Beef Stroganoff
· 1.2 lb steak
· 2 tbsp vegetable oil
· 1 large onion
· 10 oz mushrooms
· 3 tbsp butter
· 2 tbsp flour
· 2 cups beef broth
· 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
· 2/3 cup sour cream
· Salt and pepper
1. Use your fist (or rolling pin or mallet) to flatten the steaks to about 3/4cm / 1/3" thick. Slice into 5mm / 1/5" strips (cut long ones in half), discarding excess fat.
2. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Scatter half the beef in the skillet, QUICKLY spread it with tongs. Leave untouched for 30 seconds until browned. Turn beef quickly (as best you can!). Leave untouched for 30 seconds to brown. Immediately remove onto a plate. Don't worry about pink bits and that it will be raw inside.
4. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil and repeat with remaining beef.
5. Turn heat down to medium high. Add butter, melt. Then add onions, cook for 1 minute, then add mushrooms.
6. Cook mushrooms until golden. Scrape bottom of fry pan to get all the golden bits off (this is flavour!).
7. Add flour, cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
8. Add half the broth while stirring. Once incorporated, add remaining broth.
9. Stir, then add sour cream and mustard. Stir until incorporated (don't worry if it looks split, sour cream will "melt" as it heats).
10. Bring to simmer ,then reduce heat to medium low. Once it thickens to the consistency of pouring cream (3 - 5 minutes), adjust salt and pepper to taste.
11. Add beef back in (including plate juices). Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from stove immediately. (Note 4)
12. Serve over pasta or egg noodles, sprinkled with chives if desired.
Recipe Notes:
1. Stroganoff is best made with a decent to good quality quick cooking cut of beef because the dish is cooked quickly. I used 2 x beef scotch fillets (aka boneless rib eye) which is pretty well marbled with fat and you can find reasonably priced ones at butchers and supermarkets. Sirloin, rump and any other steak for BBQ-ing is suitable, except I don't recommend skirt, flat iron and cuts like that which need to be virtually rare to be juicy and usually work best when marinated. Tenderloin is also suitable BUT it is leaner.
Pork can also be used - pork stroganoff is found in Russia too.
2. Any wheat flour is fine here, I use plain white flour (all purpose). Or use 1 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour (makes it Gluten Free).
3. I like serving this with short, curly pasta. I like it best with short pastas, rather than long pastas. It's also great with mashed potato, rice, polenta - anything that's suitable to slop up all that gravy!
4. Sauce thickness: You can make sauce thinner with touch of water if you want, but DO NOT keep simmering to thicken once the beef is added, it will overcook the beef.
5. KEY STEPS in this recipe: brown very quickly so the beef is still raw inside, then finish cooking through in the gravy. The more colour you can get on the beef in 30 seconds on each side = more flavour in the end result. Do not worry about pink bits remaining on some of the beef after the sear and that it's raw inside - it is more important to get the beef out of the skillet after 60 seconds! The other key steps is to use a LARGE SKILLET. Key for beef browning / fast sauce reduction.
Bacon Wrapped dates with pomodoro
5 slices of bacon
15 pitted dates
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the bacon on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1 minute. Cut the slices of bacon into 3 pieces. Wrap a piece of the bacon around the date and secure with a toothpick. Lay the bacon wrapped dates on the parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the bacon is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pomodoro
· 2-15 ounce cans san marzano tomatoes
· 5 cloves garlic
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
· 5-6 basil leaves
· 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
· pepper to taste
1. Place the garlic on a cutting board and rest the flat side of a wide knife over one clove at a time. Whack the side of the knife with your fist to crush the clove so that it breaks open, but remains in one piece. Do the same with the remaining cloves. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a 9-inch skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough to slick across the surface of the pan, add the garlic and cook until it's browned and fragrant, 2-3 minutes, flipping occasionally. Remove the garlic with tongs and discard. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes in the oil, stirring often.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the tomatoes to the hot oil. The oil and tomatoes will splatter, so an apron would be advisable. Break the tomatoes apart with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the basil leaves and stir to combine. Place the lid askew on the pan so that steam can still escape and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and use the tongs to remove the basil and discard.
4. Transfer the tomatoes to a food processor. Add the salt. Secure the lid on the food processor and place a dish towel over the top (to catch any splatters -- yes, I've had it happen to me). Pulse the tomato sauce 5-6 times until the sauce is smooth. Check for seasoning, adding additional salt if needed. Don't add the black pepper until you are finished processing the sauce, otherwise it will be spicier than you intended.
5. Serve over al dente pasta with parmesan cheese.
Linguine and seafood
· 1 medium onion, chopped
· 1 tablespoon canola oil
· 2 garlic cloves, minced
· 2 cans (6-1/2 ounces each) chopped clams, undrained
· 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
· 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
· 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
· 1 bay leaf
· 1 teaspoon sugar
· 1 teaspoon dried basil
· 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
· 6 ounces linguine, cooked and drained
· Additional minced fresh parsley, optional
· In a small skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
· Transfer to a 1-1/2- or 2-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the clams, tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, bay leaf, sugar, basil and thyme.
· Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through. Discard bay leaf. If desired, sprinkle with additional parsley. Serve with linguine. Freeze option: Omit additional parsley. Cool before placing in a freezer container. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Place in a large saucepan; heat through, stirring occasionally. Serve with linguine and, if desired, minced parsley.
· Stock & Stable is a modern American gastropub featuring a menu of shared plates, fresh salads, hearty sandwiches, housemade pastas, and hearty entrees including beer butt chicken, ny steak, and grilled salmon.
· Daily social hour from 3-6pm, featuring $7 well drinks, $8 classic cocktails, $5 beers, $5 select wines, and specially priced eats.
· Also have an upstairs lounge, Honor Amongst Thieves, open nightly starting at 6pm.
· Weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays featuring benedicts, biscuits and gravy, veggie hash and more.
· Stock & Stable is located on the heart of the 7th Street Corridor at 5538 N. 7th Street in Phoenix.
· For more information, visitwww.stockandstable.com .
