Beef Stroganoff for guests

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 11

Beef Stroganoff for guests

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts

Beef Stroganoff is a very rich, quickly cooked beef mixture, made with tender steak which is sliced thinly, browned quickly, and served in a sauce containing mushrooms. tomato paste (or concentrate) and sour cream.

It is a good choice for the hostess who-wants to prepare an interesting meat dish for two to six guests, after work, or in a short time. If the ingredients are assembled and prepared beforehand the cooking time will be 10 to 15 minutes. Only the onions can be pre-cooked — if you brown them ahead, you can reduce the cooking time by five minutes.

Beef Stroganoff made with stewing steak is invariably disappointing. The ingredients lose their identity during cooking. • and the final result does not warrant the expensive ingredients used with the cheaper meat. Unless you are prepared to do last minute cooking, forget about this recipe. It is good served with ribbon-shaped noodles which are cooked while the meat is cooking, then drained and tossed in melted butter and

parsley. Serve broccoli or beans and or a green salad with the beef Stroganoff an remember it is a rather rich ■ and heavy dish- for hot weather-but its good for a cold night. For four servings you nced 500-6002 fillet, porterhouse, scotch fillet, or rump s t cak 50-75 g butter 2 large onions, sliced 250-500 g button mushrooms 2 teaspoons instant beef stock 2 teaspoons cornflour 2 tablespoons tomato paste

'» cup water i 2 .j cup sour cream p repa re all the ingredients be f ore y OU start cooking, of - hc sug g este( j s t ea k ts wjl) make d beff stroganoff) but fi^let steak wj || be tbe most tender. R ump steak must not be over-cooked, or it will be tough. Cut the steak into strips of pencil thickness, and matchstick length. Halve the onions lengthwise then cut into crosswise strips. Wash mushrooms. Halve them if small, cut in slices if large. Measure instant stock, cornflour, tomato paste and

water into a small bowl, and stir to mix. Heat a heavy frying pan until very hot. Drop a quarter of the measured butter into the pan with a third of the steak strips. Stir oyer high heat until steak loses its red colour. Do not overcook. Put it aside in a bowl. Cook the next third of the meat in another quarter of the butter. Repeat with the remaining meat, and empty the pan again. Put the remaining butter and sliced onions in the pan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until onions are tender and browned at the edges. Add mushrooms to the pan with the onions, and cook over fairly high heat until mushrooms are hot, stirring occasionally. Tip the stock and tomato mixture into the pan and stir until it boils and thickens. .Just before serving add meat. When sauce is close to boiling, stir in sour cream. Serve as soon as possible, on or beside cooked noodles which have been drained, buttered and mixed with chopped parsley.