Beef Stroganoff- Easy Recipe

Beef Stroganoff is an easy to cook but delicious and satisfying meal which is perfect for a family supper or a dinner party with friends. There are many variations of this dish, some choose to add a dash of alcohol or even a clove of crushed garlic. They are all nice in their own right, but we love the ease and simplicity of this  Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Ingredients

• 400g good rump steak fat trimmed.
• 1 tbsp butter.
• 1 tbsp olive oil.
• 300g small button or mixed mushrooms.
• 3 shallots or sweet baby onions, finely chopped.
• 1 tbsp plain all purpose flour.
• 300ml good beef stock ( use stock cubes if you wish).
• 1 tbsp Dijon or English mustard according to your preference.
• 1 tbsp tomato purée or ketchup.
• 3 tbsp crème fraîche.
• small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley.
• 1/2tsp paprika  (optional) use smoked paprika for a more earthy taste.
• salt & pepper for seasoning.

Method

Before slicing the rump steak for this recipe we suggest freezing the beef or up to an hour before attempting to cut it as this will let you slice it much finer and easier without it  breaking up. Season your sliced rump steak with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with the paprika.

In a large, non-stick frying pan, melt half the butter and half the olive oil over a medium to high heat, then quickly seal  the steak in small batches until evenly browned on both sides.

Remove the meat from the pan and put to one side. Repeat this process with the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to the steak and leave to rest.

Add the rest of the butter and olive oil to the frying pan and soften the onions or shallots for a few minutes taking care to ensure they don’t burn.

Add and stir in the plain flour for around 1 min, then gradually stir in the beef stock. Cook over medium high heat and stir well for 5 minutes or so until the sauce has thickened.

Add in the Dijon mustard, the tomato puree or ketchup, crème fraîche and a dash of salt and pepper seasoning.

Stir sauce,cook sauce for around 1 minute further, then return the steak and mushroom mix to the pan to warm through until hot enough to serve. (a minute or two should be sufficient).

Serve this delicious Beef Stroganoff with rice or pasta  such as tagliatelle according to your preference.

Origins of Beef Stroganoff

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Easy Homemade Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev is a beautiful Chicken cutlet style dish made by encasing garlic butter inside a chicken breast coating the whole thing in breadcrumbs and cooking.

The origin of this dish is widely disputed by both the Russians and the Ukrainian’s.

The Ukrainians claim the dish was invented there and named after the Capital of Ukraine, however a Russian food historian subsequently claimed the dish was invented in the Moscow Merchants Club in the early part of the twentieth century, and was renamed by a local restaurant using the name chicken Kiev to enhance their menu.

Wherever it was invented it is now a well known and much enjoyed dish all over the world.

This Chicken Kiev recipe is easy to make, with no real technical skills required.

The resulting dish will make even the most experienced cooks feel proud to serve it.

ingredients

• 8 skinless, boneless chicken fillets
• 225g dried or fresh breadcrumbs (fresh breadcrumbs can made by adding one or 2 slices of bread to a food processer or blender and whizzing up)
• 75g Parmesan or Italian hard cheese, grated
• 5 eggs, cracked in a bowl & beaten
• 100g plain flour
• pinch paprika (try smoked Paprika for a change)
• 4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, for shallow frying

For The Garlic Butter

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed using a garlic press or the back of a heavy knife.
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (dried can be used but fresh much better)
• 200g  salted butter, softened
• juice ½ lemon

Method

Make the garlic butter by putting all the ingredients in a bowl and season well with asalt and pepper.

Mash the butter with a fork until until all the ingredients are evenly combined, shape into two sausage shapes by rolling in cling film to help you shape them, then tightly wrap and chill in the fridge or freeze until the butter becomes very firm.

The Garlic Butter can, if you wish,be made up to 3 days in advance.

Just before you make this Chicken Kiev Recipe slice the butter sausages into even sized rounds.

To make the chicken kiev, lay a whole chicken breast on a suitable surface such as a chopping board and use the tip a sharp knife to make a deep pocket inside the chicken breast.

The easiest way we find is to push the pointed tip of a knife into the thickest end of the fillet, continue until around halfway into the breast. Whatever you do make sure you don’t cut all the way through the fillet, or the butter will leak out when cooking. Repeat the process with the the rest of the chicken breasts.

Insert 2 large slices of the garlic butter inside each chicken breast pocket.

Press the ends of the chicken Kiev pocket that you filled with butter closed and prepare for coating.

Mix the fresh or dried breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan in a dish.

Put the beaten egg mixture into a second shallow dish.

Mix the flour with paprika (Plain or smoked) and some salt and place into a clean bag, shake to mix.

Dip each breast into the bag and coat with the seasoned flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs.

Repeat this process for each chicken kiev so each has a double coating of breadcrumbs. Apart from keeping the butter inside the Kiev’s, it will make them much more crispy and enjoyable.

The finished Chicken Kiev’s should be chilled C for at least 1- 1/2 hours before cooking.

Cooking

Heat oil in a large heavy frying pan and fry the chicken kiev’s lightly on both sides in batches of no more than 3 at at a time.
Transfer the Chicken kiev’s to the oven on a baking tray and oven cook for approx 20-25 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
For a change, instead of garlic butter try filling these kiev’s with your favourite cheese and ham.

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Nutrition per serving
Calories 564  Protein 57g   Carbs 0g   Fat 37g   Saturates 15g   Sugar 0g   Salt 0.59g

Everyone Loves Easy Roast Chicken, As part of a Sunday lunch or a delicious Chicken salad, and the leftovers can be used to make sandwiches, easy roast chicken curries, pasta dishes and many other easy roast chicken recipes. Chicken is one of the most versatile foods that we have and it can be used in hundreds of recipes for starters and main courses, picnic foods and packed lunches. Enjoyed by young and old alike Easy Roast Chicken has been a firm family favourite for Centuries. We have tried and tested many recipes for roast chicken and this one we believe is the easiest and the best, simply cooked food is sometimes all that is required.

Easy Roast Chicken Ingredients

1.8-2kg/4lb-4lb 8oz chicken
2 garlic cloves, bashed
2 bay leaves
50g/ 5oz butter, softened
juice 1 lemon

How To Make Our Easy Roast Chicken

Method

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
Place the chicken in a  roasting tin large enough to accommodate the bird comfortably,  stuff the garlic and bay leaves into the cavity.
Rub the skin of the chicken with butter, then squeeze over the lemon juice and add the lemon halves to the inside of the chicken.
Season the chicken inside and out, then cook it for 20 mins to Start Browning Process.

Reduce the oven temperature down to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and cook for a further 45 mins or until the chicken juices run clear when you pierce the thigh with a knife. Leave to rest for 15 mins before carving.

Delicious easy roast chicken everytime

Chicken Tips

For pure simplicity, and tender chicken, try a slow cooker. No crispy skin, but very nice to come home to after a day at work.

If funds allow buy a free range chicken as factory chickens have nowhere as much taste.

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Easy Meal Ideas For Busy Parents

Nowadays many parents are busier than ever. In addition to most families being two-working parent families, children seem to be involved in more and more extra activities. For many parents it makes that fast food drive through look really good. How else are you supposed to feed kids quickly? The answer lies in some forward planning when it comes to quick and easy meal ideas, planning and a little help from easy home cooking of course . We have listed below a few quick and easy meal ideas and time saving cooking tips for busy parents.

1) Roast chicken

- Roast chicken? Really, Doesn’t that take hours to cook?? yes it can of course. but, if you box clever, you can slice the chicken through the middle and roast it in around half the time. Have you also considered buying a pre-cooked chicken from the deli counter at the supermarket? The best thing about making a roast chicken is that the yummy leftovers can be used to make chicken salad or scrummy sandwiches for lunch, and many other easy meal ideas. You can also very easily use the leftovers to make a chicken curry or a casserole the next day for dinner.
#2

Lasagna

- This one is definitely one of those make-ahead easy meal ideas, however, lasagna always tastes better reheated (like a lot of home cooked food ) and it can provide enough food for two days dinners. When mealtime arrives, simply warm up the lasagna and prepare a quick salad. You have a well-rounded meal packed with goodness & nutrients. Use whole grain lasagna noodles if you can to provide even more fibre.

#3

Rice cooker meals

- Did you know you can steam rice, chicken and chopped vegetables all at the same time? It’s true. Use your rice cooker to make many of your favourite easy meal ideas. In fact, there’s an entire cookbook written by Roger Ebert of movie critic fame on how to make meals in your rice cooker. Check it out here

#4

Use your slow cooke

r for many of your easy meal ideas – You can cook a chicken in your slow cooker. You can also use it to make casseroles, stews, soups and all sorts of tasty family meals. If you’re pressed for time in the mornings,  prepare it ready for the pot the previous night. Add the prepared items to the slow cooker in the morning and set it to cook while you’re away at work. When you come home, your dinner is ready and waiting for you and your family to enjoy.

#5

Burgers

- Burgers are one of our favourite easy meal ideas, When you buy your minced beef, turkey or even pork at the butchers or supermarket, take it home and press it into burgers. Freeze the burgers. When it’s time for dinner, all you have to do is pop the frozen burgers on the barbecue or under a hot grill or griddle pan.   While the burgers are cooking you can make a Quick & Easy salad with shop bought leaves and some ready washed cherry tomatoes and a tub of ready made coleslaw. Dinner in less than ten minutes. Serve the burgers on wholemeal rolls to provide even more fibre.

Plan your easy home cooking meals for the week and shop according to your list. Try to add in a few make-ahead items. Use your slow cooker and rice steamers to make easy meals ideas while you’re busy doing other things. Take advantage of pre-prepared foods when it makes sense. It’s not always easy to feed a family when you’re pushed for time. A little thought and forward preparation can make it a whole lot easier. Share your Easy meal idea recipes with us Here for others to enjoy.

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