Beef Stroganoff

This dish came into its own when we found a butcher in Wetherby who sold Beef Fillet Tail pieces in £10 packs of about a pound in weight. Great for those times when you'd like fillet but don't require large pieces for steaks or Beef Wellington. We buy two or three packs and freeze them. For this dish all I had to buy was the mushrooms and soured cream, the rest was 'in stock'. We got three large portions. Most would probably get four.

Ingredients

 

 



Beef fillet - About a pound or 500g in weight. Cut into thin strips.

2 medium sized onions - thinly sliced

2x 250g  packs of chestnut mushrooms - sliced. I generally cut them in half, turn them 90 degrees and then slice. The size seems to work. As for the type of mushrooms you use; up to you. I've used field mushrooms and they work well. The only ones I would avoid are the small button mushrooms. You want a good earthy flavour and I think they lack that.

6 cloves of garlic - roughly chopped. More or less is fine, all down to your own taste.

Dried mushrooms - Porcini or the cheaper mixed ones are fine. I used the equivalent of about two tablespoons of the ordinary mixed mushrooms. I whizz them up in my spice grinder to create a kind of dust that is mixed directly into the sauce. The conventional way to deal with them is to soak them and then chop, using the liquid and the chopped mushrooms. Seems a faff to me and I'm not entirely sure about the texture of the finely chopped soaked mushrooms. I'm sure the way I do it keeps all the flavour and is easier too.

3 heaped teaspoons of Paprika - I stuck to that this time but often add a bit more. Again, it's what suits the individual.

1 heaped teaspoon of dried thyme - For me thyme is to beef what rosemary is to lamb.

2 heaped teaspoons of dried parsley - Fresh if you have it and more if you want it. A bit like the paprika in the sense that I tend to add more. In my eyes, or should I say, 'in my mouth' parsley, butter and garlic are perfect with mushrooms.

1 beef stock pot or cube - I used one of those pots you can get. I'm not a purist when it comes to stock. I have made it and it's quite fun - if you have the time. Up to you really. If it's fresh stock you are using then 3-400ml of that. Otherwise it's the equivalent amount of water with the stock pot.

300ml of soured cream - I use the full fat stuff but the reduced fat versions I'm sure will work. The quantity can be varied to taste. I have sometimes added a bit of double cream if it's in the fridge and I think it needs it. Crème Fraiche would work.

Brandy - About 50ml. You'll see the amount in the ladle in the photo below. I never measure it precisely.

Butter - About 75g, whenever I use mushrooms I generally cook them in butter as I think they go together beautifully. You could use oil, it depends on your approach to your dietary needs. You could combine so as to retain but reduce the butter content.

Oil - A small amount, a splash, to fry the beef.

Salt and pepper to taste.

The Process

Melt the butter and then tip the sliced onions and mushrooms in. Cook for a few minutes on a fairly high heat to soften the onions and for the mushrooms to exude their moisture. Add the garlic, dried mushroom dust, paprika and herbs. Lower the heat and keep stirring. Add the stock. I added the stock pot straight in with some of the water.

At this point you can move the skillet over to a rear ring, keep on  a low heat and keep stirring intermittently while you heat the oil in a wok. Add more water if it thickens too much.

Stir fry the beef for a couple of minutes on a high heat. Remove it while there is still some pink showing and set to one side in a cool dish as you want the cooking process to stop.

Now bring the skillet back to the front of the hob. Heat the brandy, very gently, in a metal ladle. Then pour onto the onion and mushroom mixture.

Tip the skillet carefully so that the flame can gently kiss the brandy and set it alight. It is just discernable in the photo to the left.

I know it's a bit childish but when I successfully flambé something I feel like a chef. It does give me a buzz.

Once the flames subside add the soured cream, stir it in and keep stirring. By now you should have an unctuous mixture. Season to taste.

Now it's time to add the beef with its juices. Increase the heat and stir in the beef for just long enough for it to heat through.

And that's it, done.

You could have it with rice or noodles. We generally go 'carb lite' and on this occasion had it with thinly sliced steamed greens. They go very well together in this dish my opinion. I think you need a contrast to what is a rich dish.

My wife gave the whole thing a 10 so here it is.

I couldn't resist adding this photo. A variation on what I've described above that did not score a 10 but the flambé was wonderful.