Had some thin sliced rump steak (minute steak) left over from yesterdays Cricket barbecue so decided to make a quick Stroganoff for tea.

Beef Rump Minute steak or extra thin sliced rump is a fantastically versatile ingredient and if you keep a few slices in the freezer they are also very handy as they defrost very quickly at room temperature or in the fridge.  Ask your butcher if they can slice some rump or top rump on the slicer for you.

Beef Stroganoff a British institution? but the name suggests otherwise! actually typical of medieval Russian cookery and now popular throughout Europe, Brazil, Portugal and most of the western World.

My quick Strog recipe

Ingredients:-

• 500g/1lb approx thin sliced beef rump steak (sirloin or fillet is even better! but not necessary)
• small tub of sour cream
• 8 or 9 mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1 medium or 2 small onions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 2 or 3 tablespoons plain flour
• salt & pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 200ml beef stock (beef stock cube & boiling water)
• teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• serve with long grain rice & maybe a naan bread to tear & share!

Method:-

1. combine the flour, seasoning & paprika in a saucer
2. slice the steak into thin strips and dust or dip with the flour, seasoning and paprika
3. fry the onions & garlic in a little oil ( I used Yorkshire Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rape Seed Oil)
4. then add the floured strips of beef and gently brown
5. add stock, mustard & white wine vinegar & simmer for 10 mins
6. add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 15 mins or pop a lid on it and put in a simmering oven (Aga bottom oven)
7. take off the heat and allow to cool for a couple of mins then stir in the sour cream & serve with boiled rice and bread or maybe a plain naan bread to tear & share

I do enjoy a trip over to Burnsall but sadly don’t visit the Red Lion as much as I’d like, had an excuse for a trip over today and was very pleased we did.

First the Beer, Timothy Taylor’s Best Bitter or Caledonian Deuchars IPA (one of my favourites through habit when they used to serve it at The Lister Arms in Malham)  of course I choose the Deuchars IPA for old time’s sake, good temperature, lovely creamy pint.

The food, for starter’s Fish Soup with Aioli & Gruyere, very meaty fish soup ! can you say that? I mean lot’s of nice fishy or seafoodie bits in this case, squid, mussels all sorts, lovely consistency and a nice floating crouton with a dollop of Aioli and sprinkling of Gruyere on top, yum.  served with sundried tomato bread.

Main course, after much thought I plumped for the Liver & onions with bubble and squeak, another great choice on my part, various veg served with the other meals and included, butternut squash mash, dauphinoise potatoes, chips, red cabbage, carrots and cauliflower cheese, oh and a salad with the steak.

Other dishes on the menu included, rib eye steak, smoked haddock, poached egg and hollandaise (I went for this last time I was here!) 14oz rump steak, Hartlington Lamb, Pigeon & chorizo salad, game pie with herb dumpling crust and Haggis (but they had run out).

I was stuffed and couldn’t face a pud but other’s tried a lemon tart with lemon sorbet, an orange and chocolate mouse cake and the cheese and biscuit selection which all looked great and the cheese came with fruit cake as well!

I have a full Stilton Quarter that we have not even started over Xmas, so have been looking out some Stilton Cheese recipes to try and use some up!

This is Stilton and Cauliflower Soup adapted from Keith Floyds recipe from his book Floyd on Britain & Ireland and serves 8.

Ingredients:-

• 30g/1oz butter
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 very large or 2 regular cauliflowers
• 1 Litre/1.5 pints vegetable stock
• 1 bouquet garni
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 pint milk
• 8 oz blue stilton
• parsley to garnish

Method:-

• melt butter in pan and fry onion until soft (do NOT brown)
• add cauliflower, stock, salt and pepper and bouquet garni and bring to boil for 10 to 15 mins
• remove bouquet garni and allow to cool slightly
• liquidise or blend until smooth
• mix cornflour with a little cold milk and stir into puree with remaining milk
• bring to boil whilst stirring
• remove from heat and start crumbling the Stilton into the soup and stirring until melted and combined, it’s ok to have some small cheesy lumps!
• serve with a sprig of parsley and enjoy…

Had some small onions/shallots in the pantry from before Xmas that needed pickling.

Ingredients:-

• Shallots or small onions
• Salt
• Pickling Vinegar
• Pickle spices and/or a couple of fresh chillies

Method:-

• Top and tail your onions with a sharp stainless steel knife, that is, cut off the root and stalk ends of the onions
• Peel off any dry or soft onion skin layers until you have a firm clean peeled onion and toss in a bowl
• Once all peeled sprinkle liberally with table salt and set aside in a cool place for a few hours or preferably overnight, alternatively boil water and salt to make a brine and allow to cool then add onions (only when completly cool)
• Pour off any onion liquor from time to time and add more salt, this process draws moisture out of the onions and gives a nice crisp onion when pickled, the more salt and time you give them the better the result
• Wash and then sterilise your pickle jars in boiling water and allow to dry (I put them on the back of the Aga)
• Wash onions in clean cold water and then dry with a clean tea towel
• Fill jars with onions and then top up with cold pickling vinegar, make sure you cover all the onions but the vinegar should not be in direct contact with metal lids
• Seal with airtight lids and leave for at least a week or two before sampling your pickles
• For extra flavour try throwing in a chilli pepper or pickling spices with the onions

Just tried some pickled onions that I bottled a couple of weeks ago and added 3 or 4 fresh green chilli’s that we have growing on the window sill and wow these are powerfull pickled onions, phew!!, PB & PD both agree they have a Kick!