4 tbsp. butter
3 lb. (1 inch thick) bottom round steak
2 lg. onions, sliced thin
1 basket fresh mushrooms or 1 lg. can stems & pieces
1 sm. can mushroom caps
2 cubes beef bouillon or 1 c. beef stock
2 tbsp. flour
1 c. sour cream kept at room temperature
1 lg. bay leaf
Red Burgundy wine
Pepper

Slice meat into strips 1/2 x 1 x 1/2 inch thick. Pound gently with meat hammer. Preheat a heavy skillet to searing temperature. Quickly drop butter and sear strips of meat, adding butter as becomes necessary, and removing browned pieces into a warm Dutch oven.

Reduce heat and saute onions until golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the meat. Slightly saute the mushrooms, remove them into the Dutch oven. Add Burgundy wine to cover, and start preheating oven to 325 degrees.

Degrease skillet. Add 1/2 cup of wine and beef stock or the two beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1 cup of hot water. Simmer a few minutes scraping all the flavorful cooking juices. Add flour stirring until well blended. Pour over meat. Cover, and set it in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it begins to bubble.

Now add mushroom caps, salt, and at the same time remove 1/2 to 3/4 cups of the sauce. Quickly and carefully blend the one cup of sour cream with the sauce, return it to the Dutch oven, gently mixing it into the meat, mushrooms, and onions. Heat through and serve with Wild Rice.

WILD RICE:

3 c. cooked wild rice
1/2 lb. bacon
1 lg. onion - chopped fine
1 tsp. caraway seeds

Cook rice according to directions on package, to make 3 cups. Fry bacon until very crisp and brown. Crush it with your fingers and add it to the rice. Brown onions in the bacon fat, and add everything, including bacon fat to the rice. Add 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds. Mix well, add salt if necessary, and serve. If rice is ready before the Beef Stroganoff, it may be kept hot in a covered casserole in the oven.

NOTE: Do not salt until almost cooked, as it toughens the meat. Do not over cook, as the meat will toughen.