The Stroganoffs are a family of Russian merchants, industrialists and noblesThey come from peasants of Archangelsk. At one
time, they had 155,000 serfs on land that amounted to almost 6.5 million
acres. Pavel Stroganoff was born in Paris in 1774. His mother, Ekaterina
(or Catherine) Petrovna, nče Princess Trubetskaya, soon fell in love with
another man and left her husband and small son. Count Alexander invited a
French tutor, Jilbert Romme, to bring up and educate his son. Jilbert
and Pavel traveled
throughout in Russia, spent some time in Switzerland, and then went to
Paris n 1789 where they were both captivated by the revolutionary movement.
On order of Catherine II, Count Alexander toldhis son to return home
immediately. Pavel had to subordinate to his father's request and came back to Russia in December 1790.
Catherine II ordered him to stay in his estate Bratzovo, near Moscow. There
he married, in 1793, Princess Sophia Vladimirovna Golitsina
(1 and there, in 1794, their son, Alexander (1794-1814) was
born. |
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Count Pavel Stroganoff
by Jean-Laurent Mosnier. |
After Catherine’s II death, Count Pavel Stroganoff came to St.
Petersburg, where Paul I promoted him to a Chamberlain. Stroganoff made a
strong impression on the Grand Duke Alexander Petrovich (future emperor
Alexander I). Both men discussed revolutionary ideas, the future
political reforms in Russia, liberation of the serfs, necessity of education
of the population, etc.When in 1801 Alexander I ascended to the throne he
was eager to undertake the reforms, but the conservative party had stronger
positions than the reformers. France was also marching from “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” into an empire. Alexander I betrayed his youthful
ideals. Stroganoff was bitterly disappointed.
A Senator and a Secret Councilor, he, in
1807, joined the army, which was engaged in Napoleonic Wars in Europe. His
further military career was a testament of his brilliant abilities. He
reached the rank of Lieutenant General and commanded an army corps in
Napoleonic campaigns of 1811-1815. He was wounded several times and had many
military awards, including the order of St. George, 2nd degree. In 1813 Pavel Alexandrovich took his only son, Alexander, to the army in the
field. They participated in the battle of Leipzig. February 23, 1814 in the
battle of Craon the young Alexander was killed. Pavel Alexandrovich died
June 10, 1817.
Beef Stroganoff was the prize-winning recipe created for a cooking
competition held in the 1890s in St. Petersburg, Russia by chef who
worked for Pavel Alexandrovich
Stroganov, After the
fall of Imperial Russia, the recipe was popularly served in the hotels and
restaurants of China before the start of the Second World War. Russian and
Chinese immigrants, as well as U.S. servicemen stationed in China, brought
several variants of the dish to the United States, which may account for its
popularity during the 1950s
We suggest to enjoy Beef Stroganoff with what at first may
appear to be an unusual film, = Soul Plane (2004),. However, it
contains a very funny scene with Kevin Hart being forced to eat Beef
Stroganoff
on a plane.
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Beef Stroganoff
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Ingredients
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1 pound package of egg
noodles
2 pound beef tenderloin, cut thin into 1-inch wide
by 2 1/2-inch long strips
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound butter
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2 TB cognac
6 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thick
1/2 teaspoon of dry tarragon
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
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Instructions
- Place a
large pot filled with 4 quarts of water over high heat . When
water begins to boil, add noodles.
- In a large skillet over medium
heat, melt 5 TB butter and brown the beef strips quickly, add
cognac and cook for about one minute. Push the beef strips
off to one side of the pan.
- Cook the onion in the same pan
with 3 more TB of butter. Add the mushrooms and tarragon, and stir
occasionally for about 4 minutes.
- Turn down heat to low. Add the
sour cream Stir in well and do not to let mixture simmer or it
will begin to curdle. Serve immediately over egg noodles
Servers 4 |
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