I just arrived home from a two-week trip to the country of Taiwan, taken with the single purpose of eating my way across the island. I spent my time exploring a very unfamiliar-to-me cuisine, which was at times a little scary and on one occasion downright inedible. I don't mean to offend; in fact, the trip was exhilarating. It’s just that sometimes, eating food that is different from your own means taking a leap of faith.
And a leap of faith I took! It required a little Skype encouragement from my boyfriend, but I made it my mission to try everything (well, almost) everything that came my way. I ended up discovering some amazing foods that I would never have tried otherwise. Now I’ve got a laundry list of recipes I can’t wait to adapt for my American kitchen, but in the meantime I’ve been craving some savory, decadent, good old-fashioned comfort food.
After two long weeks away from my kitchen — and subsisting almost exclusively on restaurant food — I have been in desperate need of a home-cooked meal. Something soothing and familiar that takes me back to childhood. At the end of the day I couldn’t think of anything better than a big bowl of beef stroganoff to warm my bones. But not just any beef stroganoff, you see.
I was raised on a version fairly traditional to the times: ground beef, pre-sliced button mushrooms, a can of mushroom soup, and a carton of sour cream. Ta-da! Dinner was done. And to be quite honest, whenever my mom makes it for me it is still one of my favorite things.
In my recipe, however, I’ve created what you might consider a beef stew-stroganoff love child. I’ve never been able to resist anything cooked low and slow. Whether it be short ribs or chili, the more time it takes to cook, the better it tastes (hello, smoked pork butt!). So instead of the usual ground meat, I ended up with succulent braised beef, big meaty mushrooms, and a rich creamy sauce. I paired it with fresh pappardelle instead of the usual egg noodles and a big bottle of Spanish red wine. I'd say that's comfort food, alright.
And I know it's still a little too warm for some of you to make this, but colder weather is just around the corner. Tuck this recipe away for when you need a big meal and a big hug. I promise it's worth the wait.
How about you? What is your go-to comfort food when you need something warm and familiar?

serves 4 to 6
Vegetable oil or clarified butter
2 pounds braising beef (I used boneless shoulder)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup red wine
2 cups unsalted beef broth
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
1 pound mushrooms (I used oyster, shitake, and cremini), cleaned and sliced
1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream (I used light)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cooked pappardelle
Flat leaf parsley, to garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 300°.
Freeze the beef for about 20 minutes, which will make it easier to dice. Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Pat dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil or clarified butter in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Sauté the beef cubes on all sides until well browned but not cooked through, about 3 -5 minutes, working in batches if necessary. Add back all of the beef and its juices to the Dutch oven.
With heat still on high, add the flour and cook for one minute until there is no visible white left. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan and then reduce by half, about 10 – 15 minutes. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and move it to the oven. Cook for approximately 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is ultra-tender. Allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the beef mixture is cooling, heat the butter over medium heat in a large skillet and sauté the onions until they start to soften. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until golden brown and tender, about 12 minutes. Add the cooked mushrooms into the beef sauce. Stir a cup of the beef sauce into the sour cream; then fold the sour cream mixture back into the rest of the beef sauce. Taste and adjust final seasonings. Gently reheat over low to medium-low heat if necessary. Serve over cooked pappardelle or egg noodles. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.
Related: Fall Cooking: 12 Classic Comfort Food Recipes

(Images: Nealey Dozier)
Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (25)
Not that this answers any of the questions in this post, but when I'm hiking, one of the best freeze-dried food varieties happens to be Mountain House's Beef Stroganoff with Noodles. Something about meat in a stew really lends itself well to dehydrating, I think.
Not that dehydrated food could compete with the braised beef version in this blog post, or even the ground beef version either, lol. But it is an okay solution for certain situations.
I've been making a variation of this for over 25 years. It was one of the first dishes I cooked for a date who has now been my husband for over 25 years. It's still one of his favorites.
Instead of the oven stage, I use my crockpot. I do think this winter though when the house needs some extra warm, I'll use the oven instead.
The tip of freezing the meat a bit beforehand is a great one. It took me a couple years to figure that one out.
Maybe it's just me, but I have never in my life been able to find pappardelle in my grocery stores- even fancier gourmet ones. And I LOVE pappardelle noodles! I always resort to making them myself. Where is everyone/anyone finding them? (The noodles in the photo look storebought)
you can find anything at trader joe's. including pappardelle.
This looks fantastic. I'm going to try this out for my house guests this weekend! Thank you!
Susan.
Unfortunately, no Trader Joe's where I live (are there even any in Texas at all?)
This looks awesome! Can't wait to try it!
My favorite warm comfort food is Shepherd's Pie, though. My fiance and I have our own recipe that we've perfected over the years and it is always SOOO good!! Definitely made at least once a month during the fall and winter.
would greek yogurt work in place of the sour cream?
at jmorri26: If you live in Dallas, Jimmy's Food Store carries parpardelle! Also, there are many options for parpardelle from Gragnano on Amazon!
You may cringe but I think I will make this with canned mushrooms. I'm not a big mushroom fan, so I can't typically tell the difference, as I usually pick them out anyway, only using the mushrooms for the flavor.
this looks so wonderful and hearty. can't wait for a bit of a chill in the air so i can make this. with rosemary. mm.
"Stir a cup of the beef sauce into the sour cream; then fold the sour cream mixture back into the rest of the beef sauce."
At this point in my version I add a tbsp or two of tomato paste - it gives the creamy sauce a slight tang to really pop!
Oh this looks SO great. This is the first thing I'm making as soon as the weather offers the first hint of Fall!
I am so curious about what you ate and didn't eat in Taiwan! I went about 6 years ago and it was some of the best food I have ever had - though I did have friends guiding us to great food destinations! I even thought the sushi rolls at 7-11 was great! Was it the stinky tofu you couldn't handle?
Is there any way you can make this in something other than a Dutch oven, like an oven-proof skillet? From the pictures it looks like that's what you used.
This looks sooo good...I am making it tomorrow :)
Sounds like a wonderful version of Beef Stroganoff, which is definitely a comfort food classic. I always serve mine over egg noodles, as my mom did.
I think one of my favorite comfort foods that I get to craving is chicken spaghetti. Or chili. Or chicken and dumplins. Ok, I have to stop. I'm getting hungry!
Are you near a Central Market? When I lived in Texas, Central Market was a good go-to for gourmet foods.
I LOVE making beef stroganoff on cold rainy/snowy days. My favorite cut to use, though, is beef short ribs. When braised long enough the shred magnificently and are sinfully good.
This looks great - almost has me looking forward to the cooler weather!
I spent some in Taiwan a few years ago and also found the food fascinating, and at times very challenging. I'd love to hear more about your experience. Future post maybe?
@Christina C,
This recipe is very similar to the one I make (in my crockpot), and I always substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream. It's still just as decedent and doesn't require me to purchase something I won't use up. Unlike sour cream, we won't leave Greek yogurt to go bad.
-Abby
If like me you do not have a Joe's near you try finding an Italian market.
@ Christina - The one thing I will add to Abby's post is do not use fat free yogurt as it will tend to separate and give and odd appearance and gritty texture to the dish. It happens a lot with hot sauces. You could also consider using crème fraiche. It usually comes in a size close to what this dish requires and has even less of a chance of curdling than regular sour creme.
This looks soo yummy.
Made this last night and it was delicious. I only had to braise mine in the oven for 1hr 45mins, and it likely could have come out sooner. Also, the beef sauce had reduced to almost nothing, so I had to add in some more broth and wine. I also added a bit of the cooking water from the egg noodles and it all came together really well. Having leftovers for lunch today. :)