This rendition of the popular vintage dish uses beef stock and relies on uncovered simmering to reduce the sauce to the desired thickness. Served over rice or pasta, its increasingly delicious appearance while simmering is soon accompanied by a savory aroma that will make senior citizens like myself feel ten years old again.

You’ll need:

2 lb. sirloin or round steak, cut into cubes
Seasoned flour (I seasoned with black pepper and granulated garlic)
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 No. ¼ cans mushrooms, finely chopped (that’s 2 3-oz. cans or 6-8 oz total)
Butter (up to a ¼ lb. stick, see instructions)
2 No. 300 cans beef broth (that’s 2 14¾-oz. cans)
1 can water, if needed (see instructions)
1 cup heavy cream*
½ tsp. citric acid*
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
3 cups cooked rice (see rice package instructions)

Roll steak cubes in flour mixture. Sauté onions and mushrooms in 1 Tbsp. butter; remove and set aside. Brown meat in enough butter to be consumed by the flour on the steak; sort of a roux on the fly.

Combine browned meat with cooked onions and mushrooms in a large pot or skillet; add beef broth. Simmer uncovered for 1½ hours; add water as needed if sauce becomes very thick. Add parsley, heavy cream and citric acid when simmering is nearly finished; simmer enough to bring the sauce back to simmering temperature. Serve over rice or noodles. (Rice shown.)

* 1 cup sour cream may be substituted for heavy cream and citric acid.

Enjoy! (But don’t eat before the host does!)