Quick Steak & Mushroom Stroganoff

I do love a good stroganoff and often make a mushroom one but fancying something meatier I found this on BBC Good Food, having seen someone else in a food group I’m in mention it on FB. As well as being delicious, and pretty low in calories, it is also quick so excellent for a mid-week meal.

I’ve served this with tagliatelle but you could serve it over rice to if that takes your fancy


Steak & Mushroom Stroganoff
serves 2

2 tsp groundnut oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Hungarian paprika
1 green pepper, chopped
200g mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
150ml beef stock
250g lean rump steak, trimmed of fat and sliced thinly
150ml Quark (or fat free fromage frais)

Mix the Worcestershire sauce with the beef strips in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until starting to soften. Add the pepper and cook for a few minutes more.

Add the garlic and paprika, and cook for 1-2 mins until fragrant before adding the mushrooms and frying for a further 5 mins until softened.

Add the vinegar, boil to reduce until almost evaporated, then pour over the stock and bubble for a few mins until thickened slightly. Add the beef and cook for 2-3 mins depending on how rare you like it.

Remove from the heat and stir in the Quark.

Season carefully to taste and serve immediately over tagliatelle or rice.

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Peppered Fillet Steak with Artichoke & Sunblush Tomato Salad

This is adapted from a recipe I saw on the BBC Good Food website - they had said to use grilled marinated artichoke hearts (so feel free to do so) but instead I used half a tin of artichoke hearts in brine, rinsed, drained and quartered them, then added a couple of bits from a jar of marinated then drizzled over some of the oil from the jar.

The artichokes were then roasted in a preheated oven at about 200C for around 30 minutes. The result was delicious home-roasted artichokes, slightly crisp & charred in places with lovely creamy centres.

I also got a couple of pieces of excellent beef fillet from The Ginger Pig in Borough Market. Really then this is a fairly “special occasion” meal owing to the cost of the fillet but hey I was then due to be off work for 4 days so that was cause for celebration enough.

Peppered Fillet Steak with Artichoke & Sunblush Tomato Salad
serves 2

2 fillet steaks (about 140g each)
1 tbsp dried pink peppercorn, crushed slightly using a pestle & mortar
good quality extra virgin olive oil
250g grilled baby artichoke hearts, quartered (see note above)
85g mixed salad leaves
100g grilled peppers
10 SunBlush tomatoes
good quality balsamic vinegar

Heat oven to 180C.

Season the beef with salt, then rub in the crushed peppercorns. Heat a sauté or frying pan over a medium high heat and when hot add a small splash of oil. Sear the steaks for 1 minute each side then place on a roasting tray and put in the oven for 5-8 mins.

Remove, wrap tightly in foil, then leave to rest while making the salad.

Put the salad leaves in a bowl with the peppers, artichokes and tomatoes and drizzle in a little olive oil.

Season and toss around then arrange on plates and drizzle some balsamic over the top.

Remove beef from the foil and slice.

Arrange the slices of fillet on the plates alongside the salad and serve.

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Sirloin Steak with White Bean & Leek Mash

A very simple Nigella recipe this, originally published in Nigella Express apparently but as I don’t have that particular book I must have taken it from her website.

Anyway it is super quick and as such an excellent mid-week supper.

You’ll need quite thinly cut sirloin steaks for this, as they are flash-fried for all 4 minutes in total, so visiting a decent butcher is probably a good idea.

I’ve used butter beans for the mash but any white bean, such as cannellini, will work. I also added some leek to the mash as I thought it would be interesting and also bulk it out a little with a bit more veg content to boot as well as some yoghurt to make it a bit creamier. Both worked well but you can omit it if you like.


Sirloin Steak with White Bean & Leek Mash
serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil (plus 1 tsp)
1 clove garlic, crushed
grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
600g butter beans (about 1 ½ tins), drained and rinsed
4-6 baby leeks, washed and finely sliced
a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
2 tbsp fat free Greek yoghurt
2 thinnish cut sirloin steaks (about 150g each)
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Put 2 tbsps olive oil in a saucepan, and mix in the garlic, thyme, lemon zest and chopped leeks.

Sweat over a low heat for 20 minutes until the leeks are softened but not coloured.

Add the beans & yoghurt and a good splash of water turn down the heat to very low.

Heat gently: stirring and squishing the beans with a wooden spoon to make a lumpy mash. Season carefully to taste.

Meanwhile season the steaks well on both sides with salt and black pepper. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan and cook the steaks on high for a minute and a half - two minutes a side. Remove to warmed plates and rest for 5 minutes.

Squeeze the lemon juice into the hot pan and let it bubble up with the meaty oil.

Divide the creamy bean mash between two plates and place the steak alongside drizzling over the lemony meaty juices.

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