Mushroom & Bacon Stroganoff

I’ll be honest with you: stroganoff, at least to me, has never sounded particularly appetizing. It’s really more the name. The word “stroganoff”, at least to my immature ears, falls under the same category as “chard” or “borscht”. Doesn’t sound appealing.

Luckily, I have a wife who is not a child, and who makes dishes that, although the names may sound funny and/or vaguely Russian, come out amazing. Disregarding the funny name [can we maybe call it “pasta surprise” or “noodle earthquake” or something a little more radical-sounding?], this is what did it for me: BACON.

I’m not one of those weirdos who bows at the altar of bacon, who’s obsessed with bacon, who wants bacon on everything, who Photoshops pictures of bacon on to everything to make it more “awesome”. No, I merely respect bacon as an ingredient that can make some good dishes greater than the sum of their parts. But man, Amy’s inclusion of bacon in this dish? This is the woman I married. Smarter than me in every way. This dish was perfect with some French bread and olive oil, and we ate it while watching a Seinfeld rerun and trying hard to ignore the small waterfall of rainwater that our clogged gutters have formed directly outside of our back patio door. (DW)


5-6 pcs bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
10-15 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley*
Salt & pepper to taste
16 oz cooked egg noodles*

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the shallots and saute until lightly golden. Add mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add crumbled bacon and flour. Mix until well incorporated. Stir in wine and broth and cook for 5-7 minutes until most of the alcohol has evaporated and sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and add the sour cream, parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve with cooked egg noodles.

* Note- I didn't have fresh parsley, so I substituted dried parsley. I also substituted whole wheat penne pasta in place of the egg noodles.(AW)