Elk Stroganoff

OMG. I have to use that keyboard shortcut for this meal. Cuz, OMG it was amazing. The house smelled amazing. The end results tasted amazing. Even the dog ate amazingly. (some grain free kibble, plus raw elk and squash!) This stroganoff surprisingly smelled a lot like my mama's stroganoff, which was made using completely different ingredients (mostly store bought) but the health benefits of this meal far exceeded hers. Sorry for the dis, ma.

My sister is up and moving to Wisconsin soon, and she gifted me with an assortment of meats and other items from her freezer, including some elk meat hunted by her boyfriend (who shares the same name as my husband: confusing!) Included in the elk meat was some ground burger style meat. Beans are in season, so i was looking for something i could prepare with meat and a side of beans and just stumbled into this meal in my brain: stroganoff! I found a recipe online to use as a reference, and added more veggies and different herbs, and of course used my homemade yogurt instead of sour cream or store bought yogurt. The results were fabulous and i'm so proud of us for leaving leftovers!

Elk Stroganoff with a side of Beans

• 1 lb ground elk meat (or venison, or bison, or even turkey)
• 2 patty pan squash (or zucchini, or green peppers, or whatever is in season - you get the idea)
• 1 red onion
• 1 or more large garlic clove
• Good pinch of dried hot peppers
• 2 cans sliced mushrooms, or 1 cup fresh/sliced mushrooms
• Splash olive oil
• 2 T flour
• 1 Cup broth or 1/2 cup broth/ 1/2 cup red or white wine. I used turkey broth as that's what i had
• 1 Cup yogurt
• Dried herbs of your choice: i used basil/thyme/oregano/smoked paprika
• 2 T dijon mustard

• Pan full of fresh green beans, the skinnier the more delicious
• Butter or olive oil

Set the stage: one large pan with lid. One medium pot with water. One large pot with water and a steam rack. Prep your beans by pinching off the stemmy bits and arranging on the steaming tray.

Toss oil, onion, garlic, mushrooms and meat in the pan at medium/high heat until meat is browned. There can still be plenty of red showing. Toss in flour and squash and stir continuously for about 2 minutes. Add the herbs and broth, stir and reduce heat to medium. Cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile get the water for your pasta (i used whole grain egg noodles) going and turn on the heat under your green beans. The fresh beans will take over 5 minutes to adequately soften. Once the beans are ready, the pasta is done and the meat has simmered turn off the heat and add yogurt and mustard. Stir well and delight in the aromas!

Serve the stroganoff over egg noodles (or rice, or raw zucchini 'noodles') with a side of beans that have been drained and tossed with a scant amount of butter or oil. I used roasted pepper infused olive oil and a splash of truffle oil, plus salt. Yum!

Stroganoff isn't the prettiest dish, and i'd publish the aroma if i could. You'll just have to get invited over for dinner to enjoy that element. ;)

You can find this post and more great recipes and tips at the Simple Lives Thursday blog hop!