This week, my grandma let me borrow her cookbook to try out some old-fashioned recipes from the 1940s. A lot of these recipes have easy-to-find ingredients that are perfect for a simple, tasty dinner.
One of the recipes I selected was originally Beef Stroganoff, but I decided to have some fun with it, and it turned out completely different. I guess you could call it “Beef Knockoff” instead.
I stopped by Whole Foods and got two Organic Rancher brand Beef Strip Steaks— which are my favorite because they’re lean — for $13.99 each. I had all the other ingredients at home, but they’re easy to find at places like Walmart or Trader Joe’s.
Ingredients:
2 beef strip steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Onion Powder (or 1/2 tablespoon minced white onion)
Salt
Long-grain white rice
Directions:
Take the steaks and slice them thinly, or, as the original recipe states, “in neat finger-shaped pieces.” Coat a 13-inch pan with olive oil and place beef inside. Season with onion powder and salt to taste. Note: If you want to use fresh onion here, you can use 1/2 tablespoon of minced onion and cook it inside the pan until yellowed before adding the beef.
Make sure the beef is evenly spread over the bottom of the pan and place a lid on it as it cooks. In the meantime, get a small pot and fill it with a cup of rice and plenty of water. Let it come to a boil, then cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
Check the beef, and when it is cooked through and dark brown, place the lid back on and turn off the heat. All the oil and water from the cooking process should have evaporated. Once the rice is finished cooking, drain it and put it back on the stove with the lid on over low heat. Let it sit until its lid rattles from the steam. Serve with the beef and enjoy.
Results:
My family thought this recipe was delicious, and my mom told me I need to make it again. Even though I remixed it beyond a typical Beef Stroganoff — I didn’t add mushrooms, minced onions, nutmeg or sour cream — I still thought of my grandma while making this recipe. So, until I find a suitable, non-dairy substitute for sour cream, I will enjoy this simplified Beef Knockoff. Remember that you don’t always need fancy ingredients to make a good meal.
