Beef Stroganoff

This was my solution to the last 4 mushrooms, and the 2 tiny boneless steaks in the freezer. They were too small for anything other than a meal that called for them to be cut up and added to a sauce, this fit the bill nicely. I was also able to use up the last bit of sour cream in the fridge.

The sauce takes only a few minutes to make. I put the rice on to cook, and then make the sauce, which is done by the time the rice is cooked. Perfect for a week night meal.


So, while the rice is cooking, start the sauce...

Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a hot pan, and add the meat. You will need about 12oz, cut into thin strips.

Season the meat with salt and pepper, and brown quickly. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Into the same pan, add a bit more olive oil, and 4 large mushrooms, sliced.

Season with salt and pepper, and cook the mushrooms until done. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Still using the same pan, but adding about 4 tablespoons of butter instead of olive oil, cook 1 small diced onion.

Season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is softened and starting to colour slightly.

Add:

2 tablespoons of flour
1 heaping tablespoon of tomato paste

Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring the flour and tomato paste into the onions.

Add 2 cups of beef stock, whisking while bringing the sauce to a boil.

Turn the heat down and allow the sauce to simmer until the rice is ready.

Add the meat back to the sauce, along with any juices that were released while it sat.

Add:

The cooked mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas





Give the meat, mushrooms and peas a minute to heat through. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.

Now stir in:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustaard
1/4 cup sour cream

The sauce is now ready, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Do not boil the sauce after the sour cream and mustard have been added, it will curdle.




                                               
                                                Serve the sauce over the hot rice.

• This was a childhood favorite of mine. My mother did not use tomato paste, feel free to leave it out if you want to. I find it adds a bit of sweetness and depth to the sauce.
• This is great served over noodles.
• I had 2 small steaks to use, so I sliced them thinly. You can also buy 'stir fry beef' which is already cut into slices, but you can often pay more for less this way. Next time you buy steaks for something, buy an extra one, slice and freeze it, and you are ready to go.
• Pork would work as a substitute. If you have chicken, use the post for Chicken a la King.
• You do not need to defrost the peas, they will defrost and heat up in the sauce.
• Substitute no fat plain Greek yoghurt for the sour cream. Regular yoghurt will work as well, but it's a bit thinner so doesn't deliver the same richness.
• The sauce makes a good pie or crepe filling; use a bit less liquid so it is thicker.