Day 22: What's Not to Love?

I've never met an egg noodle I didn't like. Consequently, stroganoff in all forms is a favorite of mine. Egg noodles covered with a sour cream-based sauce? That's always a good idea.

This recipe proves that eating vegetarian is neither automatically healthy nor low-fat, but who cares? It's decadent, toothsome, and delicious. Perfect for a busy day and a cold winter night.

Portobello Stroganoff
Serves 4

4 tbsp. butter
1 large onion, diced
3/4 lb. portobellos, sliced
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent, then smile serenely at family members as they wander in saying "what smells good?" (Onions sauteing in butter is truly one of the better scents from the kitchen.)

Add mushrooms and cook until completely soft, nicely browned, and a little bit carmelized, with some crispy edges. The onions should be browned too, and some browned bits stuck to your pan is just what you want.

Remove onions and mushrooms to a plate (but don't scrape off the stuck-on ones), and add the stock to your pan to deglaze. Bring to a boil, scraping up the bottom of the pan and stirring. Add Worchestershire and continue to boil until liquid is reduced by a third.

While the stock is reducing, stir together sour cream and flour in a bowl. Remove pan from heat, put mushrooms and onions back in, then add the sour cream mixture and stir. Return to low heat and cook until sauce thickens slightly. Add parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. (I added about 1/2 tsp. of salt and several grinds of pepper.)

I also added a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet at the end to try to trick the boys into thinking this was just as good as beef stroganoff. (In my opinion, better, but I'm in the minority around here.) The trick didn't work, but it did brown up my sauce nicely, which I think looks better. I served this with green beans tossed with arugula and olive oil.