Preparing Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff makes a for a hearty meal. It is according to Wikipedia a Russian dish which involves sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce with smetana. No this is not a dish served with  Bohemian composer but one that uses a type of sour cream popular in eastern Europe. The name is Russian for sour cream by the way.

The dish accordingly began in the mid-1800s in Imperial Russia but is now made around the world because it tastes so good. The heat comes from paprika in the traditional sense but mustard is just as effective.

The dish is often served with rice but it works equally well with loads of mashed potato as an alternative. I’ve had both and it will certainly fill the guts which ever carbohydrate you care to chow on.

Serves 4. Preparation time: 15 minutes: Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp vegetable (corn, maize, rapeseed) or olive oil depending on the size of pan
• 500g beef rump steaks, fat trimmed, or 500g of fillet steak, all cut into 1cm strips
• 250g mixed or chestnut mushrooms (wild, forest, chanterelles will all work well)
• 200ml hot beef stock
• 50g butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tsp to 2 tsp plain flour for coating the onion
• 150ml pot soured cream
• 300g easy-cook long-grain rice
• handful chopped parsley but I use as much as I can get my hands on, to serve
• pinch of paprika or 1 tsp of English mustard as required

Preparation:

1. Place a large frying pan over a high heat and heat the oil. 
2. Add half the beef strips, taking care not to overfill the pan. Fry for 1-2 mins until golden, then season well and use tongs to quickly turn the strips over. Cook for 1-2 mins more, then remove and set aside. Fry the remaining beef in a little more oil as before, then remove and set aside.
3. Begin to prepare the cooked rice as per packet instruction in a separate cooking pan.
4. Cook the mushrooms and the garlic in the remaining oil for 2 mins until golden and soft, then remove and set aside.
5. Add the butter and a little more oil and heat gently to soften the butter.
6. Add the onion  and fry until a translucent white and soft. This takes about 10 minutes. Add some water to stop any sticking. 
7. Stir in the flour, ensuring that the onion is evenly coated, then pour over the hot beef stock and any juices from the beef and mushrooms that have been kept aside. Bring the stock to the boil and leave to simmer for 5 mins or until it is slightly thickened.
8. Stir most of the soured cream through the sauce until smooth, then return the beef and mushrooms to the pan. Finish cooking for 1-2 mins for rare steak, 3-4 mins for medium or up to 5 mins for well done, ensuring everything is heated through.
9. Serve with cooked rice and spread any remaining soured cream. Scatter over the chopped parsley and mustard or paprika to finish.