Title: Original Beef Stroganoff
Categories: Beef Ethnic
Yield: 1 Recipe

3	tb	Butter
3	tb	Chopped onion
1	tb	Flour
1 1/2	c	Clearn beef soup or consomme
1	c	Sour buttermilk
2	lb	Lean stew meat or shoulder
		Roast.
1/4	ts	Black pepper
1/4	ts	Salt

"Beef Stroganoff was invented by Serge Stroganoff, a court dook in the riegn of Catherine the Great of Russia. Catherine was the daughter of the Duke of Anholt-zervst of Prussia, born in 1729. She was a cruel despot and full of personal vices but did a great deal to help Russian scientists, writers and philopophers and to westernize Russia as much as possible. She also encouraged Russain cooks such as Stroganoff to adapt French cooking methods and also to create new Russian dishes. She was a great woman for romancing and during her more youthful days would have a different lover every night or so. She had them killed for some trumped-up charge as she tired of them. She died of heart failure in 1796 in the arms of her young lover, Prince Platow Louboff at the age of 67. She certainly was quite a woman."

Take the beef stew meat or the roast and sice it up into pieces as thin as you can or about 1/4" thick, ath the thickest. The thinner the better. The pieces should not be more than about 2" square. Salt and pepper the meat to taste. Put 3 level T. of butter into a frying pan and 3 level T. of chopped onion. Add the meat. Over a medium heat cook until the meat is done.

Make a sauce or gravy as follows. Put 2 level T. of butter into a large frying pan and melt the butter until it just barely starts to turn borown. Take off from the stove. Now add 1 3/4 level T. of flour into the hot butter until the mixture forms a medium syrupy consistency, not a thick paste. Remember not a thick paste. Add more butter if necessary. Now add 1 1/2 c. of cold clear beef soup or consumme and stir in well. Now place back onto the stove and over a medium heat bring to a slow boil. Stir continually. Now add one cup of sour buttermilk and stir in wel. Be sure to use sour buttermilk not sour cream. Now pour the meat, onion and butter sauce into the gravy and gently simmer just enough so that it is well heated. Serve with mashed potatoes or boiled white rice and dark bread.

Note: To sour buttermilk simply cover a bowl of buttermilk and let stand until it thickens. This recipe was often used with venison and bear meat as well as beef. This meat must be sliced as thin as possible.

Source: "BULL COOK AND AUTHENTIC HISTORICAL RECIPES AND PRACTICES", by George Herter and Berthe E. Herter, copyright 1969

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