Heads up, this will not be
about the Mormons and their travels to Utah in 1847. No, I am going ahead in time to 1914 with the
establishment of “Russian Settlement”.
It is not known if the settlers there had another name of this now ghost
town in the Park Valley area of Box Elder County. By 1917, the residents had moved to either
California, or towards Salt Lake City; continual crop failures, children sent
to outside schools, supplies not shipped in as promised broke them. The only remnant that the town ever existed
is a little white fence built around two gravesites, Anna Kalpakoff, who was
accidentally shot by her husband, and her sister-in-law, Mary Kalpakoff, who
died during childbirth.
These settlers were
Molokans, a Russian Protestant-like Christian sect; this particular group
belonging to a sub-sect called the “Jumpers and Leapers”. These believed they were visited by a manifestation
of the Holy Spirit, held revivals with intense zeal, reporting miracles that rivaled
the stories from Christ's apostles.
Molokans were also pacifists; they refused to bear arms, or join with
any of Russia’s military forces. Life in
Russia became exceptionally difficult, for any religious sect, after the
publishing of Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” (1848); with Lenin finally
overthrowing the Emperor and his court in 1918.
As with any other persecuted
religious groups (Amish, Mennonite, Puritans, Quakers, Mormons), moving
elsewhere to find freedom was a very good idea.
As with any immigrants that came to the United States, they brought with
them culinary goods they could carry and recipe books. America is called “The Melting Pot”, a
gigantic living, breathing, working version of the child’s book, Stone Soup. Picture this, the country is the cooking pot
being filled with ingredients from every ethnic, religious, racial populace
that has settled its lands. Our language
which we call English, is a variation of Olde English, Spanish, French, German,
Latin and a few others thrown in as seasonings.
While we are all American, sometimes we tend to forget where our
ancestors truly came from; we have forgotten, or not bothered to learn
ancestral histories. We also tend to
forget that our ancestors were not that welcomed by residents already well-established
here; they had to fight for their, and your, rights.
There is your mental meal
to chew upon, now something to prepare for dinner to make your stomachs
happy. Since I have brought up Russia, a
popular meal prepared with either beef cubes, strips or ground is “Beef
Stroganoff”. The history behind this
dish is vague: #1 – 1850s created by a chef for Count Grigory Stroganov who had
rotten teeth and needed the meat to be very soft. #2 – 1891 created by French Chef Briere for
Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov; using shallots. #3 – 1871 Elena Molokhovets writes a cookbook
for young housewives; her recipe uses mushrooms, onions, bouillon, allspice and
mustard. None of the recipes include the
use of egg noodles, rice or ground beef; those are strictly American inclusions
along with the invention of cream of mushroom soup and crock pots.
Personally I have made
many versions of Beef Stroganoff using lean meat or ground beef; in a skillet
or crock pot; sauce made of sour cream or cream of mushroom soup. To avoid any disappointments, always make
sure to drain any excess oil after browning the beef; who enjoys a slimy sauce
really? When using beef cubes or strips
in a skillet, tenderize the meat overnight with a drizzle of red wine vinegar;
breaks up the fibers and even Count Grigory’s teeth would appreciate it. Ground beef (90% or higher lean) is the
quickest to brown in a skillet and this is the recipe I will now share. Enjoy!
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:
1 package (12 oz.) extra
wide egg noodles.
1 lb. lean ground beef
(90% or higher)
1 medium onion, diced
1 package (8 oz.)
mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. beef stock
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
Sauce
1 container (16 oz.) sour
cream
Preparation:
Prepare noodles according
to package instructions; begin browning meat, medium-high heat, in 12 inch,
deep skillet. When meat is partially
browned, add onions and continue to brown until no pink shows in meat; drain
any excess oil.
Add mushrooms, garlic,
black pepper, beef stock and Worcestershire; mix and let cook for 5 minutes. Add cooked egg noodles and sour cream; mix
thoroughly; remove from heat and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Bonus Recipe: Beef Stroganoff for Crock Pot
Ingredients:
3 ½ - 4 lbs. lean beef,
cut into ½” cubes
½ cup flour
½ cup olive oil
1 bag (12 oz.) frozen,
diced onions
1 can or jar (8 oz.) of
sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 beef seasoning packets
or bouillon cubes
2 cups water
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of
mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ lbs cooked, broad egg
noodles
Mix beef cubes and flour
together; heat oil in large skillet, medium-high heat, and brown all sides of
cubes; drain excess oil
Set 6 quart crock pot on
low, place in all ingredients, except sour cream and egg noodles. Cover, cook
for 8 hours, stir in sour cream. Let
cook for 15 minutes; serve over egg noodles.
Makes 8 servings.
Mary Cokenour
