Five Fish and Four French loaves - Beef Stroganoff and Mushroom Soup

Five fish and four baguettes won't cut it if you're planning on feeding a multitude. Here are a few basic recipes for everything divine. Double them up for a crowd. My motto is: Consistency is unimaginative, dress them up or pasta it down. Girls want to have fun, and preparing a meal must be a quickie. 

Every time I serve one of these dishes, I have phone calls asking for the recipe, so here it is. I give it to you with the hope I'll never have to write it down again!  

I recall stretching the Bolognaise sauce to feed 17 prepubescent boys on a Friday after school a few years ago, remember how flabbergasted you were, Ilze, and couldn't believe I could carry it off with so much panache!  We had to lick the wooden spoon and drown our sorrows at missing out.

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BEEF STROGANOFF AND MORE

A good stroganoff is a crowd pleaser. Rice is an excellent accompaniment and can be prepared in advance and just steamed before serving. 250ml rice to 1liter water (or as directed on the packet) Serves 4-6

Basic recipe for almost anything: 4-6 servings (keeps in the refrigerator)

STEP 1: Ingredients

Method

Step 2

1. Melt butter and oil in a large saucepan.
2. Fry the bacon until crisp.
3. Add onion, garlic, chilli, sweet bell pepper, and lastly the mushrooms, stir fry for a few minutes until wilted.
4. Add a good splash of brandy, heat slightly, then tilt over the flame or ignite with a match; the flame will die down once all the alcohol has evaporated.
5. Add the spices: 15ml Smoked paprika (ordinary if you don’t have smoked)
6. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
7. Some fresh herbs chopped (Thyme, Rosemary)
8. Add the spices and simmer for 3 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Step 3 To prepare the Fillet

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a frying pan over high heat.
2. Add the fillet steak and stir fry until JUST browned, remove from the heat, and keep to the side.
3. Just before serving, heat the mushroom sauce, once piping hot.
4. Add the fillet steak.
5. Add the sour cream.
6. Check seasoning, add chopped Italian parsley.
7. Serve immediately, as the steak must not overcook.

If you’re cooking for a crowd (follow these instructions for roasting a whole fillet - Rare) and you need the whole fillet or two: (use 120g of raw meat per person when calculating for more than 10-15 guests) Double the Mushroom Sauce.

(for Medium Roast, increase cooking time by calculating 20 minutes per 500g of meat, e.g. 1,5kg = 60 minutes, remember the heat will continue to cook the meat while it's resting)

Rub olive oil all over the fillet, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (I use Ina Paarman’s Seasoned Salt and Pepper mix)

1. Roast the fillet in a pre-heated oven at 160°C for 15 minutes per 500g. (45 minutes for a fillet weighing 1,5kg),
2. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wooden board, and rest. Just before serving, carve the fillet into strips.
3. Heat the mushroom sauce; add the meat, and lastly add the cultured cream.
4. Garnish with some chopped parsley.
5. Serve with garlic bread, salad, and minted peas (add 30ml Mint jelly and stir through)

TIPS FOR ALTERNATE DISHES

1. Adjust spices to suit yourself (I always use Ina Paarman seasoned salt and then tweak a little)
2. Wholegrain mustard added (10ml) is lovely too.
3. This basic recipe without the Fillet can be used for making any sauce, e.g., bolognaise, add 4-5 peeled and chopped tomatoes and 500g minced beef. (Perfect for lasagne).
4. Add 1T green peppercorns, crushed with a fork, and 250ml Fresh cream can be used as a mushroom sauce to be served with a barbequed steak or add pizzazz to        hamburger.
5. Omit the mushrooms and only have the green peppercorns for a green peppercorn sauce
6. Add a variety of SMOKED AND PEPPERED hams, diced, for a pasta sauce.
7. Add smoked Salmon at the last minute for a delicious Salmon and sour cream sauce.
8. Serve with Tagliatelle (adjust ingredients, e.g., no bell peppers, less garlic, less or no chilli).
9. Season with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, a dash more freshly ground black pepper, and chopped dill.
10. Use this sauce as a vegetarian dish; add some interesting oven-baked vegetables or chopped tomatoes and basil (cream can be optional) and serve with pasta.
11. Chicken breasts stir-fried make a Chicken-a-la-Queen.
12. VENISON STROGANOFF: Instead of using beef fillet, use Venison fillet and a selection of Wild Mushrooms. The earthy richness of the Venison and mushrooms is a match made in heaven. A good glug of brandy will give it the edge. Herbs like Rosemary will be complementary.  125 ml of good Red Wine added to STEP ONE and reduced will make the dish pop.
13. Finally, a white sauce, or Bechamel, is a sophisticated, rich, smooth, silky sauce, NOT a thick, glutinous blob with grated yellow cheddar cheese.

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SUNDAY NIGHT MUSHROOM SOUP

METHOD:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter, add the mushrooms, and stir-fry for a minute or so until nicely coated and glossy. Do not overcook.
2. Remove from the heat and add the flour, stirring until a smooth paste forms.
3. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring continuously until smooth, return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring regularly.
4. Add the milk and lastly the lemon juice.
5. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mushrooms from catching to the bottom of the saucepan.
6. Using a stick blender, blitz until smooth, but do not lose the nice texture. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Re-heat.
8. Ladle into individual soup bowls, garnish with a swirl of thick cream, parsley, chives, and a scraping of nutmeg.
9. Serve with warm, crispy French bread on the side.

This dish can also be tarted up by chopping an onion, sautéing it in the butter, adding 1 pressed garlic clove, sautéing, and then carrying on as directed.  Diced bacon, fried to a crisp, may also be added for extra flavour.

Bon Appétit