Birthday dinner: Beef Stroganoff and French Bean Salad with Fettuccine

Instead of the usual Birthday celebration dinner at a restaurant, I opted to cook this year round. Hubby helped out and together we cooked Beef Stroganoff and French Bean Salad with fettuccine for dinner. I've searched many online recipes of Beef Stroganoff. Most recipes called for smoked paprika and sour cream but since I neither have any of those, I used cayenne pepper and plain yoghurt as substitute. The Beef Stroganoff recipe is tweaked a little from Julie Goodwin’s recipe. She is Australia’s first master-chef in case you do not know. As for the French bean salad, hubby got inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe.

I am putting up the recipe for both Beef Stroganoff and French bean salad in case you and I want to try them in future.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

• 300g Beef Strips
• 3 tsp. flour
• Salt and black pepper, cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. tomato sauce
• 4-5 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
•  1 small onion chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic minced
•  6 button mushrooms
•  ½ cup plain yoghurt
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
•  2 tsp. butter
• Fettuccine

Method

1.    In a bowl, add flour, salt and black pepper to the beef and mix evenly.

2.    Heat oil in a pan, and then add in the beef strips. Sauté beef is browned and cooked. I took about 20 minutes to ensure my beef is perfectly cooked. Once done, set aside to cool.

3.    In the same pan, add some butter and then stir in the chopped onions and fry until slightly brown. Add in the garlic and give it a quick stir before adding the mushrooms.

4.    While you are at Step 3, fill up a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add fettuccine. Once soft drain out the water.

5.    Back to Step 3, add in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and continue stir-fry. After 3 minutes, add in the beef strips and give the combination a good toss before pouring in the yoghurt.

6.    Keep stirring until the yoghurt is mixed well with beef and mushrooms.

7.    Serve hot on a plate of fettuccine pasta.

Tip: If the mixture is not brown enough, you can add a drop or two of dark soya sauce for colouring.

French bean Salad

Ingredients

• 10-12 French beans
•   2 cloves garlic chopped
•   ½ lemon squeezed for its juice
• Crack of black pepper
•  Dash of salt
• ½ tsp. Rosemary 

Method

1.    Heat up some oil in pan and add in garlic. Sauté until slightly browned.

2.    Add in French beans and sauté combination until beans are soft.

3.    Add black pepper and a dash of salt.

4.    Pour in lemon juice and and let the beans absorb the juices.

A   Lastly, add in the rosemary and give it a final stir before serving on the bed of fettuccine.