That List of Tried and Trues

So how often do you actually go back and repeat? So often I'll try a new recipe and we'll love it, and then I'll never make it again. There's just so many recipes out there to try! One of these days I should really just sit down and rack my brain and see how many dishes I consider standard fare. With a rather large cookbook and magazine collection, it's easy to forget one or two, but lucky for me, I have Andy. Sometimes he will manage to remember a recipe from way back and ask me why we haven't made that in a while. Good question, let's do it.

So this weekend he did just that and reminded me of a Dilled Pork Stroganoff from Cooking Light that is easily one of his favorite dishes. In fact, I do recall making it for his birthday a few times in the past, so obviously it's a favorite. The reason I don't make it very often is that it contains mushrooms and onions in vast quantity- two things my kids don't like. They'll eat onions in something like stew or soup where you can't see the onions, and mushroom flavored things, but if they spy the mushrooms and onions, it's game over.

I'm certain I've posted this recipe before, but since it's a favorite, it is well worth repeating. This time around I also took a large carrot, sliced it very thinly, and added it to the mixture. I loved the color it added to an otherwise bland looking dish. In fact, it has me thinking that next time I'll add the thinly sliced carrots, and perhaps some snapped green beans as well to add more color. Another note about this dish is that it is also a budget stretcher. It isn't very often that a single pound of pork will feed a family of four- plus. This is a great way to take that pound of pork, thinly slice it, and stretch it out. All four of us ate, and we had one portion leftover for lunch, so it could serve five with a nice salad to accompany. In this case, I bought two pounds of pork on sale for $3.00 (really, any cut of pork will work here too), one package of wide egg noodles for 59 cents, mushrooms were $1.50, and everything else was a pantry staple- so quick math shows me that this entire dinner (plus one lunch) cost me less than $5.00- even if I add the staples like onions and sour cream.

Dilled Pork Stroganoff
Serving Size : 4
3 cups egg noodles -- uncooked
1 pound pork tenderloin -- trimmed and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt -- divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons butter -- divided
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups sweet onion -- chopped
8 ounces mushrooms -- sliced
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh dill -- chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Sprinkle pork with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Melt 1 1/2 tsp butter in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over med-high heat. Add pork, saute 4 minutes, or until no longer pink. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add broth to pan; cook 30 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon butter, 1/4 tsp. salt, onions, and mushrooms; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned. Remove from heat.

Combine sour cream, dill, mustard, and flour in a small bowl. Add pork and sour cream mixture to pan; stir well. Serve over noodles.

Source: Cooking Light March 2002