"Michael," I said, turning to the dinner table holding an empty box of Hamburger Helper beef stroganoff in my hand, "Do you know how much sodium is in this?"
"You're not the one eating it, so why do you care?" he snapped back at me, holding a fork of steaming noodles in his hand.
You see, Michael has a ridiculously overactive metabolism; he can eat McDonald's twice a week and still not have a pound to show for it. For those nights that I'm not going to be around for dinner, he tends to gravitate towards things that he claims, "reminds him of childhood and home."
I can probably count on one hand the amount of times my mom made Hamburger Helper for my brother and I growing up. She's the type of woman that would rather grill in the snow before preparing a pre-packaged meal. But for Michael, with his mom working to support the family alone, many nights, dinner would be from a box or a drive through. So it's no surprise we clash when it comes to comfort food.
Growing up, beef stroganoff was probably at the bottom of my list of favorite foods. I remember the first, and maybe the only time my mom made the dish. Not settling for the box, my mom made the stroganoff from scratch. Walking up to the dinner table, I remember a plate of what looked to be gravel resting atop a mound of noodles. I remember the lack of confidence in my mom's voice when she said, "It's beef stroganoff." My mom, who gags at the texture of mushrooms, omitted them, along with the flavor they give the dish. So to no one's surprise, the meal was bland and unappealing to the eye.
Now a couple years back, I turned on The Food Network and watched Paula Deen saute some onions, throw in some mushrooms, a couple cans soup, and stir in some sour cream. Serving the sauce over egg noodles, she called it beef stroganoff. To my surprise, the ingredients resonated with me, wiping away the memories of the plate of gray from my childhood, and the thoughts of Hamburger Helper.
I made beef stroganoff for Michael and I a while back for the first time in a long time. As the smell of onions and beef encompassed our apartment, the fear of a bland dish wafted away with the smell of simmering mushrooms. As the first fork full off stroganoff hit my tongue the zip of the sour cream and beef made my mouth water, before giving way to the sweetness of onion, the earthiness of mushroom, and the nice soft and spongy texture of the egg noodles. No longer was this a dish for the back burner, this was a classic to add to our family repertoire.
These days, whenever Michael gets a hankering for some Hamburger Helper I grab the recipe for stroganoff and try to persuade him otherwise. Unfortunately my bother now works for General Mills at a plant in Hannibal, Missouri that produces Hamburger Helper beef stroganoff, so I don't think I've seen the last of the salty, processed, boxed bad news yet.
Beef Stroganoff, adapted from Paula Deen's recipe
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs cubed round steak, cut into thin strips
salt and pepper, garlic powder, hamburger seasoning
3/4 cup of flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, sliced into strips
2 cups baby portabella mushrooms sliced
1 ( 10 3/4 oz ) can beef broth
1 ( 10 3/4 oz ) can cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
1 bag egg noodles or No Yolks noodles, cooked
1/2 cup chopped parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Season the strips of steak with a light dusting of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and hamburger seasoning, and coat with flour.
2. In a large skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil and butter.
3. Brown the steak strips quickly, and set aside.
4. Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan, reduce to medium heat, and saute until onions are slightly translucent.
5. Sprinkle ingredients with 1 tbsp of flour, and add the steak back to the pan.
6. Add beef broth and mushrooms soup, cover, and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.
7. Just before serving add the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve over egg noodles and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
