Beef Stroganoff

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Cut the meat into centimeter-thick slices, trim off any remaining fat, and then cut it into thin strips, half to one centimeter thick. Mix them with two large pinches of salt, a little pepper, and set aside for now.
• 2
  Peel the onion, halve it, and cut it into half-moons. Trim the dried, tougher end of the stem from the mushrooms, quickly rinse them to remove any substrate residue, and then cut them into quarters or halves depending on their size. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a bowl, add about 100 ml of cold water, and dip the cut mushrooms in this water on all sides. This will prevent them from browning when cut and later from turning gray in the pan. After a while, drain them again; after all, they are mushrooms and thus absorb a lot.
• 3
  In a pan, heat the butter until it foams, or simply heat the oil. Add the drained mushrooms and, over medium heat, first let them release their liquid, then evaporate the liquid, and add the onion. Sauté both together, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Then remove and set aside.
• 4
  If no fat remains in the pan, add another half tablespoon. Heat the pan very well and add the meat, spreading it evenly over the bottom. Without stirring, let the meat brown properly on the bottom side, then gently turn it over and sauté for a little longer on the other side. The strips are very thin, so they tend to dry out quickly, so don't overdo it. Just a few minutes will be enough.
• 5
  Remove the meat and set it aside with the sautéed mushrooms and onion. Return the pan to the hob and pour in 100 ml of water (or, even better, broth) and let almost all of it evaporate rapidly; this will release any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream and turn off the hob. Once the cream is heated through, return the original contents to the pan and mix. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes off the heat, but do not cook further. Serve, for example, with rice, sprinkled with fresh parsley for a livelier color.