Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff

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

1kg blade steak
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g Swiss brown or button mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
½ cup sour cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp cornflour
pasta or noodles to serve
fresh dill

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut blade steaks across the grain into 1.5cm wide strips. Season with salt and pepper, add a little oil to the beef strips and mix well.

2. Heat a wok or fry pan and ensure it is hot. Stir-fry the beef in 2 or 3 batches, remove each batch and place in a casserole dish. Add a little oil to pan, add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes or until the mushrooms soften. Add the tomato paste and stock and stir until the mixture boils. Pour over the beef in the casserole dish and stir to combine.

3. Cover the casserole dish, place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the beef is tender. In the last 10 minutes of cooking time, stir in the combined sour cream, mustard and cornflour. Serve with pasta or noodles and sprinkle with chopped dill leaves.

MELT AWAY THE WINTER WEATHER WITH WARMING BEEF CASSEROLES

Embrace the winter chill with a hearty beef casserole, the perfect meal to warm up a cool evening. A comforting beef casserole is a traditional winter staple and its tenderness is guaranteed to melt away the winter blues. It is simple to prepare a beef casserole - follow these three top tips and then let the oven or cooktop takeover while you relax!

· Choose the right beef cut for the cooking time:
o The richest flavour and most succulent meat comes from chuck, boneless shin/gravy beef and osso bucco, but these cuts require a longer cooking time.
o Topside, blade and round beef only need about an hour to an hour and a half for maximum tenderness, so they are great options if time is of the essence.
· Browning the meat: the beef should be browned in small batches (about 200g each). The pan should be kept at a medium to high heat to avoid the beef stewing in its own juices.
· Simmer the casserole gently and taste to test if it's ready: whatever the suggested cut, the beef should be tender enough to fall apart easily with a fork.

This information has been issued by Hausmann Communications on behalf of Meat & Livestock Australia. For more recipe suggestions please go to www.themainmeal.com.au