In my VERY early years as an actor, I was introduced to a man I came to love...
Woody Romoff...
Actually, Woodrow Wilson Romoff...
Woody was in every show of any importance in New York for years, and is especially remembered for creating the role of the Headwaiter in She Loves Me on Broadway... but to me, Woody was the man who taught me what Hungarian food REALLY tasted like.
His Chicken Paprikash changed forever my impression of that dish. Before Woody, I thought it was gloppy, greasy, and way too fatty. His was spicy, rich, and haunting. So tonight, when I was at sixes and sevens re: dinner... I thought about a paprikash.
I had some tenderloin (a gift from a friend), sour cream (because my supermarket has huge sales in December), a ball of pasta dough ready to roll out and, of course, my stash of duxelles in the freezer. There were some onions and garlic hanging around, and 3 kinds of paprika from various classes and catering events in the fridge. So off I went. And while the beautiful plates were NOT really the way to serve it... it was delicious anyway!
Smoked Beef Paprikash
(Serves 2... Eating like pigs!!!)
⅓ lb. Tenderloin, sliced into thin strips across the grain
1 T EVOO
1 Chopped onion
3 Chopped garlic cloves
⅔ C Stock (I used chicken because I had it)
¼ C Duxelles
4 T Sour cream
Salt & Pepper
2 t Sweet paprika
2 t Smoked paprika
1) Sauté beef strips in EVOO until they just begin to lose their pink color. Remove from pan and set aside.
2) Sauté onions for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add stock and duxelles, salt and pepper, and sweet paprika. Simmer approximately 10 minutes.
3) Boil pasta. Add smoked paprika and sour cream to sauce. Add beef, and just warm it... Don't boil.
4) If you want to be decadent, add a bit more sour cream, and combine with pasta. Serve in warmed BOWLS, not warmed plates like I did!