Hungarian Festive Beef Paprikas

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter
2 large white onions, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons paprika (preferably Hungarian sweet)
1 teaspoon Vegeta
3 cups beef stock or canned unsalted beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dry dill
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 pounds center-cut beef tenderloin (chateaubriand), cut into slices
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh plum tomatoes (chopped and seeds removed)



Preparation:
  • In heavy large deep skillet over medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add chopped onions and bell pepper and sauté until light golden (for about 8 minutes).
  • Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until starting to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Mix in flour, Vegeta and paprika and stir for about 3 minutes.
  • Mix together beef stock and tomato paste and add to the skillet. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil until sauce thickens stirring frequently, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Mix in sour cream and add dill. Taste and adjust seasonings, than remove from heat. Set aside, or cool and refrigerate if you are planning to use it next day.
  • Use 2 pounds of center-cut beef tenderloin (chateaubriand) and cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices, slices should be halved lengthwise and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.
  • In another heavy large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef and cook until just light brown on each side. Add more butter to the frying skillet as needed and brown all meat. When meat is done, transfer it to large heated serving plate (or use large casserole dish for serving).
  • When all beef is brown, add dry white wine to the skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until syrupy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add to prepared mushroom sauce and bring sauce to boil. Boil for 2 minutes and pour about 1/3 of the sauce over meat in serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes before serving.
  • Serve with cooked rice, pasta or noodles and any cooked vegetables you like. Use rest of the sauce to garnish rice or pasta on the plate.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Real Cooking
Did You Know?
All foods can be broken down into one or more of six basic nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water.

Most foods are complex and composed of more than one basic nutrients.

Some foods are composed of only one or two of these components. For example:
- Cooking oils are practically all fat, and some of them may have a small amount of vitamins.
- Sugar is 100% carbohydrate, no other nutrients.

The most valuable animal foods in common use are meat, eggs, milk, fish, gelatin and fats.

Meat is composed of muscular tissue, connective tissue or gristle, fatty tissue, blood vessels, nerves, bone, etc.

The value of meat as food is due chiefly to the nitrogenous compound it contains, the most valuable being the albuminoids.

The gelatinoid of meat is easily changed into gelatin by the action of hot water. Gelatin when combined with the albuminoids and extractives has considerable nutritive value.

Meat extracts or meat extractives are meat bases, or rather meat which has been dissolved by water, such as soup stock and beef tea.

The object in cooking meat is to kill any germs which may exist and to soften and loosen the tissue, which renders it more easily digested and make it more palatable.

The digestibility of meat is influenced by the age of the animal killed and the feeding.