Beef stroganoff is one of my life-long favourite meals – I can remember choosing it for my special birthday dinner. I recently unearthed a class cookbook from first grade, and there in all its faded mimeographed glory was “Beef Stroganoff, by Andrea”.
Stroganoff was where my love affair with rosemary began. So I was genuinely stunned that in a survey of numerous beef stroganoff recipes online, not one of them included rosemary.
To my mind, rosemary is an integral part of the dish – it simply wouldn’t be stroganoff without it. (The poppy seeds on the noodles are non-negotiable as well.) Like my mother before me, I often make stroganoff with leftover roast beef. I buy meat specially, I usually opt for rump steak.
Beef stroganoff
(serves 4)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 6 rashers of bacon, sliced crosswise
- 300g beef, cut into thin strips across the grain
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 250g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper
- 400g egg noodles, tagliatelle or pappardelle
- 1 Tb butter
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- Heat the oil over a medium flame in a large frying pan. Add the bacon slices and cook until the fat is rendered.
- If using fresh beef, add it now and sauté until browned. Remove the bacon and beef from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
- Add the onion, and cook until softened. Add the mushroom and rosemary and cook for five minutes more.
- Add the tomato paste, followed by the wine and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to simmer until the wine is slightly reduced, the add the beef stock, bacon and cooked beef.
- Cover the pan, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the meat is tender. Keep an eye on the liquid, and add a splash of water if necessary.
- While the sauce is cooking, heat a large pot of water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with butter and poppy seeds.
- Stir in the sour cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the buttered pasta.
Ten More Bites 
This specific recipe is a cherished part of my repertoire as well, and like you, I consider fresh rosemary essential. Luckily I have a prolific bush in my garden. When using fresh beef, I favor sirloin steak, otherwise any leftover roast will do.
We’re very well covered on the rosemary front as well 🙂
I have to confess I also never used rosemary in Beef stroganoff, but I’m going to correct this mistake 🙂
I’m confident you won’t regret it 🙂
Hi Andrea, I’ve been following your blog for ages but had never actually made any of your recipes until I tried this one last week. It was a big success! My husband was a particular fan (he actually said it was ‘good’ rather than his usual ‘fine’!). I’ll definitely be making it again 🙂
Hi Bec, thanks so much for taking time to write and share that with me. That has been a lifelong favourite recipe for me. So glad to share it with a wider audience 🙂