Recipe- Hamburger Stroganoff

Since my blog entry yesterday was about canning, today I thought I'd post a recipe that can be easily doubled, and the extra servings canned for later using a pressure canner. It freezes well too. The recipe comes from one of the most useful books I have on my shelf, Stocking Up III, by Carol Hupping of the Rodale Food Center.

The book covers a wide range of food storage options. There are recipes, instructions to make your own butter and yogurt, and walks you through the specific steps of canning, freezing, and dehydrating just about anything. (It does not cover smoking or salt curing.) In my opinion, it is the best bang for your buck in food preservation books.

This recipe is simple, uses inexpensive ingredients, stores well, tastes great, and is a perfect cold-weather meal. If you do not have a pressure canner, this freezes well too. Just remember that your freezer is vulnerable to power outages.


Hamburger Stroganoff

1 and 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons soy sauce (more if desired)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 and 1/2 cups sour cream

In a medium skillet, cook beef for 10 minutes, or until done. Drain off fat. Add garlic, onions, pepper, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and cook until onions are tender. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce and, if serving now and not canning or freezing, the sour cream. Let sauce just heat through, 5-7 minutes.

Can or freeze. To can, pack hot into hot, scalded pint or quart jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust seals and process in a pressure canner, 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts. Remember to add sour cream to canned or frozen stroganoff when heating.

Live better, a little everyday.