Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 - 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1kg blade steak, sliced across the grain (about 1cm wide), or use beef stir-fry strips
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g button mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
½ cup sour cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp cornflour
To serve, pasta or egg noodles, fresh dill or chives (optional)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add a little oil to the beef strips, mix well.
2. Heat a wok or frypan, ensure it is hot. Stir-fry the beef in 3 batches, remove each batch and place in a casserole dish. Add a little oil to pan, add onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes or until onions softens. Add the tomato paste and stock, stir until the mixture boils. Pour over the beef in the casserole dish and stir to combine.
3. Cover the casserole dish, place in oven, cook for 30 - 40 minutes or until beef is tender. In the last 10 minutes of cooking time, stir in the combined sour cream, mustard and cornflour. Serve with pasta or egg noodles and sprinkle with chopped dill or chives.

Warm Up this Winter with Succulent Beef
Comforting, full of flavour and simple to prepare, slow cooked beef is the perfect way to warm up a cold winter's day!

Whether you prefer a hearty beef bourguignon or a spicy beef curry, casseroling is a foolproof technique that will lead you to endless winter warming possibilities.

Match the beef cut to the cooking time you have available. Chuck and boneless shin/gravy beef offer the richest flavour and the most succulent meat. However, topside, round and blade are great choices for quicker week night meals as they cook more quickly.
Beef cuts (2.5-3cm cubes or thickness): Chuck, boneless shin/ gravy beef,osso bucco pieces
Approximate cooking time: 2-2 ½ hours
Guide to cooking temperature: 160-180C

Beef cuts (2.5-3cm cubes or thickness): Topside, round, blade
Approximate cooking time: 1-1 ½ hours
Guide to cooking temperature: 160-180C

Brown the beef - Don't rush the initial stage of browning the beef. Brown it in 2 or 3 batches and keep the pan at a medium-high heat so the beef doesn't stew in its own juices.

Let your dish simmer gently as it gives a richer flavoured dish. Controlling the heat is important as too low a heat and the dish will be flavourless, too high a heat and the mixture will boil resulting in less tender meat.