Beef stroganoff

When we lived in Portugal I used to make this recipe often because our local butcher's always had some beef pre-cut for stroganoff. More than 10 years since the last time I made it, I suddenly had a craving for it.

I used Darina Allen's recipe to spruce up my plain recipe.

Serves: 3 persons.

Ingredients:

• 20g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 125g mushrooms, sliced
• 400g beef fillet
• 150g crème fraîche
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1 dash nutmeg
• 1 dash paprika
• salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut the meat in strips and season with salt & pepper.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the chopped onion. Season well with salt & pepper. Cook on a gentle heat for 10 min, stirring regularly, until the onion is soft and slightly coloured. Transfer to a plate.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the frying pan over a high heat. Add the mushrooms and season with salt & pepper and a little nutmeg.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. When well-cooked add to the onions.
5. Heat another 1 tbsp olive oil in the frying pan. Add the meat in a single layer and stir-fry over a high heat for 1-2 min until it is just cooked. Cook the meat in batches because, if you try to fit more than a single layer in the pan, the meat will stew and loose its tenderness. My meat took around 5 min to cook. I assume the strips were a bit thick.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. When all the meat is cooked, add the other beef, onions and mushrooms back into the pan. Stir in the crème fraîche, the mustard and the paprika. 
   
   
   
7. Let it warm up until the stroganoff is just bubbling.
8. Taste, correct seasoning and serve straight away with white rice.