The nights are getting longer and the temperatures are dropping quickly, which leaves many of us searching high and low for hearty winter meals to warm us up during the cold evenings. After a long, busy day at work, it’s not always easy to find the motivation to cook – particularly when the recipes you can find will take a while to whip up.
This recipe from TV chef Jamie Oliver is perfect for winter evenings, and the best part is it only takes a few minutes to cook, making it perfect for weeknights when you don’t have much energy. Originally from the expert chef’s 15 Minute Meals cookbook, this Beef Stroganoff recipe is a total game changer, and once you’ve made it once, you’re likely going to add this one to your weekly rotation of meals.
This meal has three main components: the stroganoff itself, the rice, and a delicious onion pickle, and you can be getting on with them all at the same time, “This quick beef stroganoff recipe is creamy, light, and cooks in the time it takes to do the rice,” explains Jamie Oliver on his website.
300g of 10 mins basmati or wholegrain rice
200g baby spinach
1/2 bunch of fresh thyme
For the Stroganoff
4 tbsps olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp sweet paprika (heaped)
4 tbsps fat-free natural yoghurt
1 lemon
1 swig brandy
1 swig semi-skimmed milk
2 x 200g sirloin steaks, fat removed
300g mixed mushrooms
For the pickle
1 bunch flat parsley
1 handful gherkins
2 x small red onion
Method
Firstly you need to make sure you have filled and boiled your kettle and have all your equipment ready to go to get this meal done sharpish. You will need a medium saucepan popped over medium heat, a large frying pan over high heat, and a food processor ready to slice finely.
Put your 300g of rice into the medium pan – this should be about one mugs worth – along with two mugs of boiling water and your thyme leaves, add some salt and pepper to your taste and pop the lid on, leaving it to cook, but stirring every so often.
Next, you want to peel your onions, and along with the gherkins whack them in your food processor to be finely sliced, before putting them in a bowl. Grab your parsley and roughly tear its leaves before slicing the stalks finely, add this to the bowl too along with some of the vinegar from your gherkin jar and a bit of salt, “scrunching together well.”
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Put two tablespoons of olive oil into your frying pan, and slice your mushrooms – you can tear them to save time if you prefer. Then with the peel still on, use a garlic crusher to squish your garlic cloves, add this to the frying pan, along with two-thirds of the pickle, and make sure to stir it pretty regularly as you go on.
Then grab your steaks, you will want to slice these to about 1cm thickness, and then cover them in the paprika, salt and pepper and grate some lemon zest over them too, making sure it’s all properly tossed together.
Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set these aside on a plate, and then add another 2 tablespoons of oil to your frying pan, along with the chopped and seasoned steak. This should be flat across the pan in one layer, and you should flip the pieces once they have turned golden.
Next, turn your attention back to the rice that has been cooking away, and pop your baby spinach in there too, making sure it’s covered with the pan lid. Then add the swig of brandy to your steaks and here you can “carefully light it with a match (if you want), let the flames subside, then return the mushrooms to the pan with the yoghurt and milk and bring to the boil.”
Finally, grab a platter to dish this up on, and add your wilted spinach to it as a base. Use a fork to fluff up the cooked rice, before pouring it over the spinach, and then dollop your Stroganoff over this. The last step is to squeeze the last third of your pickle – to drain any excess liquid – and scatter it over the dish as a delicious garnish.
All that’s left to do is sit back and tuck into this hearty meal.
