Recipe

Beef Stroganoff with Mushrooms and a Touch of Cuban Sofrito

Name: Beef Stroganoff with Mushrooms and a Touch of Cuban Sofrito
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 600 g tender beef for sautéing (loin or tenderloin), in 1.5 cm strips; 350 g cleaned mushrooms, sliced; 150 g chopped onion; 50 g ají cachucha, seeded and chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 30 ml olive or neutral oil; 10 g wheat flour; 200 ml beef broth; 180 g sour cream; 10 g Dijon mustard; Salt to taste; Pepper to taste; 5 g chopped parsley

Browned beef strips and mushrooms in a creamy sour cream and mustard sauce, with the Cuban touch of garlic and ají cachucha. Ready in about 45 minutes.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation15 min
Cooking25 min
Total time45 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

This version of beef stroganoff combines a sour cream and mustard sauce with mushrooms and the aroma of a mild sofrito of garlic and ají cachucha. It is a contemporary Russian and Cuban fusion adaptation.

The beef is browned in batches and finishes cooking in the sauce. The sour cream is added tempered at the end, over gentle heat, so it keeps a smooth texture.

It is a one-pan dish for an everyday meal or a Sunday at home. It goes very well with white rice prepared separately.

Method

Prepare everything before turning on the heat. Slice the mushrooms. Chop the onion, the seeded ají cachucha, the garlic and the parsley. Dry the beef strips well with paper towels and season them with salt and pepper.
Heat 15 ml of oil in the pan over high heat. Brown the beef in batches, without crowding it, for 1 to 2 minutes per side. It should be browned on the outside but not yet cooked through inside. Transfer it to a plate and set aside the beef with all its juices.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
In the same pan, without washing it, add the other 15 ml of oil. Add the mushrooms over medium-high heat, spread out and not crowded. Leave them until they release their water and brown well, about 5 minutes.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Add the onion and ají cachucha and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds, enough to release its aroma without burning.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, so it loses its raw taste.
Add the beef broth little by little, stirring so no lumps form. Scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the mustard and let it simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Return the beef to the pan with all its juices. Finish cooking it in the sauce, about 2-3 minutes, until the thickest pieces reach at least 63 °C (145 °F). Check it with a thermometer.
Lower the heat to the minimum or remove the pan from the heat. In a bowl, temper the sour cream: add a few spoonfuls of hot sauce and mix until smooth.
Pour the tempered cream into the pan and mix carefully. Heat over gentle heat, without letting it boil hard, so it doesn't curdle. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Remove from the heat and let rest for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve right away, with white rice on the side.

Tips and variations

If you can't find ají cachucha, use sweet pepper in the same weight (50 g). The dish will still turn out well, but the aroma changes: you lose that herbal perfume so typical of cachucha. Don't substitute a hot chile without letting whoever is eating know, because it completely changes the character of the sauce.

The beef: dry it well and brown it in small batches. If you overcrowd the pan, the beef releases water and stews instead of browning. Use a kitchen thermometer: the thickest pieces should reach at least 63 °C (145 °F).

The sour cream: never add it cold straight into the boiling sauce. Tempering it and heating gently keeps it from curdling.

Accompaniment: serve with white rice on the side. Its cooking time is not included in the times for this recipe.

Cooling and storage: let the stroganoff lose its heat at room temperature, for 1 hour at most. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, at 4 °C (40 °F) or below, for up to 3 days. Reheat it over low heat, stirring, with a splash of broth if it thickens too much. Avoid letting it boil hard.

Freezing: not recommended. Sauces with sour cream tend to curdle and turn grainy when thawed. If you want to get ahead, freeze only the base without the cream (beef, mushrooms, sofrito and broth) for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, heat it through well and add the tempered cream at the end.