Sweet Marsala Beef Stroganoff

This share is a long time coming and only half complete. Hum, maybe I should explain a bit more.

Now that our son is a grandfather, he wants to start his own traditions around the holidays, something he can pass down to his grandchildren. That is perfectly understandable. When Hubby and I were starting our traditions, we moved Thanksgiving from Thursdays to Friday. On Thursday, we went to the family farm. This was the gathering place for the entire extended family. It demonstrated to our children the importance of going home for the holidays. Then on Fridays we had our own Thanksgiving. It was our hope that when our children grew up, they would come home on Fridays, while still having a Thanksgiving tradition that was their own. Unfortunately, our son is in the restaurant business. If you know anything about the service industry such as restaurants, then you know holidays are not your days off – not even the day after Thanksgiving. Still, we passed along the importance of family and holiday traditions.

It’s far easier for us to make the two-plus-hour drive up into the hill country to spend time with our son and his every growing family than it is for all of them to find the time (and money) to make the drive down to the valley. While I would truly love it if we could all be together in our home during the holidays, it really doesn’t matter where we are, so long as we are together at least once. So we drive up into the boonies to be with him. Our son lives in Grass Valley. It’s a small gold rush community in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. His place is tiny, but he has build a good life for himself.

Anyhow, at Christmas time we make the trek up the hill to have dinner with him, exchange gifts and spend time with our first great-grandchild. This past Christmas, our son (a line cook by trade, a chef by nature), made Beef Stroganoff with homemade noodles. It was amazing. I’ve had my own spin on his Stroganoff on our meal planner ever since. What can I say – life just gets away from you sometimes.

While this isn’t his recipe exactly, (and the noodles are dry not homemade), I did take a few cues from him. He included Marsala Wine in his Stroganoff. It was amazing! Just that hint of sweet wine was a game changer. When the thin slices of beef are sautéed with the onion slivers, the two flavors dance together beautifully.

Marsala Beef Stroganoff
2 lbs Sirloin or Top Round
1 medium Yellow Onion, sliced into thin slivers
1 tablespoon Parsley, minced
2 tablespoons Butter, divided
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 (10 oz) container Mushroom Gravy
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 cup Beef Stock
4 cups Egg Noodle Pasta
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Marsala Wine
1 tablespoon Flour

Freeze beef for about 30 minutes, until firm. Thinly slice across the grain, set aside. Peel and thinly slice onions, break into slivers and set aside. Mince parsley for garnish, set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter into a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté half of the beef with half on the onion slivers until beef is browned and the onions are tender. Remove, set aside. Repeat with remaining butter, beef and onions, removing from skillet once browned.

In the now empty skillet, empty the mushroom gravy. Season with paprika. Add beef stock, bring to a boil. Return beef and onions to the skillet along with any drippings that may have accumulated. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a full boil. Cook egg noodles al dente, according to the package directions.

While the noodles cook, whisk sour cream with Marsala wine. Pour into the stroganoff. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Create a slurry with some of the liquid from the sauce whisked with flour. Add to the stroganoff. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened.

Drain pasta, spread out on a warm serving platter. Ladle stroganoff over noodles. Garnish with parsley, serve and enjoy.

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The goodness of the Lord lives on for ever and ever. Amen