Sunday Rewind: Noodling with Popeye

As The Rantings of an Amateur Chef has been going since February of 2012, there are quite a few readers that have joined along the way. In an effort to bring back some great recipes that they may have missed, I will dedicate Sundays to re-posting a favorite that is at least two years old. I hope you enjoy! – The Ranting Chef

I was never a big fan of Popeye. I could never understand the guy, he seemed to make bad decisions and for the most part he was pushed around. He was in love with Olive, who compared to the other cartoon love interests, was rather homely. He was entirely uninteresting until he had his spinach. Then he could take on the world.

Who thought of this? Elzie Crisler Segar. In 1929 he created the character in a comic strip and in the first four years of publication, spinach sales increased 33%. The idea is spinach became more palatable both to kids and their parents, as they saw Popeye eat it, so they bought more and more. Really? When I was a kid, spinach was a soggy, bitter mop. I couldn’t stand it and Bugs Bunny, Goofy and Superman combined couldn’t get me to like it more.

Only as an adult have I come to like spinach. First of all, most of the spinach I now eat is raw. When it is cooked, it is lightly cooked or included with other ingredients. This recipe, Low Carb Beef Stroganoff takes advantage of spinach to try to make you forget the noodles.

Low-Carb Beef Stroganoff

I cannot say that I did not miss the noodles, because I did. The spinach was a nice taste, but not a real replacement for real stroganoff. So I am considering this a variation on the theme instead of a true low carb replacement. With that view, it was pretty good.

I did a little cheating by buying the meat already cut for stroganoff and the mushrooms already sliced.

Like so many recipes, cook the onions first. Then add the shrooms.

Remove the veggies and fry up the meat a little until still a little pink.

Mix it all together and cook.

A beautiful bed for the stroganoff.

Sprinkle a little paprika to give it some color and eat!

Low-Carb Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1 pound top sirloin, sliced thinly
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions for about 3 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and keep cooking till the mushrooms begin to lose their liquid. Remove and keep warm.

Add the beef and cook till completely browned; season with salt and pepper to taste as you go.

Drain the fat, if any, and sprinkle the flour over the top of the beef. Add the broth and cook until slightly thickened. Add back the mushroom mixture and mix well. Season again with salt and pepper and add the thyme.

Once hot, turn down the heat and add the sour cream. Don’t let it boil, or the sour cream will turn into nasty little curds like cottage cheese; you don’t want that.

Place 1 cup of raw spinach on each plate and top with the stroganoff. The heat from the stroganoff will wilt it nicely. You can saute the spinach first if you like, but it’s good this way. Sprinkle the top with paprika.

Source: http://www.recipelink.com/cookbooks/2005/0345478061_3.html