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Help - Beef Stroganoff Disaster!

9 replies

LS24 · 27/08/2014 09:08

Hi,
I made beef stroganoff for tea last night using James Martin's recipe. I didnt have time to go to the butchers for fillet beef (plus that was going to be very expensive!) so I bought some rump steak in the supermarket and used that for the stroganoff. I followed the instructions correctly, frying strips in pan, using the brandy etc to flambe but the beef was so tough and chewy! I could hardly eat it. Does anyone have any advice on what I have done wrong?!
thank you.

OP posts:
BlueBrightBlue · 27/08/2014 15:09

Rump steak will need long slow cooking.
I think it is ridiculous to suggest fillet steak for such a dish. Thinks chef is in cahoots with Supermarket.
Try this:

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Poor Man's Stroganoff with Wild Mushrooms

This is so called because the most expensive fillet steak was traditionally used. In this version giving it slow instead of fast cooking enables you to use a cheaper cut of beef – but with a better flavour, I think.

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Poor Man's Stroganoff with Wild Mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients

1½ lb (700 g) lean chuck steak
1 lb (450 g) mushrooms, thickly sliced
10 fl oz (275 ml) dry white wine or dry cider
½ oz (10 g) dried porcini mushrooms
2 large onions
2 oz (50 g) butter
200 ml carton crème fraîche
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Conversions

Need help with conversions?

You will also need a large, thick-based saucepan.

This recipe is taken from The Evening Standard Cookbook.

Method

First of all, heat the wine or cider in a small saucepan until it just begins to bubble around the edges. Then remove it from the heat, add the dried porcini mushrooms and leave it aside to soak while you trim the meat.

What you now need to do is cut the steak into thin strips, about ¼ inch (5 mm) wide and no more than 2½ inches (6 cm) long. The onions should be peeled, cut in half, then each half sliced and the layers separated out into half-moon shapes.

Now melt the butter in the thick-based saucepan and gently soften the onions for 5-6 minutes or until they have turned golden brown. Then, with a draining spoon, remove them to a plate.

Next, turn up the heat up high, add the pieces of meat to the saucepan (a few at a time in about 6 batches). Brown them all over and transfer them to join the onions.

When all the meat is browned, return the whole lot to the pan, along with the onions.

Next, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper, and pour in the wine or cider and the soaked mushrooms. Now bring it up to a gentle simmer, put a lid on and let it cook very gently on top of the stove for about 1½ hours – stirring it just now and then.

When the time is up stir in the sliced fresh mushrooms (which will add a lot of juice, in case you think it seems a little dry), put the lid back on and leave to cook very gently for a further 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Now taste to check the seasoning, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche with a few good gratings of fresh nutmeg.

Reheat very gently without allowing it to come back to the boil and serve with plain rice and a green salad or some lightly buttered spinach.

Menu suggestion: Serve with plain rice and imported fresh shelled peas.

LS24 · 27/08/2014 16:00

Thank you Brightbluebright for your help. Fillet steak seems very expensive to use in beef stroganoff and I just am at a loss as to why the rump was so tough and chewy, but probably as you suggested needs a longer and slower cooking time. I will give this one a go. I was really disappointed as I had been looking forward to the yummy beef stroganoff and the meat was not good!! Lol!

OP posts:
BlueBrightBlue · 27/08/2014 16:41

Another one to try.

arna · 28/08/2014 09:03

You can tenderise the rump steak slices with cornflour first.

LS24 · 28/08/2014 09:59

Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe I didn't cook the beef for long enough and slow enough as I just fried it off for about 5 mins like the instructions said for the fillet strips. Will try it again! Thank you.

OP posts:
LS24 · 29/08/2014 10:05

Going to give this a go again at the weekend as I have a friend coming over. If I use rump steak/chump (Not sure what the difference is) and fry it longer and slower as suggested, do you think it will be ok to put the finished beef stroganoff in a serving dish in the oven for a little while until my friend arrives? Or do I need to just fry and then serve?

OP posts:
Sweetpea33 · 01/09/2014 13:18

Bluebrightblue - I tried your recipe and it was lovely. Thanks

BlueBrightBlue · 01/09/2014 21:34

Sweetpea was it the Delia version or the lovely Titli's one?

Sweetpea33 · 02/09/2014 11:01

It was the Delia one. Which one do you prefer?

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