Beef Stroganoff

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  Cut the meat into centimeter-thick slices, trim off any remaining fat cover, and then cut 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, cut it in half, and slice into half-moons. Trim the dried, tougher end of the mushroom stems, quickly rinse them to remove any remaining substrate, and then cut into quarters or halves depending on size. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a bowl, add about 100 ml of cold water, and soak the sliced mushrooms in this water on all sides. This will prevent them from browning on the cut and later greying in the pan. After a while, drain them, as they are mushrooms and tend to absorb a lot.
• 3
  Heat the butter in a pan until it foams, or just heat the oil. Add the drained mushrooms and on medium heat, first let them release their liquid, then evaporate the liquid and add the onion. Sauté both together, stirring occasionally, until they turn a brown, golden color. Then remove them and set aside.
• 4
  If there is no fat left in the pan, add another half tablespoon. Heat the pan well and throw in the meat, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Without stirring, let the meat sear well on the bottom side until brown, then gently turn and sear the other side for a while. The strips are very thin, so they tend to dry out immediately, so don't overdo it. A few minutes will suffice.
• 5
  Remove the meat and set it aside with the sautéed mushrooms and onion. Return the pan to the stove and pour in 100 ml of water (or better, broth) and let almost all of it evaporate quickly, which will release the fond from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the sour cream and turn off the stove. Once the cream is heated through, return its original contents to the pan and mix. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes somewhere aside, but do not cook further. Serve, for example, with rice, sprinkled with green parsley for a more vibrant color.