Beef Stroganoff by Ruski Nail

A lot of things have happened since the 12th of August, when I last threw up a concoction on the hallowed (ha!) virtual pages of this blog.

I make no apologies for my absence. Well, maybe just a few. It's not that I WASN'T cooking; it's just that in the moments that my stove-chain reached more than five metres from the kitchen I was tied up with the arduous pursuit of planning a wedding whilst grappling at every corner with my inner Bridezilla. Don't get me wrong - being married is great. Weddings are not. I'm not sure if/when I'll recover from the stress involved in dealing with binty venue coordinators, disorganised caterers and overbearing relatives... sometimes all in the same hour. SUUUCCKKKSSS.

But you know, live and learn, live and learn. And The Bloke and I did get a smashing excuse for a south east Asian eating holiday out of the deal, so I can't complain too much. I'll be filling in the gaps in this blog retrospectively over the next week or so. Maybe.

But now - it's a neo-typical Tuesday evening here in the recently un-sinned Casa del Bitch'n'Bloke; in that The Bloke is having a rehearsal with the reborn line up of his band... and that I, as the feminine component of this newly-wed bliss, felt it my duty to whip something up for him to eat before he gets down to the serious business of pushing keys and twisting knobs.

Pun intended. Artists. You know how they are.

I don't really have a clever tie in to explain why I decided on beef stroganoff for dinner. I can honestly say that although I have, like every good woman raised with nouvelle cuisine* in the heady gastronomical heights of the mid-eighties, I can't remember the last time that a morsel of it passed my lips. Probably the best explanation for its presence on our menu is the fact that the charming butcher at the Marrickville Metro had some pre-cut strips in his shop window on Sunday night, and it got me thinking about it for more than five minutes. It doesn't take that long to cook, plus, if you have a bit too much wine whilst cooking STROGANOFF is a great word to shout out your kitchen window. So without further ado... STROGANOFF!

Beef Stroganoff by Ruski Nail

Ingredients
400g rump steak, cut into strips
1/2 cup plain flour, seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
30g butter
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 onion, thinly sliced
125g mushrooms, cliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup sour cream

Method
1. Toss the beef strips in the seasoned flour and dust off the excess. Melt the butter in a large frypan / wok over a medium heat.
2. Chuck the onions into the pan and fry, stirring for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant.
3. Add the beef and cook until well browned, stirring constantly.
4. Add the white wine and deglaze the plan, then let simmer until the wine is reduced by half.
5. Add the mushrooms and fry for a minute. Add the stock and tomato paste, stir well.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about half an hour, until the beef is tender.
7. Add the sour cream and stir to heat through, then remove from heat. Don't let it bubble, comrade, unless you want your dinner to curdle like the USSR circa 1991.

Serve with buttered noodles (I use macaroni 'coz I'm retro-core and still pissy about the authenticity) and an assortment of steamed veggies. If you've saved enough rubles, perhaps a glass of zesty white or light red wine to cut through the cream would be noice on the side. Noice. Different. Unyooshual.

* (I've just checked the Wikipedia entry, and there are no words to describe the disappointment I am currently feeling after reading that it was first cooked in 19th century Russia and is thus somewhat more authentic than the 1985 Annual Blacktown RSL Members Dinner creation I was hoping to discover. NYET!)