The best beef stroganoff
A beef stroganoff is much more than a beef stew. It may look humble or even a little grey, but this dish from Martha Collison is a celebration of umami flavours and the best cuts of steak. Deeply savoury beef and mushrooms are offset with white wine, soured cream and a sprinkle of hot smoked paprika.
- Serves4
- CourseMain meal
- Prepare15 mins
- Cook35 mins
- Total time50 mins
Ingredients
- 500g sirloin or fillet steaks (from the meat counter)
- 2 tsp olive oil, for rubbing
- 25g butter
- 300g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced or quartered
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 echalion shallot or small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 125ml dry white wine
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard or smooth mustard
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika, plus a pinch
- 1 tsp Cooks’ Ingredients Porcini Mushroom Paste (optional)
- 200ml beef stock
- 250ml soured cream
- ½ x 25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped
- No.1 Mafaldine pasta, rice or mashed potato, to serve
Method
Trim any excess fat from the steaks, season generously on both sides, then rub with the oil. Heat a large, deep frying pan over a medium-high heat until searingly hot. Lay the steaks in and sear for 2-3 minutes each side until browned all over – you want a deep golden crust but a rare centre. Transfer to a board, tent loosely with foil, and leave to rest while you make the sauce.
Reduce the heat, add the butter to the same pan and, once foaming, add the mushrooms and thyme and leave for 3-4 minutes to get good colour before stirring. Cook the mushrooms for 5-6 minutes, until well caramelised and beginning to reduce in size. Add the shallot or onion to the pan and cook gently for 5-6 minutes more, until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and flour and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
Pour in the wine and scrape up the caramelised bits from the base of the pan – don’t leave any flavour behind. Let it bubble for 1-2 minutes until thickened and reduced by half. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, paprika and porcini paste, if using. Pour in the stock, simmer for 5 minutes, then discard the thyme sprig.
Put the soured cream into a small bowl. Remove 2 tbsp warm sauce from the pan, avoiding any large chunks of mushroom, and stir vigorously into the cream to temper it (this stops it splitting when added to the sauce).
Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir the soured cream mixture into the pan with the mushrooms. Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened – avoid boiling. Slice the rested beef thinly across the grain, stir into the sauce with any resting juices, then heat through.
Adjust the seasoning to taste, then scatter with the parsley and a sprinkle of paprika. Spoon over pasta, mashed potato or rice and serve immediately
Cook’s tip
Pasta shape
My favourite way to serve this is with No.1 Mafaldine – wiggly ribbons of pasta that grip the sauce. It’s a delicious pasta option to add to your repertoire.
Perfectly cooked beef
Choose a steak with great flavour and sear it properly in a really hot pan for a couple of minutes each side. If your frying pan is on the smaller side, work in batches so it sears beautifully without steaming and remains blushing pink in the middle for melt-in-themouth results. You can go down the more traditional route of slicing the beef before.
Split cream
Nobody wants a split sauce! Stir a little warm sauce into the soured cream first to gently warm it up, then swirl into the pan for a glossy, velvety finish. If you add it cold and all at once, the sauce can split and become grainy. For the same reason, once the cream is added, keep the heat low and don’t boil.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 2,660kJ/ 642kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 52.5g |
Saturated Fat | 25.5g |
Carbohydrates | 9.3g |
Sugars | 3.6g |
Fibre | 1.5g |
Protein | 26.8g |
Salt | 1.5g |