[1] A super-easy version of Beef Stroganoff. The recipe is below (unless otherwise indicated, photos are © Taste Of Home).

[2] In this version, the beef and noodles are mixed together in the pot. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Real Food Dieticians).

[3] You can make Beef Stroganoff in a crockpot or Instant Pot. Here’s the recipe.

[4] Very classy: This version is made with beef tenderloin (the cut that yields filet mignon). Here’s the recipe (photo © Bon Appetit).

[5] The thinnest fries possible are pommes paille, translated literally as straw potatoes. As you can tell, it’s a lot easier to cook noodles Here’s a recipe (photo © Recipe Tin Eats).

[6] Count Pavel Stroganoff (1772-1817), portrait by Jean-Laurent-Mosnier, 1808 (age 34). Here’s more about him (Public Domain image).

[7] It doesn’t have to be beef. This is Chicken Stroganoff. Here’s the recipe.

[8] And Turkey Stroganoff (the recipe).

[9] And Pork Stroganoff (the recipe).

[10] Pinot Noir, a perfect red for Beef Stroganoff (photo © Kym Ellis | Unsplash).

[11] Prefer a white wine? Chardonnay is one of four excellent choices (photo © Zwiesel Glas).

[12] Want to feel festive? Open a bottle of Champagne or other sparkling wine (photo © Champagne Bureau).

September 21st is National Beef Stroganoff Day. We can’t believe that in all the years of publishing The Nibble, we’ve never included a recipe. After all, when we graduated from the college dorm long ago, it was one of our go-to recipes for entertaining. It sounded so sophisticated and after all, it came from the kitchens of Russian aristocracy.

Before we get to the recipe we’ll begin with a bit of Stroganoff history (the name is also transliterated from Cyrillic as Stroganov). But first:

> The year’s 25+ beef holidays.

> The different cuts of beef: a photo glossary.

Below:

> The easy recipe.

> More Stroganoff recipes.

> Wine pairings with Beef Stroganoff.

> Popular Russian dishes served in the U.S.

> The short list of Russian food holidays celebrated in the U.S.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF BEEF STROGANOFF

Russian aristocrats would often hire French cooks but retain their palate for the tastes of the homeland. According to the cookbook A Taste of Russia, the original beef Stroganoff recipe derived from a basic French recipe using mustard to season beef. The chef incorporated Russian sour cream and named the creation after his employer.

That original Russian Beef Stroganoff was quite different from most recipes of today. It consisted of thin strips of beef sautéed with mustard and served in a sauce made with bouillon and sour cream—but notably without the mushrooms or onions which were integrated into later recipes.

Plus, the creamy beef was often served alongside fried potato straws (pommes paille—photo #5) rather than over noodles or rice, as is done today.

The dish gained international recognition when it was featured in cookbooks of the late 19th century. A recipe appeared in “A Gift to Young Housewives” by Elena Molokhovets in 1871, helping to establish it in Russian culinary tradition.

The spread of the recipe to other countries accelerated during the 20th century, particularly after Russian émigrés fled during the Revolution and both World Wars, bringing their culinary traditions with them.

American and European cooks began to add mushrooms, onions, and various seasonings that weren’t part of the original recipe.

In the U.S., the dish became especially popular in the 1950s and 1960s, served over egg noodles rather than the difficult-to-make straw potatoes.

Another time-saver was a can of condensed mushroom soup, an ingredient which became a staple in American home recipes to make quick sauces†.

Today, Beef Stroganoff exists in countless variations worldwide, from elegant French-influenced versions to hearty American casseroles made with yes, Campbell’s Cream Of Mushroom Soup.

Personally, we prefer a fine recipe like this one, with a few tablespoons of Cognac or wine. But we took it up a notch with morels instead of button mushrooms.

There’s more about the Stroganoff family in the ‡footnote.
 
 
RECIPE: EASY BEEF STROGANOFF

This is a super-quick recipe that takes shortcuts, yet delivers the basic flavors. Essentially, you save time cooking the beef by purchasing a chunk of cooked roast beef from the deli and cubing it yourself. (You can also use any other meat you have on hand—chicken, pork, etc.).

Plus, the sour cream is not mixed into the sauce but used as a garnish, so people can stir in as much or as little as they like.

There are numerous Stroganoff recipes and variations below if you prefer something more classic.

Ingredients For 2 Servings

If you prefer, you can substitute a pound of ground beef and cook it prior to adding it in step 3.

Prep time is 10 minutes and cook time is 15 minutes.

 
Preparation

1. COOK noodles according to package directions.

2. SAUTÉ the mushrooms, onion, and garlic in oil in a large skillet until tender.

3. ADD the broth, roast beef, herbs, soy sauce, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

4. DRAIN the noodles; stir into skillet. Top with sour cream and parsley and pass a bowl of sour cream for those who want more.
 
 
MORE STROGANOFF RECIPES

 
 
WINE PAIRINGS WITH BEEF STROGANOFF

The key to pairing wine with Beef Stroganoff is balancing the cream sauce’s richness with wines that have good acidity and complementary rather than competing flavors. Although Beef Stroganoff is rich, its flavors can be delicate.
 
Red Wine Pairings

 
White Wine Pairings

 
 
RUSSIAN DISHES IN THE U.S.

While Beef Stroganoff is the most popular Russian dish embraced by Americans (and vodka the main beverage), other Russian dishes have found fond fans in the U.S.

 
To round out the buffet, have lots of dark rye bread, sour cream, fresh dill for garnish, pickled gherkins/

> Here are more dishes popular in modern Russian cuisine.
 
 
THE YEAR’S RUSSIAN FOOD HOLIDAYS

It’s a short list. We need someone to petition for more Russian food holidays—at least for blini, blintzes, borscht, and chicken Kiev (anyone can register a food holiday).

 
If you want a reason to have a Russian-themed dinner, there are also:

 
As of this writing, Russia isn’t the most popular place to celebrate. But consider all the great Russians who have contributed to the advancement of modern civilization: Sholem Aleichem, Milhail Baryshnikov, Joseph Brodsky, Yul Brynner, Catherine the Great, Marc Chagall, Anton Chekhov, Sergei Diaghilev, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Sergei Eisenstein, Peter Carl Fabergé, Michel Fokine, Nikolai Gogol, Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Horowitz, Mikhail Lermontov, Natalia Makarova, Dmitri Mendeleev, Modest Mussorgsky, Vladimir Nabokov, Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudoph Nureyev, Boris Pasternak, Ivan Pavlov, Anna Pavlova, Peter the Great, Alexander Pushkin, Ayn Rand, Sviatoslav Richter, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Mstislav Rostropovich, Alexander Scriabin, Dmitri Shostakovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Konstantin Stanislavski, Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and so many others.

†Canned soup became a common cooking ingredient, particularly for sauces and casseroles, beginning in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1930s, companies like Campbell’s which had introduced condensed canned soups in 1897, began publishing recipe booklets and ad showing how their soups could be used in other recipes. By the 1950s, casseroles had become a staple of American home cooking, often using cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, tomato soup, or other condensed soups as a base for sauces.

In 1955, Dorcas Reilly, a Campbell’s test kitchen employee, created the now-classic green bean casserole using cream of mushroom soup. By the 1960s, canned soup was firmly established as a go-to ingredient for home cooks seeking quick and reliable ways to add flavor to their meals.

‡The Stroganoff/Stroganov clan’s fortune was the result of salt mining, trade, and land acquisition. The family’s origin is not known with absolute certainty, but the leading theory, based on genealogical research by historian Andrey Vvedensky, is that they likely descended from affluent Pomor peasants—Russian settlers inhabiting the subarctic White Sea region of Russia. Other sources say they were well-do-do merchants in the Novgorod region of medieval Russia in the late 14th and early 15th centuries [source].

What we know reliably is that the documented Stroganovf dynasty began with Anikey Fyodorovich Stroganov (1488-1570), who is considered the true founder of the family’s wealth and prominence. He established their salt-mining empire in the Perm region, on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains [source].

The strategic move to salt mining transformed them from regional merchants into one of Russia’s wealthiest and most influential families. In addition to salt production, wealth came from fur trading, iron mining, and later cultural patronage. By the 16th century, the Stroganovs had become so powerful that they were granted extensive privileges by the Russian tsars, including the right to maintain private armies and govern vast territories in Siberia.

By the 17th century, the family was part of the Europe-hopping Russian aristocracy—which is why Count Pavel Stroganoff (1774–1817) was born in Paris. The count (1774–1817) was a Lieutenant General and Adjutant General to Alexander I, and a key figure in the Government reforms of Alexander I. He took part in the Napoleonic Wars, commanding an infantry division. Alas, he died of consumption at just 42 years of age. Were it not for Beef Strognoff, he would be a footnote in history.

They were one of the most prominent noble families in Russian history, their influence lasting until the Russian Revolution. Their grand estate, the Stroganoff Palace in St. Petersburg, and a vast art collection part of the State Russian Museum, which is the world’s largest depository of Russian fine art, is open to visitors.

[13] The Stroganoff Palace in St. Petersburg. See more photos of the palace here (this photo A.I. generated).
 
 

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We at a lot of sushi, and typically default to sake or beer to accompany it. That’s because we’re fussy about wine, and most neighborhood places around us tend to have generic jug wines.

But the number of upscale sushi emporia is mushrooming in our town, with omakase dinners from $150 to the Hinoki Counter Experience at Masa, where a seat at the sushi counter costs $950 per person, beverages extra.

Omakase restaurants tend to have nice wine lists, which begets the question: What wines should you pair with sushi?

Pairing wine with sushi and sashimi is a fun exercise. The delicacy of raw fish and seafood, the tang of rice vinegar, and the hit of wasabi invite the suggestions that follow.

But first:

> The year’s sushi holidays and other Japanese food holidays.

> Sushi Glossary: a photo glossary of the different types of sushi and sashimi.

> The history of sushi.

> The year’s 25+ red wine holidays.

> The year’s 22+ white wine holidays.

You can always find beer and sake and a wine options, but some of the wines we see are not as sagely listed as they could be.

> The year’s 6 sushi holidays plus 10 more Japanese food holidays.
 
 
WINES FOR SUSHI, SASHIMI, POKE, & OTHER RAW FISH & SEAFOOD DISHES

Before we drill down into Western wines, we must give sake its due. It’s often called rice wine, although it’s actually a brewed alcoholic like beer (see more in the †footnote). Like beer, it’s brewed in different styles from dry to sweet, and sold in different qualities, from average to excellent.

Do if you don’t like sake, do try some of the good stuff. It goes with any type of raw fish or seafood dish.

Onto the wines: Delicate flavors like raw require wines that will not overwhelm—wines that are balanced and refreshing. Here are five categories that work, depending on your palate preference and what you’re consuming.
 
 
1. Sparkling Wines

 
Dry sparkling wines are perfect palate cleansers, so if you like to sip between each different fish, head for the bubbles.
 
2. Crisp Whites

 
 
3. Aromatic Whites

 
 
4. Rosé

 
 
5. Light Reds

Yes, you can have red wine with sushi and sashimi! But select low-tannin wines, high acid wines like the two varietals here, and serve them slightly chilled. Heavy oak, bold tannins, and very high alcohol will overpower delicate fish flavors.

In general, drink high-acid wines with fish that are heartier, fatty, and buttery like amberjack, eel, mackerel, salmon, tuna (especially toro, fatty tuna belly), yellowtail, even sea urchin (uni).

[1] Chablis, an unoaked Chardonnay-based wine, or other unoaked Chardonnay, is crisp and universally compatible with sushi (photo © Lognetic | Dreamstime).

[2] Sauvignon Blanc with a sakura (cherry blossom) roll, pink beancurd (soy paper) wrapper. This one is vegetarian, with shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, and cucumber (photo © Marta Filipczyk | Unsplash).

[3] Sparkling wine is also versatile, but a glass of Prosecco complements sweet sauces, such as eel sauce* (A.I. photo).

[4] Red wine enthusiasts: Enjoy Beaujolais with tuna and heartier fish like eel, mackerel, and salmon (photo © Dons Bogam | NYC).

[5] Mackerel sashimi with Pinot Noir (A.I. photo).

†Sake is made from rice, water, koji mold, and yeast. Like beer, it is made from grain, and its brewing process is similar to that of beer, involving the conversion of starch to sugar. Wine, on the other hand, is a process of fermenting fruit sugar into alcohol (even wines made from flowers, such as dandelion, elderflower, or rose hips, are considered fruit).
 
 

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National Poke Day, which celebrates the traditional Hawaiian dish, takes place on September 28th*. And, September is both National Chicken Month and National Rice Month. So how about something different: chicken poke bowls!

If you don’t already know poke, it’s a dish of diced, marinated raw fish that’s considered a local comfort food in Hawaii. Customizable at fast-casual restaurants and available as grab-and-go from food stores, poke is well-connected to the Aloha spirit**.

For National Poke Day, spread the Aloha spirit. Head to a poke restaurant or make poke bowls at home.

And yes, you can include chicken poke bowel recipe below for your celebration (with our thanks to Island Fin Poke for inspiring us to create it).

Below you’ll find:

> The Chicken Poke Bowl recipe.

> The history of poke.

> The year’s 15+ rice holidays.

> More ways to use wonton strips.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of rice and the different types of rice: a photo glossary.

> The 56 fish and seafood holidays.

> The year’s 48 poultry holidays: chicken, turkey, and duck.

> The year’s 40+ salad holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN POKE BOWL

Island Fin poke offers two Chicken Pokes Bowl:

 
For The Base

 
Preparation

1. COOK the edamame according to package directions. If using frozen corn, thaw and pat dry.

2. MARINATE the chicken cubes for 15-30 minutes in the marinade: soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, and ginger.

3. COOK the chicken in a heated skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes. Turn occasionally, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature 165°F).

4. ASSEMBLE: Divide the rice into two bowls. Arrange the cooked chicken, edamame, corn, and diced pineapple in sections over the rice (like a Cobb salad). Garnish with the scallions and wonton strips.

5. SERVE with sauces for drizzling.

Note: We like to toss our ingredients together for eating, and use bowls deep enough to enable tossing.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF POKE

Poke, pronounced POE-kay (note that there is no accent mark over the “e”), is a traditional Hawaiian dish that consists of cubed raw fish, typically ahi tuna, that’s been seasoned and marinated. The word comes from the Hawaiian verb meaning to slice or to cut.

In a poke bowl, the seasoned raw fish is served over rice and topped with various ingredients like seaweed, avocado, cucumber, edamame, pickled vegetables, and different sauces. Today, the fish is usually marinated in ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, sea salt, onions, and sometimes spicy mayo or other flavorings.

The original, traditional Hawaiian poke was much simpler: just fresh fish seasoned with sea salt, seaweed, and onions. The modern poke bowl trend has expanded to include many more toppings and variations, making it popular as a healthy, customizable meal option worldwide.

The Beginning

While traditional poke had been available in Hawaiian grocery stores since the 1990s, the poke bowl as we know it today began to gain popularity in the mainland U.S. in the 2010s.

But the growth was dramatic during the mid-2010s. Poke moved to mainland in the early to mid-2010s, with poke becoming increasingly popular in North America starting in 2012 [source: Wikipedia].

The trend first took off, not surprisingly, in California. By the summer of 2015, the dish had become so trendy that dozens of places with names like Pokinometry and Wiki Wiki Poke (wiki means quick in Hawaiian), could be found from Santa Monica and throughout Los Angeles.

 
Island Fin Poke (which put an accent over the é, presumably so people would pronounce it correctly), began operating in Winter Springs, Florida in 2017, and has 17 franchise locations in 11 states (if you’re interested, head here).

They inspired the following recipe, after we learned that the chain had switched up their protein options by offering chicken alongside traditional seafood options. And next…beef? Lamb? Pork? Tofu?

We can’t wait to experiment with these.

(Some information provided by Chat GPT.)
 
 
WAYS TO USE WONTON CRISPS

This crunchy snack and salad garnish have quite a few additional uses.
 

 
In Main Courses

 
As Snacks

 
 
THE YEAR’S 15+ RICE HOLIDAYS

 
Plus:

[1] Taking a license with poke: cooked chicken instead of raw fish (A.I. photo).

[2] Two offerings at Island Fin Poke: Korean BBQ Chicken Poke (lower left) and Classic Grilled Chicken (upper right—photo © Island Fin Poke).

[3] We use chicken tenders because cubing them is much faster than cutting up breasts. These beauties are from John Henry’s Meats, “grazed right, raised right, taste right” (photo © John Henry’s Meats).

Edamame[/caption]
[4] Edamame are a delicious garnish on any salad or grain bowl. Look in the freezer section to find them already shelled (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] Don’t let cutting a pineapple intimidate you. Here’s an easy way to do it from Fed And Fit (photo © Fed And Fit).

[6] Ponzu is a good light sauce for the recipe. You can buy it anywhere Asian foods are sold, or make your own with this recipe. We prefer it to the thicker sauces used by many poke shops (photo © Eden Foods).

[7] If you prefer a thick sauce, katsu sauce, a Japanese BBQ sauce, isavailable at Asian markets, is your go-to. An easy recipe to make your own is in the ‡‡footnote.

[8] Wonton strips are ubiquitous these days. (photo © Mrs. Cubbison’s | Sugar Foods).

[9] A classic tuna poke bowl (photo © Dons Bogam | NYC).

[10] If you don’t eat raw fish, make your poke bowl with cooked fish (A.I. photo).

*There is also a National Fresh Ahi Poke Day on August 15th, emphasizing fresh-to-order poke with freshly-sliced fish, a superior preparation to all of the grab-and-go poke bowls.

**The Aloha Spirit is a not only a philosophy but a part of Hawaii’s state law, representing a Hawaiian way of life that embodies love, kindness, compassion, and respect for people and nature. It is defined as a coordination of mind and heart within each person, expressed through the Hawaiian words akahai (kindness), lōkahi (unity), ʻoluʻolu (agreeable), haʻahaʻa (humility), and ahonui (patience).

***Togarashi is a spicy sauce based on shichimi togarashi, a traditional seven-spice blend called Japanese Seven Spice in the U.S. The seven spices are blak sesame seeds, ginger, nori (or poppyseed) orange peel, red chile peppers, sansho (Japanese pepper), and white sesame seeds.

The spice blend is mixed with one or more of these liquids to form a sauce: mirin (sweet rice wine), rice vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce or tamari. Garlic or ginger paste can be added.

The result is a sauce that’s citrusy from the orange peel, nutty from the sesame seeds, with a bit of tingle from the sansho pepper. It has less heat but more complex flavors than sriracha.

You can buy it bottled in Asian grocery stores. It can be used as a dipping sauce for dumplings or tempura, on noodles (ramen, noodles, even pasta) or rice/other grains, with grilled meats or vegetables. You can add it to mayonnaise, sour cream, or yogurt for a spicy dip or spread.

†Wicked Wahini sauce is a proprietary recipe used by Island Fin Poke. You can create a similar sauce by mixing sriracha or chili garlic sauce, lime juice, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, and an optional splash of soy sauce.

††Ono Ono sauce was named after the Hawaiian word for delicious, ono. It refers to a variety of sauces used in Hawaiian cuisine. The specific ingredients can vary widely depending on the type of sauce and whether it is used for meat, fish, etc. An easily acquired version is katsu sauce. If you want to make your own:

†††Katsu sauce recipe: 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoons brown sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger, and 1 clove minced garlic. Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and until thoroughly combined.

‡Korean BBQ chicken is a complex dish: a sticky, caramelized exterior with slightly charred edges and meat that’s sweet, spicy, and garlicky. It starts with marinating for several hours or overnight, then is grilled or cooked on high heat.

The marinade includes rice wine, sesame oil and soy sauce plus brown sugar/honey, garlic, and ginger. Grated Korean pear or apple is added for additional sweetness and is considered important for its tenderizing enzymes. Heat comes by way of gochujang (Korean chili paste), gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), and black pepper. Additional flavor enhancers include grated or minced onion, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds. Sometimes, cola is added for extra sweetness and caramelization!

It’s delicious, but requires time and lots of ingredients.

‡‡Duck sauce, plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce: the differences. Duck sauce is typically a translucent, amber-colored sauce that’s sweet and mild. It’s often made with apricots, peaches, or a mix of fruits (or fruit flavorings). It’s commonly served with Chinese-American dishes like egg rolls and has a fruity base (often apricot or plum). Sweet and sour sauce is usually more vibrant—a red/orange color—and tangier due to a stronger vinegar component, which also gives it a bit of a sour bite to balance the sweetness. It’s also thicker than duck sauce. A quality version may have visible chunks of pineapple or peppers.

Plum sauce is a traditional Chinese condiment made primarily from plums, sugar, vinegar, and spices. It has a more complex flavor with a stronger fruit taste and slight tartness. Duck sauce is the American-Chinese restaurant version. It’s typically sweeter, milder, the Americanized, simplified cousin of traditional plum sauce..

‡‡‡Sake is a fermented rice drink, as wine is fermented grape juice.

‡‡‡‡Panagyaman is an Ilocano term (people inhabiting northwestern Luzon in the Philippines) meaning thanksgiving or gratitude, often used to describe a celebration of a successful harvest. The festival aims to express gratitude for the successful rice harvest and recognize the vital contribution of small farmers to national food security.
 
 

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