Veggie Stroganoff Recipe

My lovely lady friend is a vegetarian, so when I cook for both of us I need to be able to move away from the meat. Here's the result of a recent experiment that turned out pretty well. This recipe is enough for 4-6 people.

6Tb unsalted butter
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
1/4ts cayenne pepper
1ts anchovy paste (optional)
1-1.5 lbs mushrooms, sliced. Try to use some good ones like oyster, chanterelles, morels, shiitakes to mix in with button or criminis.
1ts dried thyme leaves (you can use fresh)
1/3-3/4 lb soy-based beef substitute of your choice. I used Gimme Lean "ground beef" in the tube. You could also omit this.
3/4 cup veggie or mushroom broth
1Tb Worcestershire sauce
1Tb brandy or sherry
1Tb vermouth or non-oakey white wine
1ts soy sauce
1 cup sour cream
1ts dijon mustard
Fresh ground black pepper
salt (I used a mix of seasoning salt and kosher. The seasoning salt helps add a meatiness.)
Egg noodles

Saute onion and garlic in a large pan with about 2Tb unsalted butter on med to med-high until soft and transparent. Season with salt (I used seasoning salt here) and a pinch of cayenne. Add anchovy paste a few minutes before the onions are done so it can cook a little. I didn't taste the anchovy at all in the final dish (which is what I wanted), but feel free to omit.

Then, remove the garlic and onions, add 2Tb more butter (or oil -- you could probably cut that down to one) and mushrooms. (I used about 1lb of criminis and maybe a dozen shiitakes.)Season with salt and plenty of fresh cracked pepper. Add thyme. Saute, stirring pretty constantly, until they start to soften and give up fluid, which will help to deglaze the pan, about 7-10 minutes.

Remove mushrooms, add a little more butter or other fat. Add meat substitute and saute until brown. You could omit this, use more, or use another type of soy meat (such as seitan). I didn't want to put too much in since I only like soy meat in moderation.

Deglaze pan with veggie or mushroom stock mixed with Worcestershire sauce, brandy or sherry, white vermouth or non-oaky white wine, and soy sauce. Turn heat up to med-high and let reduce for just a couple of minutes. Reduce heat to med-low, add sour cream and mustard (I used light, but I think full fat would work a little better). Whisk or stir well to combine. Add the reserved onion, garlic, and mushrooms, stir to combine. Allow this to heat through and the sauce is done.

Cook egg noodles, toss them with 1Tb butter and season with a little seasoning salt. I think it's best to add the sauce on top of each serving of noodles rather than toss it all together. Garnish with some chopped Italian parsley, and if you're feeling decadent an additional small dollop of sour cream.