{Beef Strogonoff}

I mentioned in my lime custard bars post we were off to the country for the weekend with friends, it was gorgeous, chilly and filled with lots of little surprises like the tiny bats we found asleep on the outdoor furniture one morning, I loved the constant smell of wood fire smoke, we enjoyed a few bottles of red and on saturday night, my night to cook we had beef stroganoff with fresh pasta. 

I prepared it early in the morning and then later that day while it was in the oven there was plenty of time to retreat into the sunny wintery garden with a cup of tea, a magazine, a horse looking over the fence for company and my excited happy boys busy exploring and collecting fire wood.

...the strog

500g beef pieces (or use rump)

2 medium onions, sliced

250g sliced mushrooms

3 cloves garlic crushed

50g butter

1 tbsp flour

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups beef stock

300ml sour cream

2 tsp paprika

s+p

big handful flat leaf parsley

Melt butter in a frypan, add onions mushrooms and garlic and cook for ten minutes on a medium heat, remove from pan. Season beef with salt, pepper and paprika add to hot pan and seal, brown on all sides (you may need to add a bit of olive oil to the pan here). Return mushroom mix to the pan and stir thru the flour, cook off for two minutes then add tomato paste and cook for another two minutes then add wine and stock and bring it to the boil. 

Transfer to an oven proof dish with a lid and cook at 180 for 1.5 - 2 hours or until beef is tender (alternatively simmer gently for the same amount of time on the stove top covered). Once tender, stir thru sour cream, chopped parsley check seasoning and serve with fresh fettuccine, mash or even on rice.