Viennese Beef Stroganoff

     A few weeks ago, I posted my go-to recipe for beef stroganoff. It's classic and definitely the right place to start. Once you've gotten the hang of that, I encourage you to move on to this variation. There's a little backstory here: On my last trip to Europe, I spend two days in Vienna. Although I haven't been to many places yet, I have to say Vienna is so far my favorite city, so you should all go there. Anyway, Upon arrival, my friend and I decided to stop for lunch in this great little restaurant, and there, I had the best beef stroganoff I ever tasted. I knew I had to recreate it someday. Now I know that technically, this is a Russian dish and that calling it stroganoff requires that it be made with sour cream. This is very different because of the spices and the lack of dairy. As I was doing my research for this post, I found that most people call it Viennese beef goulash, but I clearly remember that the menu in that café called it  Vienna style stroganoff, so that's what I'm calling it. Note: In the authentic version I had, the meat was very tender and easy to pull apart, like it had been simmered for a couple of hours. I decided to speed up the process because ain't nobody got time for that. If you do though, by all means, go for it! Also, I used stew meat for this because that's what my dad bought for some reason and there's not really much else you can do with stew meat. You're welcome to try it with a good cut of meat though. Some people make regular beef stroganoff with ground meat, but please don't do that. It's just not good. Finally, the peas I added to this recipe don't really belong, but I just can't handle it if there are no vegetables in a dinner. Adding those is up to you.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 4 servings)
1 lb. of beef, cut into bite-sized pieces.
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
2 cups beef broth
2-3 tablespoons flour
a little olive oil
Throw in a few frozen peas if you want.
4 servings worth of egg noodles

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil the noodles.
2. Chop the onion and garlic.
3. Cut the meat into small pieces, heat some oil in a large pan, and brown the meat.
4. When the meat is browned, add the onion and garlic and cook until tender.
5. Next, add the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil.

6. Add the paprika, marjoram, and bay leaf and stir well. Then gradually add flour until the sauce thickens. Aim for gravy, not soup. Let it simmer for a few more minutes. If you want to add peas, do that now, otherwise, you're done.

7. Serve over egg noodles and enjoy!

If you're in the mood for something sweet, check out yesterday's recipe!