 2021
7 min read

Updated: Apr 7, 2021

For week #4 we are headed to Russia!

We enjoyed some beef stroganoff, served with mashed potatoes and a creamy dill, tomato and cucumber salad. For dessert we had pryaniki cookies or Russian honey spice cookies.

Let's learn about Russia

Russia is a transcontinental country that spans Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.The European part of Russia covers aprx 4 000 000km^2 and the Asian part covers aprx 13 100 000km^2. It covers 11 time zones and has 16 international borders. The capital city is Moscow. The population of Russia is 146 758 590. The official language is Russian which is the most common slavic language in the world.

Russia is the largest country in the world and has a long and complex history. Russia was first established by the Eastern Slav people of Europe between the 3rd and 8th Century as the medieval state of Rus’. In the 15th century the Grand Duchy of Moscow the country. During the 18th century the Russian Empire became a European super power through exploration, annexation and conquest. After the Russian Revolution, lasting from 1917-1922, the Empire of Russia became known as the Soviet Union. Playing a major role in WWII the Soviet Union emerged as a global super power.

During the 20th century the Soviet Union was responsible for significant advancement of technology including the first human made satellite and the first human in space. In 1991 the Soviet Union dissolute and the country became the Russian Federation. Russia currently boasts the worlds 11th largest economy. The country has universal healthcare system and free universal education.

The cuisine of Russia began with the peasant foods of the rural populations. Food items such a fish, pork, poultry, caviar, mushrooms, berries and honeys as well as rye, wheat, barley, and millet were the focus. During the 16-18th century the cuisine of Russia underwent a shift towards more refined and elite culinary techniques which included thins like smoked meats and fish, pastries, salads and new vegetable options. During the Russian Revolution of the 20th century the refined and elite cooking techniques were abandoned as there was a disappearance of the imperial elites who were driving the shift in cuisine. After the fall of the Soviet Union there was another shift in cuisine towards more diverse cuisine. The national dish of Russia is pelmeni, a meat filled dumpling that are usually served with butter and sour cream.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cuisine

https://nerdyfoodies.com/facts-about-russian-food-culture-3155.html

Beef Stroganoff

бефстроганов / befstroganov

Beef stroganoff consists of thinly sliced beef, mushrooms and onions sautéed and stewed in a sour cream based gravy. Stroganoff is traditionally served on shoestring potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles.

Source: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/beef-stroganoff/

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter, divided
8 oz button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 med onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb sirloin steak, sliced thinly against the grain
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 c beef broth
1/2 ground mustard
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of butter, once heated add the onions and cook until lightly browned and soft. Once browned add mushrooms and continue cooking until they are softened and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
Toss the beef chunks with the flour and add them to the sauté pan. Cook until browned. You may need to do them in batches so as not to crowd the pan.
Once meat has browned add mushrooms and onions back to the pan. Add the beef broth, mustard powder, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce and garlic to the sauté pan. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up and stuck bits.
Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the beef is cooked to your liking.
Mix the sour cream with a little bit of the broth from the skillet to warm it. This helps it to combine more smoothly into the sauce. Once it has been mixed with a bit of the broth then combine the sour cream mixture into the skillet.
Taste the stroganoff and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with potatoes, rice, or noodles.

Verdict

All I can say is yum yum yum. I've tried lots of beef stroganoff recipes over the years but this is by far my favourite. I have never made it with the thinly sliced beef like this, I have always used larger cubed beef or minced beef. Thinly slicing them makes the meat to stay way more tender. It also lowers cooking time significantly.

The source recipe did not include any garlic, but I added garlic to my recipe as we are garlic lovers in this household. It also didn't include worcestershire sauce but I like the depth of flavour that it adds to meaty dishes like this. This is another recipe that will be making a regular spot on my dinner rotation. It was quick, easy and really really delicious.