Not long ago I cooked with a Sher wagyu fillet of beef
What a challenge: what could I do with a whole fillet? These are the dishes I made: beef stroganoff; Russian-style beef pies (pierogi, or piroshki); stir-fry with leeks and snow peas; tataki; a little appetiser served on nasturtium leaves; a variant of beef Wellington; plain pan-fried steaks; and I gave some of the fillet to neighbours, who turned it into a big salad. Check out www.sherwagyu.com.au - home delivery is possible.
Wagyu handles differently from other beef. At least, I found it so. It's more fragile - that is, it needs to be handled with care. High temperature searing didn't suit it. Medium heat cooked it as fast, and it still browned when it needed to. It loves mushrooms, I found - so stroganoff and the beef pies were very special. But it also likes greens - leeks, snow peas, and nasturtium leaves, whose soft pepperiness is an ideal complement to the softness of the meat. As for the Wellington, I used some pesto and a red capsicum puree instead of the usual pate and mushrooms.
A word about beef Stroganoff, which is one of the dishes that has been interpreted in some appalling ways. It's a dish to prepare quickly, like a stir-fry, but with sour cream. Forget long cooking, forget tomato paste, it's strips of fillet with some onion and mushrooms, and a sauce made of stock (if you have it), mustard and sour cream.
It was named for a Russian count, Pavel Stroganoff, whose French chef submitted the recipe to a culinary journal. It is likely that it was a variation of an earlier dish, because something similar appeared in the first Russian cookbook. Elena Molokhovets' book A Gift to Young Housewives was first published in 1861, and was in print right up to the Revolution of 1917. Hers was a simpler recipe, but the combination of mushrooms and sour cream is a Russian favourite.
French cuisine features lots of dishes named for Russian aristocrats of the 18th and 19th centuries. It would be fun to make a meal of them: Veal Orloff, Nesselrode pudding, beef Stroganoff, strawberries Romanov. They are the legacy of the aristocracy's fondness for all things French, including champagne, which had a huge market in Russia - for much sweeter champagne than we would now drink. French chefs found employment in grand Russian households, and even the great Careme had a spell in Russia.
My beef stroganoff? Here it is:
For four
650g wagyu fillet
150g mushrooms
1 medium onion
70g butter
Scant tablespoon flour
1 rounded teaspoon powdered mustard
200 ml beef stock
200g sour cream
Freshly chopped parsley
Cut the waygu into fine strips, about 5cm long, season with salt and pepper. Slice the onion as finely as possible. Slice the mushrooms.
Heat 20g butter in a frying pan over moderate heat, and fry the onions until they soften and turn golden. Add the sliced mushrooms, and when they have wilted, transfer the onions and mushrooms to a warm bowl.
Mix the flour and mustard together.
Heat 20g butter in a small saucepan, and when the butter has melted, add the flour and mustard, then stir well. Add the stock, and keep stirring until it thickens a little. Add the sour cream, and stir well. Turn off the heat, and leave to one side.
Heat the fry pan, and add the butter. Just before it browns, add the waygu strips, and turn the heat to moderately high. Cook the strips, turning often, until there is no trace of pink. Turn the heat down, then add the mushrooms and onion. Stir for a minute so all is well mixed and hot, then add the sauce. Cook for a minute or two, sprinkle with the chopped parsley, and serve.
The traditional Russian accompaniment was potato straws. Some people like buttered noodles, others prefer rice. Small potatoes are good, too. A green salad makes a crunchy and refreshing side dish.
A simpler version: mix a good teaspoon of prepared mustard with a teaspoon of flour and then stir in the sour cream until the mixture is smooth. Add to the beef, mushrooms and onion and stir well until everything is mixed and hot. The flour is useful because it stops the sour cream curdling.